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.
I could have been easier on you
I could have been all you held on to
I know I wasn't fair
I tried my best to care
About you
(About you)
I know I could have been a better man
I always had to have the upper hand
I'm struggling to see
The better side of me
But I can't
Take all your jabs and taunts
You're pointing out
My every fault
And you wonder why I walked away
When you tell me I'm a wreck
You say that I'm a mess
How could you expect anything less
(Expect anything less)
You latched onto me
Then cried I strung you along
I told you when you asked
I knew this wouldn't last
At least I could be honest about that
(Honest about that)
And now you're tellin' everyone
How I only did you wrong
I guess you never knew me at all
Remember on my 21st birthday
You took me where we went on our first date
We stayed till closing time
After four glasses of wine
You started with the pointless argument
You said that I forgot to compliment
The dress you wore that night
That I've seen a thousand times
But I think
We just want different things
I want space
You want a diamond ring
Whatever made you think we were meant to be?
When you tell me I'm a wreck
You say that I'm a mess
How could you expect anything less
(Expect anything less)
You latched onto me
Then cried I strung you along
(Cried I strung you along)
I told you when you asked
I knew this wouldn't last
At least I could be honest about that
(Honest about that)
And now you're tellin' everyone
How I only did you wrong
(How I only did you wrong)
I guess you never knew me at all
You tell me I'm a wreck
You say that I'm a mess
How could you expect anything less
When you tell me I'm a wreck
You say that I'm a mess
How could you expect anything less
(Expect anything less)
You latched onto me
Then cried I strung you along
(Cried I strung you along)
I told you when you asked
I knew this wouldn't last
At least I could be honest about that
(Honest about that)
And now you're tellin' everyone
How I only did you wrong
(How I only did you wrong)
Still I see you standing there
Waiting round for me to fall
(Waiting round for me to fall)
Girl you must be crazy
Still believing you and me belong
I guess you never knew me at all
I could have been all you held on to
I know I wasn't fair
I tried my best to care
About you
(About you)
I know I could have been a better man
I always had to have the upper hand
I'm struggling to see
The better side of me
But I can't
Take all your jabs and taunts
You're pointing out
My every fault
And you wonder why I walked away
When you tell me I'm a wreck
You say that I'm a mess
How could you expect anything less
(Expect anything less)
You latched onto me
Then cried I strung you along
I told you when you asked
I knew this wouldn't last
At least I could be honest about that
(Honest about that)
And now you're tellin' everyone
How I only did you wrong
I guess you never knew me at all
Remember on my 21st birthday
You took me where we went on our first date
We stayed till closing time
After four glasses of wine
You started with the pointless argument
You said that I forgot to compliment
The dress you wore that night
That I've seen a thousand times
But I think
We just want different things
I want space
You want a diamond ring
Whatever made you think we were meant to be?
When you tell me I'm a wreck
You say that I'm a mess
How could you expect anything less
(Expect anything less)
You latched onto me
Then cried I strung you along
(Cried I strung you along)
I told you when you asked
I knew this wouldn't last
At least I could be honest about that
(Honest about that)
And now you're tellin' everyone
How I only did you wrong
(How I only did you wrong)
I guess you never knew me at all
You tell me I'm a wreck
You say that I'm a mess
How could you expect anything less
When you tell me I'm a wreck
You say that I'm a mess
How could you expect anything less
(Expect anything less)
You latched onto me
Then cried I strung you along
(Cried I strung you along)
I told you when you asked
I knew this wouldn't last
At least I could be honest about that
(Honest about that)
And now you're tellin' everyone
How I only did you wrong
(How I only did you wrong)
Still I see you standing there
Waiting round for me to fall
(Waiting round for me to fall)
Girl you must be crazy
Still believing you and me belong
I guess you never knew me at all
Lyrics submitted by artemisaurelia
Tell Me I'm a Wreck Lyrics as written by Michael Allen Timothy Pagnotta
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I love this song. It has been on repeat all day. Every Avenue is so amazing.