Dementia, you're driving me crazy

This is driving me crazy
Dementia, Dementia, Dementia
Every light in the night flickered in and out
Every bone in my back shivered up and down
Keep the pace in case all the magic dies
'Cause this is driving me crazy
Every voice from my head shouted yes and no
Every freight train that fought fought to stop and go
Keep the pace in case all the magic dies
'Cause this is driving me crazy
Be surprised I'm a ghost keeping out of sight

Open up your eyes you're a star in the summer night
This is love this is war, it's insanity
Dementia you're driving me crazy!
Dementia, you're driving me crazy!
This is driving me crazy
Every tear in my eyes dripping wouldn't drop
Every disc in my spine shook and couldn't stop
Keep the pace just in case all the magic dies
'Cause this is driving me crazy
Every hand let me go that I try to hold,
Every warm heart it loved left me feeling cold
Keep the pace just in


Lyrics submitted by whcodered, edited by Nicorp97, emilyflame789

Dementia Lyrics as written by Adam R. Young

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Dementia song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    I don't think he's actually talking about the disease dementia. I think he means that the world is twisted and weird- demented. So he means that the entire world is dementia. I love his new style by the way. Very different.

    oceanheart13on April 20, 2012   Link
  • +2
    My Opinion

    This like a dream come true. Two of my favorite artists ever are on one song. You can totally tell that Mark Hoppus had some sort of control over this song because it plays like a blink 182 song but with the spirit of Owl City.It feels bigger than what Adam usually does. Im glad that the lyrics are surreal like Owl City and not straight forward like usual rock songs. Its a rock song, with Owl City lyrics. It is mesmerizing.

    Anyway, i think this song is about a girl who told him that he needed to forget about the wonderful relationship they had, but he still has minor flashbacks of memories and chills, and although he tries his hardest to forget about it, he keeps getting this flashbacks, like the effects of Dementia.

    RaffiHouron May 30, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is love, his is war, it's insanity

    i think here he means that it's crazy how we can love and be passionately and start wars and be so brutal at the same time.

    and I agree with the comment above. :)

    Jacky97on May 05, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I like the above interpretations, but for the sake of diversity, here's how I interpreted the song when I first heard it. (I interpreted it in a few ways.)

    1.) The song seems to be narrated from the P.O.V. of someone who is in love with someone with dementia. Judging from the lines:

    Big surprise, I'm a ghost keeping out of sight Rub your eyes, you're a star in the summer night This is love, this is war, it's insanity Dementia, oh dementia

    They sometimes feel like a ghost because their loved one has occasions where they don't recognize the narrator, or do not realize that the narrator is present at all. Sometimes, the narrator's loved one thinks that they are somewhere else, such as in outer space. Then there are the lines:

    Through the skies you're en route at the speed of light So realize this chaos in the air tonight This is love, this is war, this is pure insanity Dementia, you're driving me crazy

    Often the narrator is frustrated with their loved one, but they are still confident that they truly love each other, and the narrator often tries to assist their loved one in discerning what is true and what is imagined.

    2.) Another interpretation I made of the song is that it is actually from the point of view of someone with dementia, and they often think that they see a lover of their's who died years ago, but their lover could have just as easily moved away and not be dead. They themselves are unsure whether or not everything they see is true. What proves that their lover is likely dead are the lines:

    Big surprise, I'm a ghost keeping out of sight Rub your eyes, you're a star in the summer night This is love, this is war, it's insanity Dementia, oh dementia

    The first line could refer to their loved one speaking rhetorically, saying they are indeed dead, or it could refer to the fact that the narrator feels like a ghost because they cannot interact with the illusion that is their lover. The second line refers to the fact that their lover is likely in Heaven. Despite this, the narrator is not sure about everything they see being imaginary or not.

    I also think that the second stanza of the song is just a sort of run-through of their daily life and how they find it difficult to focus or discern truth from falsehood. Line about keeping pace may refer to them hoping they can maintain their focus long enough to do certain tasks or maintain a grip on reality, or it may refer to them hoping they can maintain a grip on the image of their loved one, either in their memory or in their sight. It could also mean that the narrator thinks that certain conditions can bring about the image of their loved one.

    3.) This song may just be in the same vein as Swimming in Miami and be about you finding "your zone" where nothing else matters and just being blown away by your own thoughts.

    Either way, this is a great song. The new album does seem to have some potential. I definitely agree, though, that the new sound is different; it took some getting used to.

    Alevuss33on May 15, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Those lyrics are wrong aren't they?

    And those backing vocals are Mark, right?

    kirmseon January 24, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I think this song is about the start of a new relationship after being hurt in a previous one. His heart is falling in love, but his head is telling him no, so he doesn't get hurt again. It's like he has dementia and is forgetting about all the pain he's been through.

    For example:

    "Every voice in my head shouted yes and no Every freight train in my head make it stop and go Keep the peace just in case all the magic dies Cause this is drivin' me crazy"

    and also...

    "Every hand let me go that I tried to hold Every warm hearted love left me freezing cold Keep the peace just in case all the magic dies Cause this is drivin' me crazy"

    He's falling in love, but everything he's experienced in his past is telling him not to. He's trying to keep a straight head just in case the magic of this new relationship dies.

    Poweredbyon April 19, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    i think that Adam is trying to say that he's been in a relationship that did'nt last before and it was bad.now,he likes this girl but does not know if he should let his heart be broken again or not.

    i am pretty sure many of you are curious what this line means:

    "big surprise,i'm a ghost keeping out of sight"

    to me,i means that he is watching the girl carefully to decide whether or not he should start a relationship but, he is also keeping a distance from her so he does not totally fall for her before his heart and mind cold decide

    indietronicaon July 10, 2013   Link

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