I'm seein' red
Don't think you'll have to see my face again
Don't have much time for sympathy
Cause it never happened to me
You're feelin' blue now
I think you bit off more than you could chew
And now it's time to make a choice
And all I wanna hear is your

So follow the leader down
And swallow your pride and drown
When there's no place left to go
Maybe that's when you will know
Follow the leader down
And swallow your pride and drown
When there's no place left to go
Maybe that's when you will know

And foolish lies
Well can't you see I tried to compromise
Cause what you say ain't always true
And I can see the tears in your eyes
And what you said now
Can't stop the words from running through my head
And what I'd do to get through to you
But you'd only do it again

So follow the leader down
And swallow your pride and drown
When there's no place left to go
Maybe that's when you will know
Follow the leader down
And swallow your pride and drown
When there's no place left to go
Maybe that's when you will know

Well I can confess, I don't know what to make from all this mess
Don't have much time for sympathy
But it never happened to me, you're feelin' down now
I don't know where I'll be when you come around
And now it's time to make a choice
And all I wanna hear is your voice


Lyrics submitted by 66exeter

Seein' Red Lyrics as written by Robert Brewer Pat Kim

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Seein' Red song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

179 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    The whole mainstream relativity is that before a band goes mainstream and they're really popular, they'll be successful, but once they go mainstream everyone will bandwagon, their music will be overplayed on crap top 40 radiostations (or any radiostation trying to be "in" for that matter) and the original fans get pissed off because of all these teeny boppers or wanna-be fans that just bandwagoned because that band is "in" when these people have been fans all along and these bandwagoners would most likely not give that band the light of day. So you see, the reason fans don't want bands to go mainstream is because they'd only be doing it for money when all of their pre-mainstream fans like them because of their talent. When bands go mainstream that have been around for a while (i.e. Blink 182, Sum41, Gorillaz) everyone bandwagoned them and older fans get angry because these bandwagoners only like them because of one song, when the original fans actually searched for these bands and found them out on their own.

    Locuston February 19, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    this song is sooo good. i fell in love with it right from the start...my radio was on and i woke up to it, and the whole song was so dreamlike, i love it and find it to be amazing...i never know what the artists are trying to say in their lyrics, theyre so ambiguous sometimes, but i think that this song is about a guy who really likes this girl. and theres another guy that likes her too. and she leads both of them on, and everythings fine, until she goes out with the other guy and incredibly hurts the guy thats singing the song...so, she doesnt have to see his face again, he knows that...and when she finds out how much she hurt the guy, the feels horrible, and he cant have much sympathy for her because hes never been in her situation before... by leading both guys on , she bit off more than she can chew, and obviously the guy REALLY likes her, and all he wants to hear is her voice (and that part just makes me melt). he tells her to swallow her pride and come down to earth...and she feels horrible and now she has to make a decision, and hes telling her to do just that... her foolish lies are her making him believe that she wants him, but then completly makes him feel worthless when she goes for someone else...shes in a big mess, and he doesnt know whats going to happen, but he knows what he wants...he simply wants to hear her voice

    PersefaniEntacison March 09, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I love this song man. It's awsome but half of you guys out there are in the punk frame of mind. If your fav band goes mainstream yes! the suffer the teeny boppers but when the hype is all gone who will last? the true fans. Take nickleback for instance. When their three singles have come and gone and when the radio out plays them the only people who are left are the true fans they have gained and the old ones that had anyway. When LP fades away the true fans are all thats left. Stand up and take pride that you knew about this band before mtv ever did. and when a teeny boppe sais hey have you heard of this new band unwritten law be like yea i knew them when they were new three years ago. see what im saying people? and if a radio is over playing a song don't listen to it. keep it fresh. What do you think you do with a cd ne way? you over play it until you can't listen to it anymore than three months later you pick it up again. stick with your band the ones that are true bands respect thier true fans and will never let you down

    TweakXMon March 13, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I think that this is a song that someone (I described them as person throughout this) is singing to their drug addict friend, possibly bf/gf ( I describe them as friend or addict throughout);

    “I'm seein red, Don't think you'll have to see my face again, don't have much time for sympathy, Cuz it never happened to me”

    • I think this person has tried to help their friend, but they are frustrated because it always turns out the same once more. Also, they don’t understand because they never were into drugs and didn’t know what its like to be an addict.

