Lyric discussion by Rawrxs 

Cover art for Woe lyrics by Say Anything

Let me start by saying that the magic of music lies behind the interpretation of the listener.

As for this song, it seems straight forward at first, jumps into a metaphor, and concludes with, well a conclusion.

"All the words in my mouth that the scene deemed unworthy of letting out banded together To form a makeshift militia and burrowed bloodily through my tongue and my teeth."

Max had an idea for a song, but its topic was viewed as morbid or just sad.

I stood proud in the gallery with my open socket of a mouth for them to see. They all just laughed and said "That boy , he, that boy's got woe. (woe.) He lives with woe. (woe.)"

Max 'shared' said song with the public, to which they saw that he had woe, or sorrow/distress given the lyrics of the song.

And this girl who I met whose pride makes her hard to forget, She took pity on me (horizontally) but most likely because of my band. (hey)

He was laid because of his musical career but he saw it as a pity fuck

It's all I can get when I'm lonely and these visions of death seem to own me In the quiet of the classrooms all across the stacked United States of Woe. We live with woe.

Says that he dwells on unhappy thoughts, but says 'hey everyone has issues'

[Metaphor Time]

She said "I can't get laid in this town without these pointy fucking shoes. My feet are so black and blue and so are you."

Choice of metaphor is a women with pointy shoes. The shoes are probably Max's fake happier persona, which without it he wouldn't have friends, but being a fake is making him 'black and blue' so beaten up emotionally....causing, you guessed it, more woe.

Please take me out of my body up through the palm trees to smell California in sweet hypocrisy. Floating. My senses surround my body. I wake my nose to smell that ocean burn.

Admittedly, this seems rather random. If I had to guess it would be about his drug use solution to his problems back in this day. burning oceans, and heightened senses away from reality.

So now I'm forging ahead past all the plutocrats who sold me out. Go sob in your bed. If life is twice as pretty once your dead then send me a card.

Max concludes he will keep on trucking, probably due to a drug induced epiphany contrary to his earlier attitudes. He tells others that are struggling to be an optimist like he is or just shut up.

I'm still the optimist though it is hard when all you want to be is in a dream.

Max says that his struggles derive from him wanting everything in his life to fall into place perfectly as if it were a dream. He acknowledges that this is difficult. Rinse and repeat.

Song Meaning