This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
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:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
When I was younger,
I wish that I would have known better.
Better love makes a fat romance,
That lasts for more than a shoe shine.
I'm older, took all the words of my mother, saying,
It could be worse,
Could be born with that disease,
Instead of catching it first.
So lets go back, to the first time,
That I met you, in your Chevy,
With your hands stretched,
And me crying, screaming, Mercy. Mercy.
But I know that, I was put here, to fight Vikings
In the cold war, with my arms out,
In the front lines, singing, Dare me. Dare me.
But these things take time love.
These things take backbone.
And they'll tell you what you want to hear
Cause they think its better. Better.
But you better know how to point out the liars.
You've got to weigh your wars make sure
You're not fighting for nothing. Nothing.
Are you fighting for nothing?
It feels like this world has been
Growing slowly upside down.
Maybe I should move to China,
And straighten this mess out.
Maybe Ill be a poet.
Watch all the sky for falling words.
And write about my grandmas curtains,
Or the lady who put the Chinese buffet in her purse.
I've got my mouth.
Its a weapon. Its a bombshell.
Its a cannon. I've got my words.
I won't give them mercy. Mercy.
But these things take time love.
These things take backbone.
And they'll tell you what you want to hear
Cause they think its better. Better.
But you better know how to point out the liars.
You've got to weigh your wars make sure
You're not fighting for nothing. Nothing.
Are you fighting for nothing?
I've got my words. I hope they hurt you.
I hope they scar you. I hope they heal you.
I hope they cut you open,
Make you see you've been warring
For all the wrong reasons.
Make you see that some things are worth bruising for.
Make you see that your name is your honor code.
Make you see that your hands you're accounted for.
Pick and choose where your sweat and your blood will go.
Make you see your life's not to be lived alone.
Run their spit through your hair,
You're worth nothing.
Nothing.
But these things take time love.
These things take backbone.
And they'll tell you what you want to hear
Cause they think its better. Better.
But you better know how to point out the liars.
You've got to weigh your wars make sure
You're not fighting for nothing. Nothing.
Are you fighting for nothing?
I wish that I would have known better.
Better love makes a fat romance,
That lasts for more than a shoe shine.
I'm older, took all the words of my mother, saying,
It could be worse,
Could be born with that disease,
Instead of catching it first.
So lets go back, to the first time,
That I met you, in your Chevy,
With your hands stretched,
And me crying, screaming, Mercy. Mercy.
But I know that, I was put here, to fight Vikings
In the cold war, with my arms out,
In the front lines, singing, Dare me. Dare me.
But these things take time love.
These things take backbone.
And they'll tell you what you want to hear
Cause they think its better. Better.
But you better know how to point out the liars.
You've got to weigh your wars make sure
You're not fighting for nothing. Nothing.
Are you fighting for nothing?
It feels like this world has been
Growing slowly upside down.
Maybe I should move to China,
And straighten this mess out.
Maybe Ill be a poet.
Watch all the sky for falling words.
And write about my grandmas curtains,
Or the lady who put the Chinese buffet in her purse.
I've got my mouth.
Its a weapon. Its a bombshell.
Its a cannon. I've got my words.
I won't give them mercy. Mercy.
But these things take time love.
These things take backbone.
And they'll tell you what you want to hear
Cause they think its better. Better.
But you better know how to point out the liars.
You've got to weigh your wars make sure
You're not fighting for nothing. Nothing.
Are you fighting for nothing?
I've got my words. I hope they hurt you.
I hope they scar you. I hope they heal you.
I hope they cut you open,
Make you see you've been warring
For all the wrong reasons.
Make you see that some things are worth bruising for.
Make you see that your name is your honor code.
Make you see that your hands you're accounted for.
Pick and choose where your sweat and your blood will go.
Make you see your life's not to be lived alone.
Run their spit through your hair,
You're worth nothing.
Nothing.
But these things take time love.
These things take backbone.
And they'll tell you what you want to hear
Cause they think its better. Better.
But you better know how to point out the liars.
You've got to weigh your wars make sure
You're not fighting for nothing. Nothing.
Are you fighting for nothing?
Lyrics submitted by dontwasteyoursong
Fighting for Nothing Lyrics as written by Meg Frampton Dia Frampton
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"So let's go back to the first time That I met you in your Chevy With your hands stretched and me crying, screaming "mercy, mercy""
For a while I couldn't figure out what this line was about, but now I think of it as her being tickled.
