We get high in back seats of cars
We break into mobile homes
We go to sleep to shake appeal
Never wake up on our own

And that's the way we get by
The way we get by
Oh, that's the way we get by
The way we get by

We go out in stormy weather
We rarely practice discern
We make love to some weird sin
We seek out the taciturn

And that's the way we get by
The way we get by
Oh, that's the way we get by
The way we get by

Well, that's the way we get by
The way we get by
The way
Well, that's the way we get by
That's the way we get by

We found a new kind of dance in a magazine
Tried it out, it's like nothing you ever seen
You sweet talk like a cop and you know it
You bought a new bag of pot, said, "let's make a new start"

And that's the way to my heart
The way to my heart

That's the way we get by
The way we get by
Well, that's the way we get by
The way we get by
The way

Well, that's the way we get by
That's the way we get by

We get high in back seats of cars
We put faith in our concerns
Fall in love to down on the street
We believe in the sum of ourselves

I said, that's the way we get by
The way we get by
Oh, that's the way we get by
The way we get by

Well, that's the way we get by
The way we get by
The way
That's the way we get by
That's the way we get by


Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28

The Way We Get By Lyrics as written by Britt Daniel

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Way We Get By song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

51 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't think it's about a couple at all. I think it's about a group of folks -- late teens to early twenties. I think they hail from a small town and want to shake things up, so they all meet up and smoke. "Never wake up on our own" could refer either to the fact that they all bed each other while under the influence and wake up (naked!) next to someone they don't remember doing or else they wake up/sober up when cops come to bust things up. I don't know, all I do know is... a. I love it b. I can shake my tail to this song like you WOULDN'T BELIEVE!

    catherinekson December 08, 2004   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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
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.