Go back
D. Ceats Lyrics

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KATE MONSTER
I wish I could go back to college.
Life was so simple back then.

NICKY
What would I give to go back and live
in a dorm with a meal plan again!

PRINCETON
I wish I could go back to college.
In college you know who you are.
You sit in the quad
and think, "Oh my God!
I am totally gonna go far!"

ALL
How do I go back to college?
I don't know who I am anymore!

PRINCETON
I want to go back to my room and find
a message in dry-erase pen on the door!
Ohhh...
I wish I could just drop a class...

NICKY
Or get into a play...

KATE MONSTER
Or change my major...

PRINCETON
Or fuck my T.A.

ALL
I need an academic advisor to point the way!
We could be...

Sitting in the computer lab,
4 a.m. before the final paper is due,
cursing the world 'cause I didn't start sooner,
and seeing the rest of the class there, too!

PRINCETON
I wish I could go back to college!

ALL
How do I go back to college?!
Ahhhhhhh....

PRINCETON
I wish I had taken more pictures.

NICKY
But if I were to go back to college,
think what a loser I'd be --
I'd walk through the quad, and think
"Oh my God..."

ALL
"These kids are so much younger than me."

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to D. Ceats's song "Go Back" reveal a sense of longing, nostalgia, and frustration with adulthood. The first character to sing, Kate Monster, wishes for the simpler days of college life, where everything seemed to make sense and the future held so much promise. Her sentiment is echoed by Nicky, who misses the structure of dorm life and having a meal plan. Then there is Princeton, who longs to return to a period in his life when he felt confident about his identity and had a clear sense of direction. All of the characters seem to be feeling disconnected and uncertain about their roles in the world as adults.

The chorus of the song, which consists of the characters asking "How do I go back to college?" underscores this confusion and yearning. The lines that follow reveal specific things that the characters miss about college life, such as hanging out in the computer lab with other students, procrastinating before a major deadline, and even the little things like finding a message on their bedroom door written in dry-erase pen. The song concludes with an admission of fear - if the characters were to return to college, they worry that they would feel out-of-place and disconnected from the younger students.

Overall, "Go Back" is a bittersweet reflection on the nature of growing up and leaving college life behind. It speaks to the universal experience of nostalgia for a simpler time, but also to the fear and uncertainty that come with transitioning into adulthood.

Line by Line Meaning

I wish I could go back to college.
I yearn to return to the days when I first started college.

Life was so simple back then.
The college life was uncomplicated and easy to manage in comparison to my present.

What would I give to go back and live in a dorm with a meal plan again!
I long to return to dorm life where food and other essential amenities were readily available.

In college you know who you are.
College life gives you a clear idea of who you are and what you want in life.

You sit in the quad and think, "Oh my God! I am totally gonna go far!"
As I sit in the quad, I am inspired and motivated to achieve great things.

How do I go back to college? I don't know who I am anymore!
I am utterly confused about my identity and how to go back to my college self.

I want to go back to my room and find a message in dry-erase pen on the door!
Returning to the times when I receive messages on my hostel door in dry-erase pen is something I crave.

I wish I could just drop a class...
The luxury of dropping a class is something I fancy at this point.

Or get into a play...
I would love to be involved in the college play scene again.

Or change my major...
I wish to go back to my college days when I had the flexibility to change my major as I please.

Or fuck my T.A.
I miss the freedom that comes with college life, including having a relationship with my T.A.

We could be... Sitting in the computer lab, 4 a.m. before the final paper is due, cursing the world 'cause I didn't start sooner, and seeing the rest of the class there, too!
Late-night studies at the computer lab with peers is the kind of community I miss and wish to return to.

Ahhhhhhh.... I wish I had taken more pictures.
One regret I have from college is not having enough pictures to remember the good times.

But if I were to go back to college, think what a loser I'd be -- I'd walk through the quad, and think "Oh my God..." "These kids are so much younger than me."
The realization that returning back to college would make me feel like a loser because I am older than the students around me.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROBERT LOPEZ, JEFF MARX

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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