This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
If I was a prophet, if I was a saint
Sent here to save you, to bury the pain
Would I be different, would I belong?
Voices are silent, arms are at bay
A cloud of destruction is closer each day
Things could be different
We could belong (belong, belong, belong)
We are the human, we are the strays
We talk about heaven, we talk about grace
But things could be different, we could belong (belong, belong, belong)
Leave behind the renegades
Cross the desert through the haze
'Cause we must hold on yeah
'Cause we must hold on yeah
Moving forward one by one, to find shelter
'Cause they say (hey hey), things are much better than we know
We're not the problem
So don't hate (hey hey), things will get better if we show
We're not the problem (Hey)
For the sake of the children
For the sake of us all
Bury the demons, brace for the fall
Things can be different, we could belong (belong, belong, belong)
We are the vision
We are the faith
We are the meaning
We have new taste
Things can be different, we can belong (belong, belong, belong)
Leave behind the renegades
Cross the desert through the haze
'Cause we must hold on yeah
'Cause we must hold on yeah
Moving forward one by one, to find shelter
'Cause they say (hey hey), things are much better than we know
We're not the problem
So don't hate (hate, hate), things will get better if we show
We're not the problem
We go right back to the start
In sweet defiance
We were meant to be apart
Lie down in silence
We must find out who we are
(we must find out who we are)
(we must find out who we are)
(we must find out who we are)
If I was a prophet, if I was a saint
Sent here to save you, to bury the pain
Would I be different, would I belong? (belong, belong, belong)
Cause' they say (hey hey), things are much better than we know
We're not the problem
So don't hate (hate, hate), things will get better if we show
We're not the problem
They say (hey hey), things are much better than we know
We're not the problem
So don't hate (hate, hate), things will get better if we show
We're not the problem
Sent here to save you, to bury the pain
Would I be different, would I belong?
Voices are silent, arms are at bay
A cloud of destruction is closer each day
Things could be different
We could belong (belong, belong, belong)
We are the human, we are the strays
We talk about heaven, we talk about grace
But things could be different, we could belong (belong, belong, belong)
Leave behind the renegades
Cross the desert through the haze
'Cause we must hold on yeah
'Cause we must hold on yeah
Moving forward one by one, to find shelter
'Cause they say (hey hey), things are much better than we know
We're not the problem
So don't hate (hey hey), things will get better if we show
We're not the problem (Hey)
For the sake of the children
For the sake of us all
Bury the demons, brace for the fall
Things can be different, we could belong (belong, belong, belong)
We are the vision
We are the faith
We are the meaning
We have new taste
Things can be different, we can belong (belong, belong, belong)
Leave behind the renegades
Cross the desert through the haze
'Cause we must hold on yeah
'Cause we must hold on yeah
Moving forward one by one, to find shelter
'Cause they say (hey hey), things are much better than we know
We're not the problem
So don't hate (hate, hate), things will get better if we show
We're not the problem
We go right back to the start
In sweet defiance
We were meant to be apart
Lie down in silence
We must find out who we are
(we must find out who we are)
(we must find out who we are)
(we must find out who we are)
If I was a prophet, if I was a saint
Sent here to save you, to bury the pain
Would I be different, would I belong? (belong, belong, belong)
Cause' they say (hey hey), things are much better than we know
We're not the problem
So don't hate (hate, hate), things will get better if we show
We're not the problem
They say (hey hey), things are much better than we know
We're not the problem
So don't hate (hate, hate), things will get better if we show
We're not the problem
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
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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 get the sense this is about people who feel alienated by society and blamed for its problems; like whenever there's a shooting, people blame either guns or video games. People on either side feel marginalized, feel blamed. If they had been different, they think, they could belong to these groups that persecute them, their lives would be better.
When Columbine happened, people who looked different, were loners, wore trenchcoats, were bullied worse than ever. Because they were different.