"Cold water for a straight jacket case
Just role the cameras and I swear I'll be ok"
That's pretty much a reference to being in a band and being in the position where you are kind of always under a spotlight. When you are constantly being watched, you don't want to show emotion. So it's comparing being in a band to being a news anchor, because they aren't supposed to show emotion when the camera is rolling.
"Now 3, 2, 1, this is daily news and breaking
By a show of hands, who else in here is faking?"
Another reference to not showing emotion and being under the spotlight/a news anchor.
The faking line references faking to be happy and fine.
CHORUS:
"This is where it all went wrong
And the words you said were subtle
But enough to break the ice"
This references how whenever this specific girl would constantly end things with me, she would try to do it in a very "sweet" way, but no matter how sweet/nice her words seemed, the message was still the same: "you're not good enough".
She would always start with (or "break the ice" with) something like "I still really care about you, but..." I knew what was going to happen pretty much immediately at that point.
"This is a perfect way to end it
And I told you I was clever
But I think you'll be surprised"
That is a reference to something she said to me. She told me once that I wrote really clever lyrics, so that just means she is going to be surprised at how cleverly I would write this song.
2nd VERSE:
"You've got a knack for finding red carpet thrills
And you've got the nerves, but baby I've got the skills"
Finding "Red carpet thrills" is just my way of saying she acts like she is in Hollywood all the time. Or like she's on one of those TV shows like Laguna Beach or the Hills. Red carpets are synonymous with Hollywood, so I just used that as a comparison for her never-ending dramatics.
The "nerves/skills" line is another reference to her being dramatic ("nerves" to create problems in non-problematic places) and me being in a band ("skills" being my musical abilities and such)
"Now listen up, get your elbows off the table
Keep your mouth wide shut
Cause I've got something else to tell you"
That line just means I want to have a polite conversation without all the stuff she would always make it into (everyone knows it's bad manners to have your elbows on the table...so there's that comparison), and I wanted to be the one doing the talking. The "keep your mouth wide shut" line is a reference to an old Tom Cruise movie I never saw called "Eyes Wide Shut". I just thought it was an original way of saying closed eyes, or in this case, closed mouth. It's kind of unexpected and catches you off guard a little.
BRIDGE:
"Here's your last chance to clap along with me
And here's the part where the audience gets to sing"
When I wrote this song, I knew I wanted to have the clapping that is behind it in the music, and I wanted to write as if I was talking to people from the stage. The "audience gets to sing" line is about the following group vocal part.
"Now it's 5 to 1 if you were looking for a setup
By a show of hands, who else in here is fed up?"
I think the "5 to 1" line might be the most misunderstood lyric I have ever written. I have had a TON of people come up at shows and said "dude, you totally can't count...it's 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Duh!" I say to you nay. That line is not a countdown what so ever! It means, "it's five of us (me and all my band boys) against (that's another meaning of the word to...) just the one girl that she was (or is...)
The "fed up" line is one of my favorites. I hope to see every hand in the crowd raised when I sing this line.
CLOSING LINE:
Just tap your shoes now baby,
And whisper, "There's no place like home"
Cause we're not in Kansas anymore
When I was dating the girl who this song (and most the songs) is about.
She had these bright red, shiny, slip-on shoes that resembled Dorothy's from Wizard of Oz. Everyone always made the reference whenever she was around, and because she liked that attention, she wore them quite often before she "quit emo". I think that's a pretty self-explanatory line if you've seen the movie. If you haven't, you should go rent it. It's an AMAZING film.
Directly from their myspace blog.
1st VERSE:
"Cold water for a straight jacket case Just role the cameras and I swear I'll be ok"
That's pretty much a reference to being in a band and being in the position where you are kind of always under a spotlight. When you are constantly being watched, you don't want to show emotion. So it's comparing being in a band to being a news anchor, because they aren't supposed to show emotion when the camera is rolling.
"Now 3, 2, 1, this is daily news and breaking By a show of hands, who else in here is faking?"
Another reference to not showing emotion and being under the spotlight/a news anchor. The faking line references faking to be happy and fine.
CHORUS:
"This is where it all went wrong And the words you said were subtle But enough to break the ice"
This references how whenever this specific girl would constantly end things with me, she would try to do it in a very "sweet" way, but no matter how sweet/nice her words seemed, the message was still the same: "you're not good enough". She would always start with (or "break the ice" with) something like "I still really care about you, but..." I knew what was going to happen pretty much immediately at that point.
"This is a perfect way to end it And I told you I was clever But I think you'll be surprised"
That is a reference to something she said to me. She told me once that I wrote really clever lyrics, so that just means she is going to be surprised at how cleverly I would write this song.
2nd VERSE:
"You've got a knack for finding red carpet thrills And you've got the nerves, but baby I've got the skills"
Finding "Red carpet thrills" is just my way of saying she acts like she is in Hollywood all the time. Or like she's on one of those TV shows like Laguna Beach or the Hills. Red carpets are synonymous with Hollywood, so I just used that as a comparison for her never-ending dramatics. The "nerves/skills" line is another reference to her being dramatic ("nerves" to create problems in non-problematic places) and me being in a band ("skills" being my musical abilities and such)
"Now listen up, get your elbows off the table Keep your mouth wide shut Cause I've got something else to tell you"
That line just means I want to have a polite conversation without all the stuff she would always make it into (everyone knows it's bad manners to have your elbows on the table...so there's that comparison), and I wanted to be the one doing the talking. The "keep your mouth wide shut" line is a reference to an old Tom Cruise movie I never saw called "Eyes Wide Shut". I just thought it was an original way of saying closed eyes, or in this case, closed mouth. It's kind of unexpected and catches you off guard a little.
BRIDGE:
"Here's your last chance to clap along with me And here's the part where the audience gets to sing"
When I wrote this song, I knew I wanted to have the clapping that is behind it in the music, and I wanted to write as if I was talking to people from the stage. The "audience gets to sing" line is about the following group vocal part.
"Now it's 5 to 1 if you were looking for a setup By a show of hands, who else in here is fed up?"
I think the "5 to 1" line might be the most misunderstood lyric I have ever written. I have had a TON of people come up at shows and said "dude, you totally can't count...it's 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Duh!" I say to you nay. That line is not a countdown what so ever! It means, "it's five of us (me and all my band boys) against (that's another meaning of the word to...) just the one girl that she was (or is...)
The "fed up" line is one of my favorites. I hope to see every hand in the crowd raised when I sing this line.
CLOSING LINE:
Just tap your shoes now baby, And whisper, "There's no place like home" Cause we're not in Kansas anymore
When I was dating the girl who this song (and most the songs) is about. She had these bright red, shiny, slip-on shoes that resembled Dorothy's from Wizard of Oz. Everyone always made the reference whenever she was around, and because she liked that attention, she wore them quite often before she "quit emo". I think that's a pretty self-explanatory line if you've seen the movie. If you haven't, you should go rent it. It's an AMAZING film.
Hopefully this was helpful!!!
-Jeremiah