People Like You Are Why People Like Me Exist

This song is about those people who spell "definitely" with an "a"

If you think about this song, in placement of the entire album; it definitely seems like Max cheating on her, and lamenting about it.

Though, I really don't think Retarded In Love is about him cheating. I think that song is a lot more loving than it seems at first glance.

i dont know what this about. but i think this girl cheated on him. because he says "brand a scarlet letter on your chest". like the book by hawthorne. (the scarlet lettler) but i'm not sure about what the song really means.

actually i think max cheated on her in 'retarded in love' and she finds out

'dont you look at her. dont even say a word you had your chance and you sold it secondhand'

Besides "brand a scarlet letter on your chest" refers to Arthur Dimsdale in the Scarlet Letter, not Hester Prynne, whose letter was "masterfully embroidered" and took on the meaning "able" rather than adulterer.

and on a side note they love historical stuff like that.. alive is about treblinka, the famous concentration camp in nazi germany. just in case you think its impossible

I think this song is about Max cheating on his girlfriend and rather than apologizing he angrily justifies his actions and they break up.

Mostly though I think this song is about cause and effect, they're definitely using some historical and literal references to stress that point. In the scarlet letter Hester's adultry ITSELF isn't really isn't the story, the story is about what actions caused her to do that, it justifies her actions.

The part at the end kind confuses me

we see right through you a persons not more than a thing the day his insides cease to sting get on your gloves and take the ring vacate your throne, unholy king of kings

I kinda feel that this part of the song is her saying 'well no shit idiot everyone deals with temptation, everyone deals with urges you're dead when those go away. Vacate your throne, unholy king of kings. I feel like she's kicking him out of their place and mocking him. But I could be wrong

I see this song as a continuation of the 1st song. In both, there’s the theme of 'the genre" in the form of a girl who is rescued by Max from the abuse she’s suffered. In certain phrases of this song there’s also the theme of spurned admiration, which makes sense if I’m correct in thinking that this song is directed towards the people who essentially inspired the genre (emo/pop-punk/whatever) but look down their noses at it.

1st line: “this” could be pop culture recognition, acknowledging that there is a disdain for bands who’ve become too mainstream. The genre's musicians being represented as natives says that they have a right to their land, they've earned their place in pop culture. These musicians are taking back their admiration, because "you" doesn't deserve it. Further “you” doesn’t even know what he is-- a progenitor of the genre that he seems to loathe. So in a subversive way the contemporary musicians are branching out (thru the "tunnels") into something new and leaving behind the former idols who have forsaken them.

in the 1st line of the chorus there’s a nice duality. It suggests the inspiration of earlier musicians (without whom we wouldnt have our contemporaries);but also the fact that part of what makes max’ existence important in music is that he’s providing a retort to the hataz. There seems to be duality in the 2nd line as well: spitting upon the music/lyrics written could represent the supposed decay in good music "the genre" has brought about; or it could be spitting as a sign of disrespect. If he means “writ” in the legal sense, it could signify giving the finger to the rules ppl impose on what’s good music and what’s rock etc. The last part of the chorus is pretty self-explanatory.

“her” in the 2nd verse is the genre and this is like a STFU to “you”, basically calling him a sellout (anyone thinking Tim Kinsella? lol). “Repressed and overdressed” suggests the snobbish pretension of the so-called real musicians. Tbh, not sure I get the scarlet letter reference. Haven’t read the book yet unfortunately & haven’t seen the movie. I’m gonna guess tho lol & say that since the genre is represented by a girl, adultery would represent the betrayal of the genre's musicians by the very ppl they admire.

Last verse, 2nd line is a defense, saying that the genre's music is valid b/c if you can’t feel those negative emotions that typify the genre then you’re not really human anymore. And now Max is ready to fight and dethrone those former music idols that think they’re such hot shit.

i think that the guy that she was initially with had tried to get back with her and this is his song saying "hey, you had your chance and you blew it. thats why im here, to make your fuck ups better, now leave!" also max had met her first as the lyrics in skinny mean man suggest and so the "back in the hands of the natives of this land" line def suggests that he is telling someone off. yah. haha. idk. just my thought.

This song is about people who use the word chill.

Definately