good morning
don't cop out
you crawled from the cancer to land on your feet
are you crazy to want this
even for a while?
we're making this shit up
the reasons for being are easy to pay
you can't remember the others
they just kind of went away
so you're driving, it's rush hour
the cars on the freeway are moving like slugs
when you drift off to wake up
do you always hit the brakes?
we're done lying for a living
the strange days have come and you're gone
either dead or dying
either dad or trying to go

it's evening, you're tired
you sleep walk, a robot out on the street
are you crazy to want this, even for a while? you're driving, it's rush hour
the cars on the freeway are moving backwards
into a wall of fire

we're done lying for a living
the strange days have come and you're gone
either dead or dying
either dead or trying to go
good morning
don't cop out


Lyrics submitted by Little Butcher Boy

Strange Days song meanings
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36 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    I thought this song was about the everday life we put ourselves through. How you wake up go to work fight the traffic just to go to bed and do it the next day. And then on the weekdens spend your time buying material posessions which are supposed to make your life have more meaning. that life for some people is in a cubicle and that everyone is slowly wasting away their either "dead or dieing" anyway thats what it meant to me.

    Sergeant_Spaceon July 24, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    WARNING:: Very long, detailed interpretation ahead!

    I agree with everyone, that this song is about severe depression and the contemplation of suicide. My interpretation, however, is that Matt Good is trying desperately to talk people out of it.

    "Good morning//Don't cop out//You crawled from the cancer to land on your feet." -- Don't take the easy way out and give in to your depression. You've already endured so much and fought through a lot to get to where you are, successfully. You DID land on your feet, even if your legs feel unsteady underneath you.

    "Are you crazy to want this//Even for a while?" -- Even if you don't really intend to kill yourself, are you crazy for even considering the idea?

    "We're making this shit up//The reasons for being are easy to pay." -- You're just picking out the bad things in your life, piecing them together, trying to give yourself more reasons to keep yourself miserable. All the things you have to go through in life are a small price to pay for the privilege of actually LIVING. You're just making up excuses, because realistically everything you go through only makes "being" more worthwhile in the long run.

    "You can't remember the others//They just kind of went away." -- This interpretation can go one of two ways. It's either about others that have committed suicide that just drifted into oblivion, forgotten. OR it is about the people in your life that would miss you if you were gone, but your depression encompasses so much of you that you can't even consider them. They don't register in your mind; it's as if they don't exist.

    "You're driving//It's rush hour//The cars on the freeway are moving like slugs." -- You have to endure monotonous tasks of every day life.

    "When you drift off//To wake up//Do you always hit the breaks?" -- You've been in this position before. This depression and these thoughts of suicide have hounded you before, and didn't you always stop before you actually ended yourself? You always wake up from it; you always reconsider.

    "We're done lying for a living//The strange days have come and you're gone//Either dead or dying//Either dead or trying to go." -- You're done pretending that everything is okay and suffering through the same routines every day that never seem to get any better. You're empty inside, and the only thing you can think about is your depression. You're gone--you've put yourself in a stubborn mindset that things can't improve and you're better off dead, even though you should know that it isn't the case.

    "It's evening//You're tired//You sleep walk//A robot out on the street." -- After a long day [or a long LIFE], you're just worn out and haggard and ready for everything to be over. You're on automation, not allowing yourself to even feel anything anymore.

    "Are you crazy to want this//Even for a while?" -- The idea of suicide is still playing on your mind, and you're still mulling over whether or not it is an appropriate solution.

    "You're driving//It's rush hour//The cars on the freeway are moving backwards//Into a wall of fire." -- You're caught up in your own problems, but everyone else is in or HAS been in the same position. Everyone gets "stuck in rush hour" at some point. What if they all gave in to self-destruction the way you are considering? "Into a wall of fire" is the visual of everyone else in the world in your very same position giving in to the very same temptation as you.

    Chorus is the same.

    "Good morning//Don't cop out." -- The final blow, once again reiterating that this is NOT the way to handle things. Keep things in perspective. Stay strong. Don't give up on your life.

    ExplodingMooseon June 17, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song breaks my heart every time i listen to it

    MercurySmileon January 08, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    To me this is just a great song by Matthew Good there is something about his lyrics that are just honest and touching in a way that very few in the industry can do.

    LiveUrLifeon April 13, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think this song is about not knowing whats gonna happen next!

    regluar14on April 25, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    one of the best songs ever...

    sumoon May 06, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think this song is about someone who has battled cancer and later in there life very depressed, maybe suicidal. they are talking about wanting to cop out of life. the feeling when you are so depressed that you already feel dead. you cant remember the others is about all the horrible things you have seen and you are trying to convince yourself you cant remember. and you just feel dead inside, like a robot.

    Ashley0405on July 21, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think that this song is about someone waking up in the morning, telling themselves not to cop out of life, no matter how bad things are. To me when he says "the reasons for being are easy to pay" it's like they are trying to be positive towards themselves and seeing the benifits of continuing with life. Now as the song goes on it' s almost like the day is coming to an end and as it does the positivity that the person once had is slowly goes away and they start questioning their pressence here. (their life) Do they really want to carry on with life? At the end of the song it's almost as if a new day has started and they have to start all over again. ("Good morning, don't.........") OVERALL I SEE THIS SONG AS A MESSAGE TELLING EVERYONE NOT TO GIVE UP. WE ARE ALL HERE FOR A REASON. MOST OF ALL "BE STRONG"

    sparkyon July 23, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is fucking beautiful.

    thesesolareyeson August 07, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song, its so moving

    drgonzothxon August 26, 2002   Link

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