They knew all along
They're not dumb, they were so wrong
She's not always fun
Hate it now, call when I'm done

Pieces fell in place
Puzzles suck, laugh in my face
Turn and swing the pace
I'll give this, keep the good waist

Head is on, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target
Metronome, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target

Crazy TV dreams might be true
Not what it seems
Food and cavities, chewing words
Tear at the seams
He don't feel so good, don't feel bad
Not that he should
I don't feel so good, don't feel bad
Not that I should

Head is on, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target
Metronome, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target

Head is on, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target
Metronome, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target

Did you ever listen? Did you ever listen?
Did you ever listen? Get out, get out, get out
Get out, get out, get out
Get out, get out, get out
Get out, get out

Head is on, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target
Metronome, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target

Head is on, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target
Metronome, I want out
I'm alone and I'm an easy target

Did you ever listen? Did you ever listen?
Did you ever listen? Get out, get out, get out
Get out, get out, get out
Get out, get out, get out
Get out, get out


Lyrics submitted by 3ssence

Alone + Easy Target Lyrics as written by David Grohl

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Alone + Easy Target song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

14 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +5
    General Comment

    I've visited this site for years, but I thought it's time I should register. It annoys me how some of you state things as fact when they are not! You really shouldn't do that, it's a really bad thing to do! If you want to say what you think it means to you, go ahead. But don't tell the world what it means when it's your opinion, because most of the time those opinions are wrong.

    I'm talking to you sudopinion, but other people do it too.

    This song is not about the death of Cobain. Dave wrote this song before Cobain had even died. In fact, most of the songs on that album were written while Grohl was still in Nirvana. Personally I think a lot of what this song talks about, is understood better if you know what happened nearer the end of Nirvana, and how Grohl fitted in to it all. The fact is that Grohl was very unhappy near the end of Nirvana, and all their friendships fell to pieces in some ways. Grohl felt pushed out, and he and Novoselic had a falling out with Cobain over royalties. Grohl also felt unwanted/under appreciated, and said he didn't know why Kurt didn't just get a drum machine.. At the same time, Cobain had become unhappy with Grohl's playing for whatever reason, so it was clear that the two had issues and Cobain was giving Grohl a hard time / cold shoulder, and because they were passive aggressive (Cobain's words..), Grohl was never asked to leave, but instead just made to feel unhappy by Cobain. So with that in mind, this is my interpretation of the words:

    "they knew all along they're not dumb they were so wrong" I think this is about how Novoselic and Cobain wanted to try a different direction with Nirvana, and they assumed Grohl wouldn't have fitted with that, or wouldn't have wanted to do it. I think Grohl would have done it, and would have done well with it.

    "she's not always fun" I think this Grohl talking about Cobain. He says she to disguise who he is talking about, which is an extremely common thing to do, and also something Cobain had done in the past. Not always fun, meaning, he looks like a fun guy in interviews and they are joking around a lot, but in reality he isn't always a fun guy to be with. Read about the first time Cobain and Grohl met and you will understand that. And that was at their happiest time... So if Cobain was difficult to be around then, imagine how bad it could be when Cobain had grown to dislike Grohl, was unhappy with him, had all kinds of personal problems, and was stressed with the band situation.

    "hate it now call when I'm done" I think this is about how Grohl isn't enjoying the band any more. He doesn't want to be there out of choice because he is enjoying it, he is there only out of duty now. "Call when I'm done" meaning, just tell me know when I can go home...

    "head is on I want out" Head is on meaning, "I'm thinking straight", and "I want out" is self explanatory.

    "I'm alone and I'm an easy target" Cobain and Novoselic were best friends, and were the founders of Nirvana. Grohl came much later and was just one of many drummers. So in a 3 piece, he was alone, the easy target, and was outnumbered 2 to 1 in any band decision.

    "metronome I want out" Metronome is how he felt. Just someone there to keep the beat. A glorified metronome.

    "tear at the seams" Probably talking about either the Nirvana bubble bursting, or Cobain/Grohl starting to tear at the seams.

    "he don't feel so good, don't feel bad not that he should i don't feel so good, don't feel bad not that i should" I think this is talking about how Cobain didn't feel good. He had a lot of trouble with his stomach condition. Whether or not that was real or made up to cover for Cobain's other problems, he clearly didn't feel good one way or another. "Not that he should" probably meaning, that it's understandable considering everything. And then the "I don't feel good" is probably Grohl talking about himself, and saying, "Yeah you don't feel good but neither do I". And again, "Not that I should", saying that it's understandable too.

    "did you ever listen? get out." Not entirely sure, but I am guessing this is what Grohl feared hearing the most, from Cobain.

    It's hard to know if any of this was a good interpretation, but everything I said about the band situation at the start is true. So my interpretations are based off that.

    ilikethepixieson August 06, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    the song was first recorded in 1991, so it's not likely that these ideas are correct. it could maybe be about grohl's stint in scream. also, 'head is on' could be referring to the drum head.

    dgkfhjlffjfjhlfhjaon October 18, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I dont think Kurt and Krist really bullied Dave. I think Dave was kinda the bottom dog, since Kurt and Krist had been friends for a while before Nirvana, but they always seemed to all be close friends, even Dave.

    Even though a lot of Foo Fighters songs deal with death and sadness and admiration for someone and betrayal, they arent all about Kurt, people. Dave bounced around from a few different bands and moved around a lot in his life. It'd be hard to move on from being a member of a legendary rock band like Nirvana, but with Dave Grohl... he has a hell of a lot more topics to write about. And while Nirvana has a great legacy, to include the Foo Fighters as such, IMO, cheapens FF's legacy. And they are a great band in their own right.

    Tig45on April 25, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song cranks

    robortyon September 23, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i cant believe no one has written stuff on this.. this song is so good

    bortiuson October 15, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    anyways i think this is daves perception of the world... It just seems that way

    bortiuson October 15, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think this song is about someone befriending someone else who's mask starts to slip when the first person attatches themselves to the second person.

    lukefunon June 05, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is about a friend having to put up with abuse from someone they've befriended

    "they knew all along they're not dumb they were so wrong" He's saying that the people that befriended this person were desperate, or 'so wrong'.

    "she's not always fun" This person's not what you' expect to have fun with

    "hate it now call when I'm done" He hates this person and he's asking someone what it's like when he's ditched this person.

    "pieces fell in place" He worked out what this person was up to

    "puzzles suck laughin my face" Just as he found out 'the truth' this person becomes even worse

    "turn and swing the pace" His conscience is telling him to get rid of this person

    "I'll give this keep the good waist" a respnse to his consciece's advice, saying he'll keep on putting up with this person.

    "head is on I want out" Saying that he now see's through this person, and he doesn't want to be their friend.

    "I'm alone and I'm an easy target" He has only one friend and the friend he has bullys him.

    "metronome I want out" This person almost has him wrapped around their finger and he's had enough

    "crazy t.v. dreams might be true not what it seems" Stuff like this happens on T.V but not as bad.

    "food and cavities, chewing words tear at the seams" This person is like a food or cavity, attacking the seams, or Dave

    "he don't feel so good, don't feel bad not that he should" Someone else has suffered this person's wrath and he now has mixed feelings about this person.

    "i don't feel so good, don't feel bad not that i should" Same as last line but from Daves point of view.

    "did you ever listen?" Talking to the next person who suffers this person's wrath, asking why they became their friend

    lukefunon July 06, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Isn't it Alone + Easy Target? Its about a friend who you put up with even though they take advantage of your aloneness.

    rock_bunnyon October 04, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    yeah it is alone & easy target

    Kaireenon July 14, 2005   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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.