I got a plane in the middle of the night, don't you mind
I nearly killed somebody, don't you mind, don't you mind
I gave you something you can never give back, don't you mind
You've seen your face like a heart attack, don't you mind, don't you mind

I was late but I arrived
I'm sorry but I'd rather be getting high than watching the family die
Exaggerate and you and I
Oh I think I did something terrible to your body, don't you mind

I put your mother through hell, don't you mind
I hate your brother as well, don't you mind, don't you mind
Oh I was thinking about killing myself, don't you mind
I love you, don't you mind, don't you mind

I put your mother through hell, don't you mind
I hate your brother as well, don't you mind, don't you mind
Oh I was thinking bout killing myself, don't you mind
I love you, don't you mind, don't you mind


Lyrics submitted by dsrm_smile, edited by ThisGirlSara, Songmeanings09, PunkFuzz92, lookabby, jdoge, jaydenhoes, SomeoneElse145

Me Lyrics as written by George Bedford Daniel Matthew Timothy Healy

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Downtown Music Publishing

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Me song meanings
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  • +13
    My Interpretation

    I feel like he's looking at himself and all the things he's done, and he's so caught up in mental illness or addiction or whatever, he doesn't even feel it anymore. The drug addiction or the eating disorder or the alcoholism or intense depression, (Maybe all of the above) that he's stopping to ask himself "don't you mind that you're hurting everyone you love."

    "I gave you something you can never give back, don't you mind." The first time he tried drugs, that was it. He was hooked. He can never take that back.

    "You've seen your face like a heart attack, don't you mind." He looked in the mirror and didn't even recognize himself anymore.

    "I'm sorry I'd rather be high than watching the family die." To cope with what's going on his family, (Possibly because of his issues) he's doing drugs.

    He's so unhappy and lifeless, he wants to end his life. He's asking himself, "don't you care that you're about to end your life forever?" And at the same time asking the world if it would care.

    abravar2on June 30, 2014   Link
  • +8
    My Interpretation

    To me it's about a young male who is crying out for help. He has derailed, as often many people do, to both escape the pain of living and 'watching [his] family die', as well as to try and get attention. He is in a dark place and desperately wants someone to give him some love and attention, and thus sets about destroying himself as a call for people to care. Whilst it is said in a matter of fact way, you can hear the frustration in the 'don't you mind?' He eventually begins to try and illicit any reaction from those whom he loves, for he is searching for any kind of attention, and thus starts to attack his girlfriend's family ('I put your mother through hell') and his girlfriend herself ('I think I did something terrible to your body). He even considers killing himself to try and provoke a response, for then those around would realise how troubled he is and how much help he needs. Finally, he breaks down and says that he loves her even through this, and that she doesn't realise this. He feels no-one truly understands him, nor seems to feel anything towards him, be it hate, fear or love.

    TomTimmson October 31, 2013   Link
  • +5
    My Interpretation

    My view of this song is that it's the speaker's internal dialect, the main voice being the "bad" side of himself or a side representing his actions or feelings that aren't great. It's the side of him that gets high (got a plane in the middle of the night), the side of him that is violent (i nearly killed somebody), the side of him that doesn't care for his health maybe through drinking or smoking (i gave you something [bad health] you can never give back), the side of him that doesn't want to see his family, the side of him that is depressed (i was thinking about killing myself) and etc you get the drift.

    "Don't you mind, don't you mind" is his bad side saying to his good side "Don't worry, I got this. I'm gonna keep doing my shit" even though he knows it's not good for him.

    It's an incredibly powerful song when you look at it through this perspective. It's painfully truthful and jarring. One of my favourite lyrics.

    WasEverThuson September 15, 2013   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    I read that his mother had an abortion and tried to kill herself after he was born which makes me think this song could be written partially to the child she didn't have. If it is, I'm not sure I appreciate the anti-abortion sentiment but I digress.

    Post-partum depression is very common after child birth and I think the first half of the song could be written to the writer's mother. The line about doing something terrible to her body could be physically true but also mentally. "I'm sorry but I'd rather be getting high than watching the family die" the writer hides in drugs instead of facing the divorce and separation of their family.

    The second half could be written to the child she didn't have. "I put your mother through hell" he blames himself for what she is feeling "I hate your brother as well" could be a mutually shared brother or the writer himself. and then saying "I was thinking about killing myself" is sort of a weird twisted apology and "I love you" continuing that guilt.

    tobiinon October 21, 2014   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I think it's about the speaker having got a young girl, too young to be a mum, pregnant, and can't deal with the consequences of her having to have an abortion.

    'I gave you something you can never give back' - a child 'Seen your face like a heart attack' - her shock at realising she's pregnant 'I think I did something terrible to your body' - got her pregnant and she had to have an abortion 'I put your mother through hell, I hurt your brother as well' - her family hate him for it

    'I got on a plane in the middle of the night' - he left her without really telling her 'I'm sorry but I'd rather be getting high than watching my family die' - I think this is explaining why he left, he couldn't face seeing his child be killed

    'I nearly killed somebody' - I think this line is referring to the girl, not that he literally nearly killed her but having to look after a small child would've meant the end of the life she knew

    And the repeated 'don't you mind, don't you mind' - he's saying that you doesn't need to worry, you'll be okay, and don't worry about us because it's over now Like the last line, 'I love you, don't you mind, don't you mind.' He loves her but it makes no odds now that their relationship is over.

