Have You Ever

Like many here have guessed, this song is about paranoia, but I think it goes beyond. It has two parts to it, let's label them Enter the void & Liberation.

Enter the Void: Walking through a room "Like there was a leash around your neck that pulled you through" is an imagery of going through a room scared/embarrassed to look around and maybe meet someone else's eyes. It's a classic paranoid feeling. "You" (from now on, the same 'you' the song refers to) go straight through the room, almost hoping not to be noticed, and since you don't turn your head to see, you may even believe you did. Everyone else that likely did not share this anxiety, did notice you. The room passed around you.

Being at someplace, recognizing faces of people you don't know, is a lot like being at a party, with a bunch of a friend's friends. Probably the people in the room on the last paragraph. They were chatting, and having fun while you passed them anxiously trying to get outta their way. You've maybe seen them around plenty, but never got to know anything about them. You don't know them.

"Some days" you're so paralyzed, you're not yourself. Your soul doesn't emerge. You just want to go to bed. Other days, you do try to be out of yourself a little, you find a breach to shine your light, but heads quickly turn away, everyone would rather take their time listening to someone they actually know (and knows them). Have you ever?

You start to think there's a reason for feeling this way, and someone else seems to know you're going through this, while not actually helping you through this. Maybe the person(s) outshining you. Maybe they're nudging you to act more like them, and you're misinterpreting. It makes you unconfortable, and you wish you were around someone that didn't make you feel this way.

You swear to yourself that someday you'll try to let yourself be, and not let you fears and preconceptions take the best outta you, and never feel this way again. Someday you'll do that, but you just can't right now, can you?

Some days you sink into depression. Again. Have you ever?

Liberation:

If you've lived in this world for a minute, you've noticed that "crime does pay". If you are talking about what IS, and your morals are above being a criminal, you'll likely be talking about something depressive. Do people stay to listen to depressive stuff?

When you let go of that, and focus on what's bright, others will respond.

But if you rush out to go to bed, who'll be there for you? Did you take the chance to see the world in a better light? Did you shine your light on the world? Or did you just get lost thinking of the world?

This song is about always being pressured into doing things you don't want too, then even when the people pressuring you to do them see you doing it, they pay no attention cos someone else is doing it better.

Fucking good though

It is a song of someone who wants to give up. The person has been tought how to live but finds out life (society) is not as it was meant to be. The message in the end is essentially not to give up because the person is the opposite of the majority out there and if he/she "departs" - who will remain...?

That's an amazing song. I think it's about feeling your not where you're supposed to be, and the path to depression.

I think you could have differents interpretations, depending what you've been trough to your live. We all had diificult times somedays.

Here is an interpretation, imagine you have a job that you hate, and that doesn't make any sense for you.

When he screems "falling .... i'm falling" he knows that he is falling into depression, like in reality when it's the case, you generally do, try to scream for help, and generally nobody understands or is able to help because people are in a different reality.

"Have you ever walked trough a room ..."

It's like feeling that you are not doing what you're supposed to do, for exemple, beeing at a job that you hate, or that don't make any sense for you

"Have you ever been at some place ...."

It's like continuing your life but realizing that even people you are with .... eating at the cantine, taking coffee with or taking a beer in the evening with, they are in a different reality, and you don't even know them, and in deep, you really don't care.

"Some day my soul's confined"

Some days, you just want to be inside of you, and if it was possible, stay in bed, sleep, meet yourself, remember who you are ....

But you can't so you're still falling ... And scream for help, but nobody ears you, because they are in a different reality.

"Have you ever buried your face in your hands ...."

Oh yeah sometimes you ask yourself, if somebody is able to understand you, your values, what you think ....

"Have you ever felt that there was more, like someone else was keeping score ...."

Oh yeah this part is directly related to the end of the song. Why do you feel that for the other people this life make them happy, and why you couldn't simply be happy like them, stop questionning yourself etc ...

"Well i know, someday i'll try again .... someday i'll get it straight"

You persuade yourself that someday you will be able to be happy in that life ......

but you're still falling ...

"crime does pay"

And the end of the song is about realizing that this job doesn't fit with your values. and you are beginning to ask you some questions about it.

It's the begining of the process of making a fresh start ...

Although overall I don't think Americana is the best album, it does seem to have some of the best songs on it, but they're paired w/ some of the worst (Pretty Fly, She's Got Issues, you get the drift). But Have You Ever is excellent, and that "have you ever buried your face in your hands..." line I've always related to, along with "have you ever felt like there was more..." and "have you ever been @ some place, recognizing everybody's face..." Excellent lyrics... I love Dexter. Although, does the end make any sense to anyone? I get the rest of the song, how it's about no one understanding who you are, but the whole "crime does pay" thing, well, the band somehow made it fit, but I don't get it, and how it goes along w/ the rest of the song.

The end of the song is pretty much about just what it says. Today´s world is full of lies, everybody is just waiting for the truth to walk away, because the truth isn´t funny or nice, and it´s better for people to live the lies about the world. But there´s one truth that everybody likes, that everybody is happy with: crime does pay.

I can totally relate to this song. I loved most of Americana, even she's got issues didn't suck that bad. Some of this song was absolutely great.

I sometimes think about this part...

"Have you ever felt like there was more Like someone else was keeping score And what could make you whole was simply out of reach Well I know"

It seems to fit me. I always like girls way outta my league, all my friends always say I have no chance.

Has anyone noticed the reminiscence of the tune of the Chorus of Have You Ever , to the chorus of another offspring song, Dirty Magic?

"It seems to fit me. I always like girls way outta my league, all my friends always say I have no chance. " Wow...shitty friends.

Very good song. In fact, Americana is a very underrated album. Most people just refer to it as "the Pretty Fly" album. Which I find funny that one shitty song overshadows a great album.

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