    “You feelin blue now, I think you bit off more than you could chew” -I don’t think the addict is necessarily happy with the way they are living but continues to be trapped by the cycle that they started. The person sees this in their addict friend.

    “And now it's time to make a choice, And all I wanna hear is your…” -The person is telling their friend that they have to make a choice on the way they are gonna live before its too late, and they are saying they want to see their friend clean up because they care about them.

    “So follow the leader down, swallow your pride and drown, When there's no place left to go, Maybe thats when you will know, Follow the leader down, swallow your pride and drown, When theres no place left to go, Maybe thats when you will know” -I think that this is saying if you keep using you just gonna fall, hit bottom and not have anything left. At the same time I think this also says that maybe that’s what it will take for the drug addict to turn around their life, hitting bottom and losing everything.

    “And foolish lies well can't you see, I tried to compromise, Cuz what you say ain't always true” -I think this part is about how the person tried to help their friend but the friend just lied to avoid the trouble, and they don’t want to admit to their problem.

    “And I can see the tears in your eyes, And what you said now, Can't stop the words from running through my head” -I think the drug addict told the person they weren’t ready to quit even though it hurts them both, the person keeps thinking about this.

    “And what I do to get through to you, But you'd only do it again” -This is again about how the person tries to help, but it still always ends with the friend continuing to do drugs.

    “So follow the leader down, And swallow your pride and drown, When there's no place left to go, Maybe that's when you will know, Follow the leader down, And swallow your pride and drown, When there's no place left to go, Maybe that's when you will know” -Explained earlier

    “Well I confess, I don't know what to make from all this mess, Don't have much time for sympathy, But it never happened to me” -The person states they don’t know what to do anymore, and again how they cant truly understand because they have never been there.

    “You Feelin down I don't know where i'll be when you come around, And now it's time to make a choice, And all I wanna hear is your voice... “ -This shows the persons willingness to help, but that they can’t help it the friend doesn’t want the help. Also, that when the drug addict does finally get to the point where they want the help, the person will still be there.

    Fallothelederdwnon July 14, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this is the first song i've heard by unwritten law, and i think it's great. i've gotten to know some of their older stuff after hearing this first song and have come to the conclusion that they're an awesome band. i can see that their music has evolved greatly unwrittenlawSD, why do you hate that this song is being over played? They're getting a lot of attention for it. i know other people who like bands that are relatively unknown and then when they "make it" their older fans ditch them because they're too mainstream. i've never really understood this concept cause if you love the band, why would it piss you off that they're doing well for themselves?? (not trying to piss anyone off here, just wondering why you would be upset)

    pumpkingirlon February 18, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    a song loses its magic, and its appeal after its been played so many times, like Nickelback's "How You Remind Me"

    smallthoughtson February 18, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    amen about the how you remind me. i love seein' red and i never get to hear it. consider yourself lucky.

    alterna_luveron February 19, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    My friend told me to listen to this song..and at a pretty bad time I suppose. This song makes me feel like the situation I'm in rght now. All I can say is I feel terrible..I'm confused and I have to make a decision soon, before I hurt somebody worse. My ex boyfriend totally could sing this song to me..because he's asking me to decide if Im going to get back with him or if Im going to go on being single. Anyway...I like the song. Gorgeous voice!

    ang17on February 20, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This singers voice is gorgeous and well-sung, I believe. The follow-the-leader simile is interesting. It's like it's saying to stop letting other people control your thoughts and to become your own person. He's trying to say that he wants to stop falling for lies.

    Of course, that's what it means to -me-. :)

    mandeeon February 24, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i really like this song. I live near chicago, so if it wasn't for heavy radio play, i would have never of heard it.

    ashley007on February 24, 2002   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.