Hand Me Downs
Audio Learning Center Lyrics

Hand me downs
Inherited traits or behaviors from someone else.

All the things I hate in you
Negative qualities or actions of the person being addressed.

I recently found
A realization that just occurred.

In me
Within oneself.

I always promised myself
A vow made to oneself.

That I'd never be.
To avoid becoming like the person being addressed.

Caught your eye
To have gained the attention of the person being addressed.

Recognize the loneliness
Realization of a feeling of loneliness within oneself.

That you try and hide
A hidden emotion that the person being addressed tries to conceal.

I know
Assurance of the artist's understanding.

Even though he's right there
The presence of someone else does not dissuade feelings of loneliness.

You still feel alone
A continued sense of loneliness despite being around others.

I remember
Recollection of an event in the past.

I still remember those days
Vivid memories of a time long gone.

Wounds heal to scars
Physical injuries or emotional traumas can eventually lose their initial impact.

And smother the pain
To cover or hide the discomfort.

Now you can't feel a thing
Numbness to a situation or feeling that once caused pain.

It's too hard to
The difficulty in facing a particular thing.

See the worst parts of myself
Negative parts of oneself that they don't want to acknowledge.

Reflected in you
Recognizing similar negative qualities in the person being addressed.

I'd hoped that it would be something I
An expectation or desire that the artist had.

Could one day outgrow
To eventually move past or change from negative traits.

Down again
Feeling defeated or overwhelmed again.

Everything just bottles up
Internalizing emotions or struggles instead of addressing them.

And when you pretend
Hiding one's true feelings or emotions from others.

December
A specific month that holds significance to the singer.

I still remember that day
A particularly emotional or significant event from the past.

So cold
A description of the physical environment or emotional state.

Wounds healed to scars
A repetition of the idea that injuries or traumas can transition from pain to a dull ache.

You got so old
A realization that time has passed and the person has aged.

I hope I never get old
A desire to never age or become like the person being addressed.

I always wanted to believe
A long-held belief or hope.

That I'd be stronger than you were
To surpass or be better than the person being addressed in some way.

Burying everything underneath
To hide or ignore negative emotions or problems.

Hate the way
A strong dislike or negative feeling towards something.

Hate the way you'll always be
A feeling of negativity towards the person being addressed and their negative qualities.

Part of Me
The recognition that some negative qualities in the person being addressed are also present within oneself.