(I wanna get)

Hey, I hear the voice of a preacher from the back room
Calling my name and I follow just to find you
I trace the faith to a broken down television
And put on the weather
And I've trained myself to give up on the past 'cause
I frozen time between hearses and caskets
Lost control when I panicked at the acid test

I wanna get better

While my friends were getting high and chasing guys down parkway lines
I was losing my mind
'Cause the love, the love, the love, the love, the love
That I gave wasted on a nice face
In a blaze of fear I put a helmet on a helmet
Counting seconds through the night and got carried away
So now I'm standing on the overpass screaming at the cars

(Hey, I wanna get better)

I didn't know I was lonely 'til I saw your face
I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)

I go up to my room and there's guys on the ceiling
Cut out their pictures and I chase that feeling
Of an eighteen year old who didn't know what loss was
Now I'm a stranger
And I miss the days of a life still permanent
Mourn the years before I got carried away
So now I'm standin' on the overpass, screaming at the cars

(Hey, I wanna get better)

I didn't know I was lonely 'til I saw your face
I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)

Better, 'cause I'm sleeping in the back of a taxi
I'm screaming out my bedroom window
Even if its gonna kill me, whoa-oh

(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)

I woke up early this morning before my family
From this dream where she was trying to show me
How a life can move from the darkness
She said to get better

So I put a bullet where I shoulda put a helmet
And I crash my car 'cause I wanna get carried away
So now I'm standing on the overpass screaming at the cars

(Hey, I wanna get better)

I didn't know I was lonely 'til I saw your face
I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)
(Get, get, get, get, I wanna get)


Lyrics submitted by elizebeth, edited by Soy, fr0st2k, kerice11

I Wanna Get Better Lyrics as written by John Graham Hill Jack Antonoff

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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I Wanna Get Better song meanings
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5 Comments

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  • +7
    General Comment

    it's about experiences Jack has had in his life."froze in time between hearses and caskets" and "an eighteen year old who didn't know what loss was" refers to his sister Sarah who died about 10 years ago of cancer, and also to the fact that he witnessed 9/11 from his classroom window. "lost control when i panicked at the acid test" is about when he was 19 he took acid and he didn't come down for ages and he thought he'd ruined his life and he panicked.

    here's an interview where Jack talks about bleachers, and what this song means: news.iheart.com/articles/offbeat-468707/offbeat-with-bleachers-12228132/

    rbreton April 15, 2014   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this song is about Jack's sister, Sarah, who died when she was 13. I'm pretty sure Jack was eighteen. ("An eighteen year old who didn't know what loss was".) So yeah, correct me if I'm wrong.

    beaverskon February 24, 2014   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This is an amazingly written song! I loved it from the moment I heard it! since I'm someone who always looks into lyrics and their meanings I fell more in love with it as I learned the meaning! After hearing about jack and losing his sister I was able to understand his life and the grieving process he went through losing a loved one. It had me in tears reading line for line. It's a very relatable song for me since I know loss all too well and I just love the way he speaks of moving from the darkness into the light and realizing if you dwell in the past you can't have a happy future. I love the meaning in the line where he says "woke up this morning early before my family from a dream where she "his sister" was trying to show me how a life could move from the darkness she said to get better" he mentions many times rebelling and being in this dark stage of life after losing her and started trying to find ways to cope with her loss and they were negative ones he mentions doing acid and the entire song is so uplifting about turning your life around no matter your circumstances! Just love love it! God bless him and his family!

    Brittanyaleeneon November 06, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song. Here's a link to the iTunes download for anyone that is interested!: smarturl.it/IWannaGetBetter

    Netanon April 16, 2014   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    So in an interview he said that this song was about him as a teenager. His sister died, so when he refers to a woman that's who he's talking to. After her death, he went down hill and got involved in drugs, (panicked at the acid test). Until his sister appeared to him in a dream and told him that he needs to stop and get better: "Woke up this morning early before my family from this dream where she was trying to show me how a life can move from the darkness she said to get better." I think the car is himself: "So now I'm standing on the overpass screaming at the cars" , "So now I'm staring at the interstate screaming at myself". And then after his sister tells him to get better he kills his old self: "So I put a bullet where I shoulda put a helmet and I crash my car 'cause I wanna get carried away that's why I'm standing on the overpass screaming at myself" again with the car representing himself.

    BrookeNon August 08, 2014   Link

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