He got in his car and told himself to drive
Gotta leave it all behind if he wants to feel alive
19 and lost and never thought he'd ever leave this place
Vacant mind from endless grind so what's to lose anyways
Another fast food job?
Another 8 to 5 day?
Ten minutes and two miles is just a mile too many today
And you can see why it's easy to say

Y'know that hell looks a lot like L.A.
Six months ago was the last she felt alive
Moved down from the north and told herself she'd try
18 and lost and never thought this place would change
Ignored and bored the same feelings as yesterday
She said it's way too much more than she could take
It's one less car that's in the way
Y'know that hell looks a lot like L.A.


Lyrics submitted by ThisIsForYou

Hell Looks Alot Like L.A. Lyrics as written by

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Hell Looks a Lot Like L.A. song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

13 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think it's about how loads of songs glamourise teenagers running away from home and stuff, but it's not always such a smart idea in reality

    ArianeTheFoolon February 20, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    The key is in the movie speech before song. The preceding line is " Sometimes in life, we are given a choice between being a slave in Heaven or a star in Hell." This is reminiscent of Milton's Paradise Lost Bk II line 268 "Heav'n resembles Hell", and "Tis better to reign in hell, than serve in heaven" (this is, however ironic in Milton), as the speech bfore the song maks the lines preceding it. It's abotu the false promise, and emonic appeal. hahahaha!

    cut_from_teamon January 27, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    WHAT?!?! no comments??!?!

    this is such a catchy song! LTJ are awesome. my friend loves them and gave me the cd coz she thought i had to hear them. thank god she did coz they are awesome. we had the cd borders and boundaries playin non stop on a camp bus trip coz we love them soo much

    oh its another 8 to 5 day? :)

    LoveThyEnemyon August 25, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song means LA is a shit-hole and not what everyone thinks it'll be. i can believe that! top band, top tune.

    chineapple punxon June 29, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    never been to LA but from what i have herd and red the i agree that it looks like a pretty decieiving and corrupt place. once again LTJ pull out another fucking amazing ska/punk tune

    LessThanJake4Lifeon December 12, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    jeez this was a fucking easy one, yet still no posts on the real meaning, damn, just listen, its about the fucking traffic in LA, i havnt been to LA, but i just substitute LA with MIAmi lol and it seems about right, i moved form my boring town down to miami, but its not perfect here either, 10 minutes and 2 miles, do all you teenagers know how fucking annoying that is? You will when you finally get to drive...

    Cannabutron March 17, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Wow.. officially the worst comment ever by cannabutr saying "ALL YOU TEENAGERS" on a LTJ page? Um... LTJ is all about teenage angst, hating the town your from, and getting caught up in the nothingness of living in a city that traps you in. Not at all about traffic.. at all... at all... ever.

    Rolo5984on April 04, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    If it's about the traffic, how come it's called "Hell looks a lot like LA" instead of "Hell Looks a lot like the road to LA" or something?

    ArianeTheFoolon April 18, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    yeah im gonna take a stab at this and say its not about the LA traffic. Its about how hyped up california and LA are when in reality its shit. the people are shit everythings shit.. i should know i live less than 45 min from there.. remember kids.. california is over rated

    Drop Kirk Murphison May 10, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is definately not about the LA traffic!!

    Its about how people leave home and go to LA for the lifestyle and to try and make it big there because they think it will be better than their home town. Its turns out that its not as good as they thought and they should have just stayed at home.

    The last line "Its one less car thats in the way" is when they raelise that LA is shit and leave.

    evil monkeyon January 26, 2006   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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Album art
Plastic Bag
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.