Stuck in the jet wash
Bad trip I couldn't get off
And maybe I bit off more than I could chew
And overhead of the aqua blue
Fall to your knees, bring on the rapture
Blessed be the boys time can't capture
On film or between the sheets
I always fall from your window
To the pitch black streets
And with the black banners raised as the crooked smiles fade
Former heroes who quit too late
Who just wanna fill up the trophy case again

And in the end
I'd do it all again
I think you're my best friend
Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright
I'll be yours
When it rains it pours
Stay thirsty like before
Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright

I'm not passive but aggressive
Take note, it's not impressive
Empty your sadness like you're dumping your purse
On my bedroom floor
We put your curse in reverse
And it's our time now if you want it to be
Maul the world like the carnival bears set free
And your love is anemic and I can't believe
That you couldn't see it coming for me
And I still feel that rush in my veins
It twists my head just a bit to think
All those people in those old photographs I've seen are dead

And in the end
I'd do it all again
I think you're my best friend
Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright
I'll be yours
When it rains it pours
Stay thirsty like before
Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright

Oh, and sometimes I just wanna sit around and gaze at my shoes, yeah
And let your dirty sadness fill me up just like a balloon

And in the end
I'll do it all again
I think you're my best friend
Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright
And I'll be yours
When it rains it pours
Stay thirsty like before
Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright


Lyrics submitted by Youngus, edited by AdamArtz, mikeandersonwa, alexorcism, Atlas-Vetra

The Kids Aren't Alright Lyrics as written by Patrick Stump Peter Wentz

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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The Kids Aren't Alright song meanings
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5 Comments

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  • +2
    My Interpretation

    So, seeing these lyrics in 2015, it makes me so happy because they're just so classically Pete. The strange metaphors, twisting words to have different meanings. And wow, this song is honestly one that evokes lots of emotion in me, more than "What a Catch" or "Golden." You can feel the emotion in the song so strongly... wow.

    Anyway, on the meaning, I feel that it is about a relationship where the two people have been through everything with one another. I don't really catch a romantic vibe from this, more of a friendship/loyalty one.

    Looking at Pete's influences and his friendships, I honestly think this song is about Pete and Patrick's relationship. Not romantic, just the fact they have been through thick and thin with one another, and this is a sort of "congrats, we made it through together" from Pete to Patrick.

    iredpoeton November 30, 2015   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think the correct lyric is "Maul the world like the carnival bear set free"

    jjf1218on January 31, 2015   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    I don't fully understand this song but I think it's quite beautiful. From what I can pull from the lyrics, I see that a man is reflecting back on his troubled teenage years.

    halle_fischon March 29, 2015   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion

    I think that the song is about someone looking back, thinking to how no one really noticed that the kids weren't alright. When Patrick sings "just want to fill the trophy case again", it might mean that once there was greatness but something happened and now his works had been turned upside down, he was doing drugs and wasn't the perfect person he had wanted to be.

    ItsSarahon September 21, 2016   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I think the song is about a divorced couple who are reflecting back on their time when they were together. The songs title and chorus show how the couples' kids are missing the feeling of both their parents being together. One of the parents who doesn't spend a lot of time with their kids, thinks their children are fine while the other parent who spends more time with the kids, knows this isn't true. The rest of the song besides the chorus is the couple remembering their time together.

    nathanndoon May 30, 2017   Link

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