Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Gainesville, Fl… Read Full Bio ↴Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Gainesville, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. Since 2001, the band's lineup has also included guitarist James Bowman. After releasing three studio albums through independent record labels (Reinventing Axl Rose on No Idea records, and As The Eternal Cowboy and Searching for a Former Clarity on Fat Wreck Chords), Against Me! moved to Warner/Sire Records for 2007's New Wave, which reached no. 57 on the Billboard 200. White Crosses followed on Warner/Sire in 2010. In 2011, the band launched their own record label, Total Treble, to independently release future recordings.

In 2012, Grace publicly came out as transgender. After a long period of line-up changes and uncertainty surrounding the band's future, their sixth studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, was released independently in January 2014 to critical acclaim. The band's seventh album, Shape Shift with Me, was released in 2016. In addition, the band have four well known EPs: Crime as Forgiven by Against Me!, The Acoustic EP, The Disco Before the Breakdown, and New Wave B-Sides. They have released numerous singles, two live albums, and demo versions of the three of their studio albums.

Band members:
Laura Jane Grace – vocals, guitar
James Bowman – lead guitar
Andrew Seward – bass
Atom Willard – drums

Former members:
Kevin Mahon – drums (1998–2001)
Dustin Fridkin – bass (2000–2002)
Warren Oakes – drums (2001–2009)
George Rebelo – drums (2009–2010)
Jay Weinberg – drums (2010–2012)
Inge Johansson – bass (2013–2018)

Discography:
• Reinventing Axl Rose (2002)
• As the Eternal Cowboy (2003)
• Searching for a Former Clarity (2005)
• New Wave (2007)
• White Crosses (2010)
• Transgender Dysphoria Blues (2014)
• Shape Shift with Me (2016)

We're Breaking Up
Against Me! Lyrics

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This is the only voice I know.
These are the only words I have.
This is the only way I know how to say, we're not in love anymore.

It's the same way that it's always been,
The dynamic to the relationship never changes.
It's the same way that it's always been,
The dynamic to the relationship never changes.

We used to like all the same bands.
We used to have all the same friends.
What do we have left in common?
Just shared memories of good times long since past.

It's the same way that it's always been,
The dynamic to the relationship never changes.
It's the same way that it's always been,
The dynamic to the relationship never changes.
You can't get what you want from me, and I can't get what I need from you.

This is the only voice I know.
These are the only words I have.
This is the only way I know how to say, we're breaking up.

It's the same way that it's always been.
It's the same way that it's always been.

I'm not giving up on us.
I'm not giving up on us.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Against Me!'s song "We're Breaking Up" describe the end of a relationship that has lost its passion and common ground. The singer acknowledges that they cannot continue to pretend that everything is fine, and that they need to break up. The recurring line, "This is the only voice I know, these are the only words I have, this is the only way I know how to say, we're not in love anymore" expresses the difficulty of expressing such feelings and the finality of the decision.

The song highlights the idea that relationships can stagnate, and people can grow apart. The singer reflects on how they used to love the same things, but now they only have shared memories of past good times. The line "You can't get what you want from me, and I can't get what I need from you" further exemplifies the sense of disconnect, and the realization that the relationship cannot be salvaged.

Despite the breakup, the singer is not giving up on themselves or the potential for future love. The last line, "I'm not giving up on us," suggests that this end is merely the beginning of a new chapter. The song is a relatable account of the difficulty of ending a relationship and moving on, and represents the raw emotion of the process.

Line by Line Meaning

This is the only voice I know.
I can only express myself in this way.

These are the only words I have.
I have no other way to explain how I feel.

This is the only way I know how to say, we're not in love anymore.
Breaking up is the only option I can think of.

It's the same way that it's always been,
Our relationship has always had this dynamic.

The dynamic to the relationship never changes.
Our relationship has always been the same and has not improved.

We used to like all the same bands.
We used to have similar interests.

We used to have all the same friends.
Our social circles used to overlap.

What do we have left in common?
We have nothing in common anymore.

Just shared memories of good times long since past.
Our only connection is to the past and not to the present.

You can't get what you want from me, and I can't get what I need from you.
We cannot fulfill each other's desires and needs.

I'm not giving up on us.
I'm willing to work on our relationship.