I've seen a lot of these comments have been suggested that the line from her mother is literal - an STD or some other disease. I always took it in the context of the rest of the song which is obviously a love song. I have been thinking of that line ("Could be worse, could be born with that disease instead or catching it first") in more metaphorical terms. There are some people who seem to always be falling in love time and time again really quickly when they should be holding back some, and then there are other people who never put anything into a relationship until one day when they find someone really special. What if the singer is like the latter, whose only real comfort in being so vulnerable is that she hasn't been until this relationship? Just my thoughts on that. Love this song, so amazing!
Beautiful song. I really like all the new stuff from Meg & Dia's album. Different, but so meaningful.
There is some lines missing just before "I hope they cut you open"....etc.
On the album there is anyway.
The lyrics are missing:
I've got my words, I hope they hurt you, I hope they scar you, I hope they heal you"
I think this song is about exactly what the title says..."Fighting for Nothing". It makes sense. You need to believe in what you're fighting for because if you don't believe in it, you won't try very hard. Anyway, I really like the first and second verses and then the chorus is great! I love their new album.
My interpreation is that it's a song about all the faults of realtionships and getting too caught up in them, which someone like me does alot, cause I get too involved into little things.
In the first verse she explains that she didn't really know what love was, just wanted to have something substantial to feel, to show. Then, later, perhaps, she falls for someone with an STD, and it shows her the true meaning of love; that it's bittersweet, that the unexpected comes...
which leads into the pre-chours, where she explains she was in a relationship yet again just looking for the feeling, "your hands stretched"; but then she goes on to explain that she knows she was put here to "fight Vikings in the Cold War" which I interpet as Vikings being 'the pioneers', or more experienced onces, in relationships, like the person with the STD, in the Cold War, a long battle fought between the two of them, in which all they use is words to describe themselves, never actions, with no depth or meaning; and, yet again, she asks to be dared, proving how young she was, all that she didn't know.
But the chorus explains you need to take time for 'love', you can't rush into it; perhaps the person with the STD caught it from a one night stand, not taking time or the backbone to fight or put forth effort into the relationship; that they just went by what they 'wanted to hear' and thought that meant everything would be fine. But she goes on to explain that you can't fight for nothing, you need to know what you're into, don't be a fool.
the next verse I picture as she's beginning to understand herself, the idea of love, and how it turns her world upside down; and how 'China' is the other side of the earth (the whole dig a hole theory); wishing to straighten this 'mess' of her life out. she explains that she'd like to be a poet, writing about her 'grandmother's curtains', which could signify the fluency of relationships, how very unstable they are; and then about 'the lady who put the Chinese buffet in her purse', which could represent how you carry around your problems as if in a purse (again, going to the China idea, where everything is upside down, and then a Chinese buffet, a lot of Chinese).
The next prechorus she explains she now wants to tell about what she knows regarding relationships, how hurtful her words might be, but that it's for the best...
the bridge would be her words she would give, not giving mercy at all, hoping to help, heal, fix the person with the STD, perhaps.
Just my interpretation of it. and for some reason I connect this song with "Masterpiece" a little bit, I don't know why.
A few corrections to the lyrics:
Lyrics Here: with my arms out in the front singing "tear me, tear me"
Real Lyrics: with my arms out in the front singing "Dare me, dare me"
Lyrics Here: I hope they cut you open, make you seal the warn For all the wrong reasons,
Real Lyrics: I hope they cut you open, Make you see you've been warring for all the wrong reasons,
Lyrics Here: Run the strip through your hair
Real Lyrics: Run the spit through your hair
Definitely one of my favorite songs off the album :)
its missing a part.
i've got my words i hope that he hurt you i hope that he scar you i hope that he heals you
These lyrics are wrong. I own the CD. I'm not at home, so I don't have the lyric book on me but some corrections I know just from familiarity:
"with my arms out in the front singing "tear me, tear me" this is actually "dare me, dare me". I love the line. I love this whole album, it's like my personal anthem and reminds to stand up for myself and say something.
"They say it gets better, better" is actually "They say it's better, better" as in they say it's better to just tell you what you want instead of getting you worked up over the truth.
"I hope they cut you open, make you seal the warn" you're missing a whole bunch here. It's "I've got my words, I hope they hurt you, I hope they scar you, I hope they heal you, I hope they cut you open, make you see that you've been warring for all the wrong reasons." Also memorized because it reminds me of myself.
"Run the strip through your hair" this is "run the spit through your hair."
Hope that helps. You can't interpret a song if you don't have the correct lyrics.
This song is absolutely amazing. I really love Meg & Dia's new stuff. This is one of my absolute favorite tracks they've recorded.