My life is a musical, I know how to put on
A pretty pathetic show, I hide
Backstage, keep the curtains closed
'Cause I'm scared, I'm scared

I'm getting pretty good at feeding them
The lines they like but I don't
Recognize the girl I face each night
I can compromise till I'm convinced
It's right

What happened to the girl who
Could overlook the world?
She never gave a second to
What the other people thought
What happened to the dream
Of rejecting the routine?
'Cause they never worked for me
I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength
To help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it

They say all the world's a stage
Rewriting your identity is all the rage
Well, next act please, I'd like a change
I don't really like pretending this way

What happened to the girl who
Could overlook the world?
She never gave a second to
What the other people thought
What happened to the dream
Of rejecting the routine?
'Cause they never worked for me

I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength
To help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it

I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength
To help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it

And the sad thing is we're
All in on the action
We're all holding our breath
Waiting for a reaction you play your part
I'll be playing with matches
And if you'd like a show
You can follow the ashes

I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength
To help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it

I'm gonna burn this theater down
And pray to God for the strength
To help me face the crowd
I wanna live like I lost the script
And scream every line like this is it


Lyrics submitted by invisiboy42293

Theater Lyrics as written by Ariel Bloomer Jump Adam Kronshagen

Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Theater song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

1 Comment

sort form View by:
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    I instantly understood this song at first listen. It's about rebirth, starting over.

    The chorus is pretty much straightforward.

    "I'm gonna burn this theater down."

    Theater = life. The protagonist is going to start all over again.

    "And pray to God for the strength to help me face the crowd."

    Some masses say Icon for Hire is a Christian band which is probably because of lyrics like this, and the other way round. She says she's going to pray for help and strength to get through the surprised faces and reactions of people she knows now. I understand how she feels. Recently I "converted" from Christianity to Buddhism and changed a huge part of my beliefs, looks on the world etc. and everyone was like "What? But how? How can you?". So I understand.

    "I wanna live like I lost the script."

    The script is her daily routine. She wants to forget about it forever and be free in her actions and dreams.

    "And scream every line like this is it."

    Her (probably) final desire is to live every day like her last. Everyone wants, but only a few succeed. Great song.

    connectorganizeon December 07, 2011   Link

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

Album art
Step
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Album art
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.