I'm not too sure about the meaning of the song in general, however, the first verse definitely relates to me.
My parents are reputation-freaks. Doesn't matter if they're happy, if I'm happy, if my sister's happy, if anybody's happy, as long as we look good on the outside to everybody else. Somebody in my family has an abusive spouse but my father refuses to do anything about it because he's afraid of what other people around us will think if they see that she got divorced. They're obsessed with how society perceives us and so tells me to do everything "the normal way" - if I want to wear band shirts instead of frilly sleeves that's too bad for me. If I want to listen to bands that play the electric viola and sing about heroin instead of catchy love songs, that's too bad because I'm just being "abnormal".
I know it seems like I'm just trying to collect pity, but that's what I get from "my parents always told me..." - like trying to tell your sons and daughters how to think and what to do just because they do it; "with THEIR heads up high"
I'm not too sure about the meaning of the song in general, however, the first verse definitely relates to me. My parents are reputation-freaks. Doesn't matter if they're happy, if I'm happy, if my sister's happy, if anybody's happy, as long as we look good on the outside to everybody else. Somebody in my family has an abusive spouse but my father refuses to do anything about it because he's afraid of what other people around us will think if they see that she got divorced. They're obsessed with how society perceives us and so tells me to do everything "the normal way" - if I want to wear band shirts instead of frilly sleeves that's too bad for me. If I want to listen to bands that play the electric viola and sing about heroin instead of catchy love songs, that's too bad because I'm just being "abnormal". I know it seems like I'm just trying to collect pity, but that's what I get from "my parents always told me..." - like trying to tell your sons and daughters how to think and what to do just because they do it; "with THEIR heads up high"