Rite of Spring
Angels & Airwaves Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was locked all day in the summer heat,
In a small brown house in suburban streets
With a skateboard and my shit guitar,
I dreamed all day that they would get me far.
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The asshole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our back when mom had stayed up late.
It was near when I turned sixteen,
Got kicked out of school and so it seemed,
Things were closing in and ready to blow.
My dad moved out about that year or so.
It took an hour to start a punk rock band,
To upset my fucked up family land.
And as I held my mum would start to cry,
I swore ourselves, a better life

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine

The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for was come to past
From rock and roll, to love and cash
It's all success if it's what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine

Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie




The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)

Overall Meaning

The song 'Rite of Spring' by Angels & Airwaves is all about the journey of the singer who grows up to become a punk rocker defying his father's expectations. The song begins with the singer reminiscing about his early years being locked inside his house with the skateboard and the guitar. His father would question him about his academics, and he would retort by asking about his father's romantic conquests. When he came of age, he was kicked out of school, and his father moved out. That's when he started the punk rock band that would lead him away from his family's dysfunctional land. While holding his mother, he would swear to have a better life. The song goes on to talk about how he's content with his journey and wouldn't change a thing, as it's made him who he is on the inside. He's thankful for being alive and content with his little white lie, telling himself that the whole wide world belongs to him.


Line by Line Meaning

I was locked all day in the summer heat,
I spent the day inside a small suburban home, in the oppressive heat of summer.


In a small brown house in suburban streets
The house was situated on the streets of a typical suburban neighborhood.


With a skateboard and my s*** guitar,
I had only a skateboard and a bad guitar to keep me entertained.


I dreamed all day that they would get me far.
All day long, I daydreamed about achieving success and fame through my passions.


My dad would ask me about my grades,
My father was always concerned about my academic performance.


The a**hole sports that I never played.
He would also pester me about playing sports, which I had no interest in.


And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
In return, I would ask about the women he was seeing behind my mother's back.


Behind our back when mom had stayed up late.
These dates would occur when my mom had gone to bed.


It was near when I turned sixteen,
When I was almost sixteen years old,


Got kicked out of school and so it seemed,
I was expelled from school, and things started to look bleak.


Things were closing in and ready to blow.
I felt like things were getting worse and something was about to give.


My dad moved out about that year or so.
Around that time, my father moved out of our home.


It took an hour to start a punk rock band,
I quickly formed a punk rock band with some friends.


To upset my f***ed up family land.
This caused tension in my family, which was already dysfunctional.


And as I held my mum would start to cry,
As I comforted my mother, she began to cry.


I swore ourselves, a better life
I promised that we would have a better life someday.


If I had a chance for another try,
If I had the opportunity to go back in time,


I wouldn't change a thing
I wouldn't alter any of the events that led me to where I am now.


This made me all on who I am inside
My experiences have shaped me into the person I am today.


And if I could thank God
If I were to express gratitude towards a higher power,


That I am here, and that I am alive
It would be for the fact that I am alive and present in this moment of time.


And everyday I wake
Every morning that I wake up,


I tell myself a little harmless lie
I tell myself a small, insignificant lie


The whole wide world is mine
That I am in control of my life and the world around me.


The summers gone, the years have passed,
The summer has come and gone, and years have passed since my teenage years.


My friends have changed, a few did last,
Some of my friendships have endured, but many have faded away.


The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
My smallest aspirations were neglected, and put on the backburner.


The largest ones that changed my life,
My biggest dreams had a transformative impact on my life.


And all I wish for was come to past
All I ever wanted had come to fruition.


From rock and roll, to love and cash
Throughout my life, my motivations changed from wanting to make it big in music, to wanting love and money.


It's all success if it's what you need
Success can be measured by your own personal needs and desires.


Do what you like and do it honestly
Follow your passions and be true to yourself in everything you do.


Yo oh oh oh
A vocal interlude.


Yo oh oh
Another vocal interlude.


Yo oh oh oh
A further vocal interlude.


Yo oh oh
One final vocal interlude before the chorus.


The whole wide world is mine
The world belongs to me, or at least that's what I tell myself to keep going.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS DELONGE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Jay Bouchard

“I swore ourselves a better life”

“It’s made me all who I am inside”

“Do what you like and do it honestly”

These lines hit different

Be a decent person. An honorable person. A dependable person. A person that always does the right thing. Be an HONORABLE person. Be a person that spreads happiness

Happiness is what it’s all about in life if you think about it



Sangbawi Guite

Lyrics
I was locked all day in the summer heat,
In a small brown house in suburban streets
With a skateboard and my shit guitar,
I dreamed all day that they would get me far.
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The asshole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our back when mom had stayed up late.
It was near when I turned sixteen,
Got kicked out of school and so it seemed,
Things were closing in and ready to blow.
My dad moved out about that year or so.
It took an hour to start a punk rock band,
To upset my fucked up family land.
And as I held my mum would start to cry,
I swore ourselves, a better life

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine

The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for was come to past
From rock and roll, to love and cash
It's all success if it's what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine

Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)



Simone Ravo

Thank you Tom.

I was locked all day in the summer heat,
In a small brown house in suburban streets
With a skateboard and my shit guitar,
I dreamed all day that they would get me far.
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The asshole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our back when mom had stayed up late.
It was near when I turned sixteen,
Got kicked out of school and so it seemed,
Things were closing in and ready to blow.
My dad moved out about that year or so.
It took an hour to start a punk rock band,
To upset my fucked up family land.
And as I held my mum would start to cry,
I swore ourselves, a better life
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for was come to past
From rock and roll, to love and cash
It's all success if it's what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)



crntn96

I was locked all day in the summer heat,
In a small brown house in Suburban Street,
With a skateboard and my shit guitar,
I'd dream all day that they would get me far,
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The asshole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our backs when mom would stay up late.
It was near when I turned sixteen, 
Got kicked out of school, and so it seemed
that things were closing in and ready to blow,
My dad moved out about that year or so,
It took an hour to start a punk rock band
To offset my fucked up family land
And as I held my mom would start to cry
I swore ourselves a better life

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine

The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for has come to pass
From Rock N Roll, to love and cash
It’s all success if it’s what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine

Hey yo oh oh oh 
Hey yo oh oh 
Hey yo oh oh oh 
Hey yo oh oh 
Hey yo oh oh oh 
Hey yo oh oh 
Hey yo oh oh oh 
Hey yo oh oh 

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
[x2]



All comments from YouTube:

TRHenry Vlogs

He is literally singing about the things that started Blink, this is one awesome song. Thank you Tom.

Daniel gibeault

Hunter Henry that's so cool

thekardo444

it's the second part of Dick Lips of Blink 182

King Nomad

Such an amazing experience he has given us, and he keeps on giving❤️

D V

Yeha he said in a 2009-2010 interview this song is purely about blink

Roxxy

Yeah it's about him and Mark starting blink-182 after the divorce.

4 More Replies...

Walle Clyde

The chorus is very powerful because of how true it is to me. I had a rough life...Going through the foster care system at 2 weeks old. Getting diagnosed with Autism around 8 or 9. Suffering from depression throughout the last few years of HS. But I wouldn't change a thing, because of who I am today and all the people I wouldn't have met, most notably being my sister.

David Smith

Well done buddy ! You are the person you are for this !

pratham kamath

Hang in there bud, you're gonna rock!

Walle Clyde

@davidsmith8950  Thanks, man! I'm in a much better place than I was back then.🤘

More Comments

More Versions