You're not as messed up as you think you are
Your self-absorption makes you messier
Just settle down and you will feel a whole lot better
Deep down you're just like everybody else

She's not as pretty as she thinks she is
Just picture her after she's had kids
I bet she sits at home and listens to The Smiths
Deep down she's just like everybody else

So why are you sat at home?
You're not designed to be alone
You just got used to saying "No"
So get up and get down and get outside
'Cause it's a lovely sunny day
But you hide yourself away
You've only got yourself to blame
Get up and get down and get outside

He's not as clever as he likes to think
He's just ambitious with his arguing
He's crap at dancing, yeah and he can't hold his drink
Deep down he's just like everybody else

I'm not as awesome as this song makes out
I'm angry, underweight and sketching out
I'm building bonfires on my vanities and doubts
To get warm just like everybody else

So why are you sat at home?
You're not designed to be alone
You just got used to saying "No"
So get up and get down and get outside
'Cause it's a lovely sunny day
But you hide yourself away
You've only got yourself to blame
Get up and get down and get outside

Amy thinks that life is lacking in drama
So she fell for horoscopes, faith-healing and karma
She's so wrapped up in her invisible armor
She'll never grow into herself
And it's okay thinking me and all my friends are just wasters
But saying that I can still see through her heirs and graces
I bet she's scared her life, won't leave any traces
Caught up like everyone else

That's not the point anyway
Oh darling, I felt compelled to call you up to say

So why are you sat at home?
You're not designed to be alone
You just got used to saying "No"
So get up and get down and get outside
'Cause it's a lovely sunny day
But you hide yourself away
You've only got yourself to blame

Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside
Get up and get down and get outside


Lyrics submitted by simon_quine

Reasons Not to Be An Idiot Lyrics as written by Francis Edward Turner

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

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Reasons Not To Be An Idiot song meanings
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11 Comments

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  • +4
    General Comment

    Llama's way cooler though.

    ndocon April 15, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    "She's so wrapped up in her invisible Lama"

    it's invisible ARMOUR. think before you type ;)

    Skyeefaceon February 23, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    totally blows my mind it isnt llama. I always pictured the person the song is about praying to an imaginary llama.

    Also is it supposed to be "sad at home", not "sat"?

    Cheesethanson February 17, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    He mentioned at the Thekla in Bristol '08 that it was about a goth friend he had.

    Aloselon April 11, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    *I bet she's scared her life won't leave any traces Caught up like everyone else

    Great song.

    Chrisbrfcon September 05, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    BAHAHAHA! LAMA! That's just stupid.

    johnnycanuckon August 13, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It could be Lama in reference to Dalai Lama, seeing as the line before talks about fake healing and karma..

    nicolerorkon September 01, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think it might be "airs and graces" not "heirs and graces."

    bluesenoughon September 16, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "I'm not as awesome as this song makes out I'm angry, underweight and sketching out I'm building bonfires on my vanities and doubts To get warm just like everybody else"

    This verse rules. This verse is the exact point where it went from a good song to a great one.

    aks9091on March 05, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    When I'm feelng down,in bad luck or just angsty, this song makes me feel better I see it as tell people in general they aren't special - everyone feels like a mess sometimes so just grow up there us really only one reason not to be an idiot - "deep down you're just like everybody else"

    it makes me feel better, however, that everybody does sometime feel the same :3

    GRexCaroliniion May 16, 2010   Link

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Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.