She was underwhelmed, if that's a word
I know it's not, 'cause I looked it up
That's one of those skills that I learned in my school

I was overwhelmed, and I'm sure of that one
'cause I learned it back in grade school
When I was young

She said, "You is funny"
I said, "You are funny"
She said, "Thank you"
and I said, "Nevermind"
She rolled her eyes
Her beautiful eyes

The point is not the grammar
It's the feeling
That is certainly in my heart
But not in hers

But not in hers
But not in hers
But not in hers
But not in hers

We were talkin' about people that eat meat
I felt like an ass 'cause I was one
She said, "It's okay," but I felt like
I just ate my young

She is obviously a person with a cause
I told her that I don't smoke or drink
She told me to loosen up on her way to the L.C.

She skips her classes and gets good grades
I go to my courses rain or shine
She's passin' her classes while I attend mine

While I attend mine
While I attend mine
While I attend mine
While I attend

She wrote out a story about her life
I think it included something about me
I'm not sure of that but I'm sure of one thing
Her spelling's atrocious

She told me to read between the lines
And tell her exactly what I got out of it
I told her affection had two F's
Especially when you're dealing with me

I usually notice all the little things
One time I was proud of it, she says it's annoying
She cursed me up and down and rolled her are's, her beautiful are's

She says I'm caught up in triviality
All I really want to know is what she thinks of me
I think my love for her makes me miss the point

I miss the point, I miss the point
I miss the point, I miss the point
I miss the point, I miss the point
I miss the point, Hey mister


Lyrics submitted by becky_salami

Underwhelmed Lyrics as written by Chris Murphy Andrew Scott

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Underwhelmed song meanings
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12 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    This is one of my favourite songs lyrically. Paints such a clear picture.

    To me the girl in the story likes the boy, but certainly not to the extent that he likes her. She is a free spirit and certainly doesn't worry about the little things. The boy, for all his infatuation, just doesn't "get" her, and misses every message she sends. The boy reacts opposite to how the girl wants every time.

    Message: "You is funny" - Response: Correcting grammar. Message: "Its okay" - Response: Boy feels guilty. Message: Read between the lines - Response: Grammar again. Message: ..caught up in triviality. - Response: Boy wants to know what she thinks of him.

    Each time the girl gets frustrated with the boy, the boy gets lost in his attraction to her - "Her beautiful eyes / Her beautiful R's"

    I love the last couple of verse. The line "Her spelling is atrocious" is magic. A line like that shouldn't work in a song, but here it is perfect.

    The language barrier, as mentioned by others above is definitely there. I've always pictured the girl as French speaking, simply because Sloan is an eastern Canadian band.

    I could spend way too much time picking apart this song, and I probably already have. Again, a lyrical favourite of mine.

    elricoricoon May 25, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song follows the relationship between this white kid and this Latina girl that he meets in grade school thru high school. I love that interplay at then beginning when they misunderstand each other because her english isn't perfect. But, he's too hung up on the process and she just lives life; he loves her but he doesn't understand her...just like the end says - I think my love for her makes me miss the point.

    gilbagon April 09, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I'm inclined to agree that the girl in question is a Latina. Her spelling's atrocious and she has a loose grasp on English ("She said, 'You is funny'"), which make me suspect that she's from another country and English isn't her first language. Plus when she curses him up and down, she rolls her R's, which would mean she's probably from a Spanish or Italian speaking country. It would also explain why grammar and vocabulary are such important themes in this song: there's a language barrier between them.

    pseudonymjoneson February 11, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    The girl (Latina/french/whatever) wrote a story about her life and it had him in it and it said something about "affection" in regards to him. She got him to read it and he's so in love with her that he can't even see that she likes him back, even though she wrote it and stuck it right in his face!

    d66j66on June 30, 2010   Link
  • +1
    Translation

    The meaning is fairly apparent. One thing a number of people wouldn't know is what "the L.C." is. This is Nova Scotian slang for the Liquor Commission, which is the only legal place to buy wine, beer, and spirits.

    teeesenon January 10, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    underwhelm underwhelm verb transitive UNDERWHELMED , UNDERWHELMING , UNDER*WHELMS
    (1) To fail to excite, stimulate, or impress: "He is just as entitled to be
    underwhelmed by the prospect of reigning over a fourth-class nation as the rest of us are by the prospect of living in it" Source: Peter Jay

    Latina girl? I never thought of it that way.

    I always basically pictured some girl that didn't focus on the little things so much. Really creative and smart and such. I believe Chris Murphy said he thought this song was really Canadian because it had a lot of wordplay.

    billboneson November 23, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I though it was about a nerdy guy who is into the grammer and all those little details who really liked this rebel chick who could've cared less about those little things.

    I still don't see how you got latino chick out of it.

    Refresheon May 23, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    she didn't like him too much cause he wasnt her style. the guy speaking in the song is obvioulsy a nerd of some sort and she doesn't care too much for him and he feels the opposite about her. he finds her bad grammar and bad english cute but him pointing that stuff out to her annoys her. "my love for her makes me miss the point" he likes her too much to accept the fact she finds him nerdy.

    beyondthestarson August 05, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    oh yea, like Refreshe said.

    beyondthestarson August 05, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'm inclined to agree that the girl in question is a Latina. Her spelling's atrocious and she has a loose grasp on English ("She said, 'You is funny'"), which make me suspect that she's from another country and English isn't her first language. Plus when she curses him up and down, she rolls her R's, which would mean she's probably from a Spanish or Italian speaking country. It would also explain why grammar and vocabulary are such important themes in this song: there's a language barrier between them.

    pseudonymjoneson February 11, 2006   Link

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