    That's just my interpretation. But this whole song is incredibly beautiful and sad, whatever way you look at the lyrics. And the last line just about breaks my heart :'(

    musicismylife7on September 16, 2013   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I think it's about addiction. He touches on damaging his relationships with his family, putting his mom through hell, damaging his body, being suicidal etc. he straight up says that he'd rather get high than watching it kill his family. It's written as if he's speaking to someone else but I think the song title makes it fairly clear that he's speaking to himself.

    anthonyhevon January 12, 2016   Link
  • +3
    My Interpretation

    This is my favorite song by the 1975. I saw them live a few days ago and they played this and I nearly started crying because of the raw emotion in this song. When I heard it for the first time, I put in one repeat because I love it so much.

    Firstly, I don't think he's saying "I hate your brother" it sounds more like "I hurt your brother".

    Anyway, my interpretation is that this song is about his addiction and his family. I also think it's about relationships. Not about a relationship with a girl, but his relationship with his family.

    If you didn't know, Matty used to be addicted to cocaine. I believe this song could be a letter he wrote to himself or someone (or at least aspects of it) early on during drug treatment or just something he wrote while overcoming his addiction. I think he sees himself as a different person after overcoming his addiction, which is why it seems like he's writing it to someone else. He's telling his old self that he's hurt people, his family in particular.

    However, in relation to the previous, I believe it could also be a letter to his brother, Louis. Or perhaps a mix of both a letter to his brother and himself.

    But the title of the song ("Me") supports the idea that this is a letter he wrote for himself, in my opinion.

    Recovering from drug addiction and going through the withdrawal brings out a lot of bad feelings, which is why so many people relapse despite wanting to quit. That is one reason/theory why this song has such a depressing tone to it (also that recalling why one became an addict in the first place is also very depressing).

    The line "I'd rather be getting high than watching my family die" is possibly about his addiction to cope with his parents and other family problems.

    egobrainon December 20, 2014   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I actually suspect this may be Matt commenting on his mothers history and a working through of his feelings towards her. She had an abortion, and also attempted to commit suicide following his birth. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Welch. If thats the case, this song is heartbreaking and poignant.

    Vespertineon November 23, 2013   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Okay I could be so off, but here I go. I think this song is about a girl and a guy. He's going through some kind of addiction. And he's bad for her, like he keeps hurting her but she keeps coming back to him because he loves him no matter what. Like he doesn't like her family, and he'll do all these bad things and constantly break her heart but she doesn't mind because she's in love. And more on his part I don't think he means to hurt her but he's depressed and suicidal and just can't help it so that's why he says I love you at the end because he really does and idk but I love this song.

    janeiciasymonexon January 16, 2015   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I've heard so many different interpretations and meanings of this song but every time I hear this song I can't help but cry. I feel like this is a song he wrote about an abortion of one of his past lovers he got pregnant and how she had an abortion and the whole song and the lyrics are kind of a relay between the pregnant girl and the unborn child.

    I see it as how once he found out that he had impregnated this girl he frightened himself at the sheer thought and fled- "I caught a plane in the middle of the night"

    and the references after almost every single verse "don't you mind?", I took in a way where he was looking at himself and asking how could he be so stupid and selfish at this time when she was actually experiencing it first hand.

    "I nearly killed somebody, don't you mind, don't you mind?" Kind of registers with me as if after she had the abortion he tries to contact her and speak with her about it but she's kind too traumatised to even be near him and I saw it as a cry for help to her to speak to him but she's so hurt by him that she shuts him out completely.

    "I gave you something you can never give back"- referring to the child

    "You've seen your face like a heart attack"- meaning they've both looked in the mirror and not recognised themselves through what they've become and just had a full on breakdown from everything they're going through.

    "I was late, but I arrived" Now, I took this two ways.

    • meaning that maybe she wanted him to be there when she got it done but he was too frightened to go near her for a fear that he might hurt her even more.
    • coming back after fleeing out of fear ((first line))

    "Sorry but I'd rather be getting high than watching my family die"- talking as an explanation for why he was late ^^

    "Exaggerate, and you and I"- Meaning the child, being unborn but such a big deal and impact on their lives, her and him.

    "I think I did something terrible to your body"- getting her pregnant

    Now I think is where he turns in the song and is talking to the unborn child:::

    "I put your mother through hell," from the pregnancy and stress and drugs and her getting caught up and having to deal with everything he put her through, hell.

    "I hurt your brother as well" OK THIS GOT ME, I started thinking maybe it wasn't the FIRST time he had got a girl pregnant or that exact same girl for example. Its like he's saying sorry for being such a fuckup and doing this again to yet another girl creating another baby.

    "Oh I was thinking about killing myself"- I saw this in a few aspects also;;

    • He's thinking future wise, about if he had the child, "would it be just like me?" and how he would see himself in them everyday- seeing himself as the child and considering the abortion.
    • He's too overwhelmed and upset that above all of his mess ups in life he had done something so stupid as to get a girl pregnant yet AGAIN ((see reasons for above^^)) that he just wants to make sure he won't do it again and he wants to stop himself from messing things up even more in his life and he just wants to end it (his life).
    • maybe he wants to just escape and be with the child in a happy place away from all of him problems in his life.

    the next line "I love you" gets me every time as you can hear how sincere he is and almost full of apologies in those three words as if he's trying to say "Im sorry for ending you before you even started but i love you and its not safe for you to be in my presence, you were a beautiful mistake and I love you beyond words" its almost like perhaps he wanted to keep the child but knew as a fact he wasn't fit to ever hold her like she deserved.

    And then the last verse just pretty much punches you right in the guts again with the most powerful lines in the whole song.

    That's my interpretation of 'Me' By The 1975 and I think I might go cry now.

    mackenzieeon January 16, 2015   Link

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