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.
They laugh at me aloud
They say I'm just a clown
That I ain't got no pride
I'm on the outside
The girls look really cute
They really make it work
They think I'm just a jerk
I'm on the outside
I never could sit still
I never was too hip
I never caught the ride
I'm on the outside
I'm on the outside, I'm on the outside now
This is where it all begins right here
On the outside lookin' in, I'm on the outside
I never was a punk
I never shot junk
I never even tried counter
Culture passed me right by
(I'm on the outside)
Don't talk to debutantes
Don't eat in restaurants
The patrons sit and stare
The waiters make wise cracks behind my back
(I'm on the outside)
Teachers there in school
They flunked me by the rule
They say I had no motivation, brains or dedication
I guess the imbeciles were right I'm on the outside
I'm on the outside, I'm on the outside now
This is where it all begins on the outside looking in
Looking in
At you
I'm just an alien through and through
Tryin' to make believe I'm you
Tryin' to fit
Just a stranger on the outside looking in
The disco makes me sick I
Wear the wrong clothes
I say the wrong things
You know I can't dance
My feet are much too wide (I'm on the outside)
You think you set the trends
You wear your hair just right
Your clothes are out-a-sight
Your house is modern really kitch
You get so macho when you're with your bitch
(I'm on the outside)
I see them go to work
I see them go to sleep
I see them on T.V.
I see them laugh and cry
I'm on the outside. I'm on the outside. I'm on the outside
[Chorus]
I'm on the outside. I'm on the outside now
I'm on the outside
I'm on the outside now
They say I'm just a clown
That I ain't got no pride
I'm on the outside
The girls look really cute
They really make it work
They think I'm just a jerk
I'm on the outside
I never could sit still
I never was too hip
I never caught the ride
I'm on the outside
I'm on the outside, I'm on the outside now
This is where it all begins right here
On the outside lookin' in, I'm on the outside
I never was a punk
I never shot junk
I never even tried counter
Culture passed me right by
(I'm on the outside)
Don't talk to debutantes
Don't eat in restaurants
The patrons sit and stare
The waiters make wise cracks behind my back
(I'm on the outside)
Teachers there in school
They flunked me by the rule
They say I had no motivation, brains or dedication
I guess the imbeciles were right I'm on the outside
I'm on the outside, I'm on the outside now
This is where it all begins on the outside looking in
Looking in
At you
I'm just an alien through and through
Tryin' to make believe I'm you
Tryin' to fit
Just a stranger on the outside looking in
The disco makes me sick I
Wear the wrong clothes
I say the wrong things
You know I can't dance
My feet are much too wide (I'm on the outside)
You think you set the trends
You wear your hair just right
Your clothes are out-a-sight
Your house is modern really kitch
You get so macho when you're with your bitch
(I'm on the outside)
I see them go to work
I see them go to sleep
I see them on T.V.
I see them laugh and cry
I'm on the outside. I'm on the outside. I'm on the outside
[Chorus]
I'm on the outside. I'm on the outside now
I'm on the outside
I'm on the outside now
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So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
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This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
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Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
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I had heard this song several times before, but last night when I listened to it, my dad and I came to the conclusion that this song was (semi-)autobiographical. It isn't at all far-fetched that someone like Danny Elfman would have trouble "fitting in."
This song is the national anthem of the kids who get picked on, who grow up to be bullies bosses
Henry Rollins has a video out there where he talks about selling out. One of his points is that old punk bands getting offered money because they're who the masses want to hear is a good thing. The punks who didn't kill themselves with their lifestyle when they were teens are almost to the point where they'd be too old to do the things they've always talked about. But it seems that the masses might provide fresh young support for saving our country from its own people. So it's not just that the underdogs are now economically on top, but also ideologically they were right all along.
Some of these lines are powerfully synergistic with Fight Club's anti-consumerism, especially the second to last verse (Your house is modern really kitch).
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@ofnothing May have been 4 years ago, but you're wrong. Those people oftentimes aren't happy, you just don't see that. Happiness comes from within and must be chosen. I think other people don't even recognize their unhappiness or honestly even that they are conscious. <br /> <br /> I hope you are in a different mindset now. 4 years ago I felt the same way. <br /> <br />