I'm Alright (You Gotta Go There to Come Back)

I dont actually think that this song is about love atall. I think that it is about someone who is being abused someway by someone they care about, and this song is their way of trying to keep it a secret. the things he does to cover up include lying (verse 3) and keeping up appearences are to descise what is really happening. he says "love, pain, hate, rain" showing how he feels towards the abuser followed by "we r alright" meening that it will all remain secret.

this song is all about the way he sings it ya no its like a person with someone who is with someone who maybe isn't abusive but takes drugs drinks and live like a bum yet the other person will do anything including taking the same drugs just to be with the person because of they're love

This song makes me cry everytime...it's basically saying what wouldn't you do for the person you love...think the line I'll take another punch for you Tie my hands behind my back, that way you cannot lose is particulary poignant

i think its what you would do for the one you love, and you go through great lenghths to do so, no matter how much its wrong or how bad they treat you, you let them, because you love them so much

The more I listen to this song the more I agree with you sk84urlife although there are some lines that don't quite fit - 'That way you know I'm hip' etc.

Is a great song though.

For me it's about being in love with someone who is your friend but you can't tell him/her because you're a coward or just too afraid to confess your feelings. Or maybe the worst: you know that you won't get reciprocity and there's a chance that you have to end the friendship and never see your love again.

'tell you what you want to hear but that don't make it true... wear another smile...' - you're not able to give your secret away, you rather pretend that everything's ok. You hide, you lie, you try to run away with the help of alcohol, pills, smoke... You love and hate the person in the same time, "tell another joke for you, Did you hear the one about the one that looks like you" - you don't understand why he or she can't see your real feelings, everything, even he/she looks like a sick joke, because the situation is insane...

you just break under the weight, but still you would do anything for the person you love, you take the punch (maybe it's him/her that gives it without knowing it), make the pound to drive to the moon (give him/her encouragement, help,a shoulder to cry on till he/she is happy - perhaps with someone else.)

and this whole thing lasted for so long that you can't really count the drinks, the pills, you just do it over and over again (did it before do it again), because you can't find a solution, you can't see the end of it.

You can only accept it and try to live with it: I'm alright - it is ironic, you don't mean it, this irony explains the voice of the singer when it comes to the refrain. you're 'alright', but it can't go on anymore... you've already been to hell, you gotta go there to come back...

I somewhat share sk84urlife's opinion - to me this song is about relationships that bring nothing but pain (maybe love for someone else); however, you cannot end them for some reason. Maybe the guy is too much of a coward to tell its over; maybe some other reason. I don't really see much of a signs of "abduction" from the other side in this song except maybe "Tie my hands behind my back" line, but this may be wrong also...

I like the way numbnat1 explained it. Really awesome song, my favourite phonics lyrics ever

I realize that the way that we understand songs is colored by our own experiences, and after reading the other posts on this site, I can see how I might have missed the point of this song. Nevertheless, this is what I feel the song is about...

This song is about losing someone we love. Perhaps they left us. Perhaps we broke up. No matter what the case is, they don't love us anymore. Some of the things that he mentions, like drugs, sex, etc...it isn't necessarily what Kelly (or whatever character he is depicting) is doing FOR that person, but rather what he has done in response to losing her. The most obvious facet of the song is the pain that, at times, is beyond words. The singer resorts to cries of agony. The other things (i.e. I'll tell you what you wanna hear, I'll wear another smile for you), these seem like things that we do when we around this person again. Maybe you see them out at a pub, meet them for a drink, bump into them on the street, etc. You act like everything's "alright" - because you still harbor feelings for them, and you don't want them to think that you are the dependent, sad, pathetic wretch that they walked away from.

I guess you would have had to go through this to understand where I'm coming from, and I guess that's why the latter part of the song title is (you gotta go there to come back).

My two cents.

mm72275, I totally understand where youre coming from....since myboyfriend left me because of a stupid mistake I did,Ive been listening over and over again to this song which,forthe past 2 weeks, becamemy dayly drug...and the more Ilisten toit,themore I seethat Imost turn all bad things totheir good side...and eventually everythings gonna really be allright...including me:) about the titlein the latter...one must fall to rise again...like sunset/sunrise...it`s a ciclic thing called life...or existence...