Criminals

I think this song is saying that people can't be grouped based on an action. Sure, they can be arsonists, thieves and rapists, but that doesn't mean they have NOTHING good to offer. That's my feelings.

I have a lot of thoughts about this one. This song has such deep meaning to it... lyrically, it reminds me of a lot of 10 Years music. Let's start with the 1st verse:

"Another weekend comes, I got nowhere to go So I get real high and head to YOUR window Watch perfect faces living perfect lives Until something snaps inside"

-A few things to think about here: He has nothing to do, so he decides to get high. I'm gonna assume he's getting high off of cannabis, since it has been known to spur very deep thought. Gettin' high, watching TV, seeing all the bullshit that's involved in general society. Lies told that the majority of people believe, since their views are distorted... the mass media being one tool used to help spread the lies. "YOUR window" ... YOUR signifies that this media is controlled and they choose what propaganda to feed us.

"You think you know who we are Well, you don't know us at all"

-This fits in well with my two interpretations of the Chorus, it makes sense if you keep reading below... as in... society and mass media think they know us.. they really don't, we wanna be world changers to benefit everyone. One present day example of this is President Obama's cop-out on cannabis decriminalization. Responding to his Internet site where Americans could vote for the topics they cared about most, paraphrased... the #1 issue was cannabis decriminalization. Obama laughed about it and said, "I don't know what that says about internet users"... It's a cop-out because internet users ARE America. We are the nation. As tech savvy as Obama is, he stumbles here on the reality of the Internet to please the public societal group (his audience at the time).

The 2nd verse seems to shed just a little light of mental progress where he says, "But I prove to myself I can do anything And damn, I feel alive"

The meaning of the Chorus itself...

"We are criminals The arsonists, the thieves, the rapists Save yourself You put us in cages, but you made us criminals Lost inside your American Dreams"

to me, this can have two meanings and go two directions... I just happen to see these two, there can be more:

-1. Cannabis users are treated as criminals. Some of the greatest minds use it to think... this could be speaking out against the criminalization of marijuana. Many of these users are not abusers, and see cannabis as simply a special plant that's a part of the natural earth. Put these users in cages (jail), and make them criminals. This meaning supports decriminalization. Societal propaganda also makes sense with this, too. Generally people see cannabis as bad because of what people say about it, its reputation, or lack of knowledge about the plant. "Arsonists, thieves, and rapists"... this shows stark contrast to explain that marijuana is as bad as these 3 crimes.

-2. This chorus can also be talking about revolutionists. Those who are out there trying to find the real truth about everything and want to change society. They could be stereotyped as arsonists or thieves... revolutionaries are usually thought of as people stirring trouble. Some actually want to stop mass government corruption and change society so everyone can benefit, not just "The rich, the beautiful". Society protects these people in its current state, even though that's fundamentally wrong and doesn't encompass true freedom and democracy.

3rd verse:

"For every town that I've been lied to Been cheated, beaten down Revenge is such a glamorous feeling I've been craving for so long And when you sleep at night Believe me, I'll be there in the dark Because we've got nothing to lose And we don't care who you are"

"The rich, the beautiful You don't mean a thing to a scorched earth"

-I think it points out that destructive tactics trump anything they try to do to stop the revolutionaries. Perhaps someone else can find other meaning here.

Last phrases:

"The disenchanted, make revolutions to change your life We're now at war with our future"

-Fairly obvious when following my interpretations. A rally cry to get people to stand up for universal, absolute truth. Make revolutions... learn things for yourself, don't eat the propaganda. Don't buy the lies. Be skeptical about common societal views. The future is at stake, because the future is being built before our very eyes today. Take up your cross daily. Our future depends on this war going on right now between truth and lies.

LONG... but this song is deep.

i love the way he said You put us in cages, but you made us criminals

As a band you get attention, and when you do, people come out of the woodwork to criticise you. When we started this band, we didn't think about the negative-you go out there to do something positive and affect people in a positive way- but it seems there are always little arrows that try and attack you." Leone added that this song, "is about seeking revenge on the people that pick on you."