The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
Dashboard Confessional Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself,
And covered with a perfect shell,
Such a charming beautiful exterior.
Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes
And perfect makeup but you're barely scraping by,
But you're barely scraping by.

This is one time
That you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone or anyone at all.
And the grave that you refuse to leave
The refuge that you've built to flee
The places you have come to fear the most,
Is the places you have come to fear the most.

Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself,
And hidden in the public eye.
Such a stellar monument to loneliness.
Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes
And perfect makeup but you're barely scraping by, but you're barely scraping by.

This is one time
That you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone or anyone at all.
And the grave that you refuse to leave
The refuge that you've built to flee




The places you have come to fear the most,
Is the places you have come to fear the most.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dashboard Confessional's song "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most" explore the theme of inner turmoil and the facade that some people put on to hide their struggles. The singer describes this internal turmoil as buried deep inside oneself and covered with a perfect shell. This "charming beautiful exterior" is merely a facade, behind which the singer is barely scraping by. The use of "laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes and perfect makeup" emphasizes the extent to which the singer has to pretend in order to hide their pain.


The song's chorus highlights the singer's struggle to keep up their facade. It is one of the few moments in which they concede that they cannot fake it hard enough to please anyone or everyone. The places the singer has come to fear the most are the ones they created as a refuge from the difficulties they experience in their life. The singer refers to these places as a "grave" and a "monument to loneliness." This speaks to the extent to which the singer's struggles have taken over their life.


Overall, "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most" explores the dichotomy between the inner and the outer self. The singer hides their struggles behind a facade of perfection, but this facade is ultimately unsustainable. The places they built to escape their struggles end up being the places they come to fear the most.


Line by Line Meaning

Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself,
You have hidden your true emotions and thoughts away from others, burying them deep inside yourself.


And covered with a perfect shell,
You have built a flawless exterior, masking your true feelings and insecurities.


Such a charming beautiful exterior.
This facade you have created is so strikingly attractive and captivating.


Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes
You cover up your pain and sadness with fake but convincing smiles and bright eyes.


And perfect makeup but you're barely scraping by,
Despite your impeccable appearance, you're struggling internally and just getting by.


But you're barely scraping by.
You're barely holding on, despite your attempts to hide it from others.


This is one time
There comes a point when


That you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone or anyone at all.
You can no longer pretend to be okay and make others happy, as it's draining and impossible to keep up.


And the grave that you refuse to leave
The comfort zone that you refuse to depart from


The refuge that you've built to flee
The safe haven you've constructed as a way to escape from your fears and troubles


The places you have come to fear the most,
These locations or situations are the ones that hold the most fear and anxiety for you.


Is the places you have come to fear the most.
These places, despite being the ones you fear, are also the ones that feel the most secure and familiar to you.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANDREW CARRABBA

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
Comments from YouTube:

Alex Rush

Dashboard helped me get through my young adulthood.
But then, I listen to this song years later, and it means more to me than ever. I love it

Free Range

Same here...

Purple Pepper

I want to give this song a hug and tell it that it's gonna be okay

Colton Casey

This song is an all time classic

jacobtb1

damn... I havent heard this song in like over a decade. I miss those days...

Noelle Rodriguez

holy shit this was my teen years. i still love u guys

Purple Pepper

With Bojack Horseman just finished, this song feels a lot like it's talking about him

Kal Vin

Oh the memories 💔🎶

Joe Caponi

2004 my senior year of high school memories right here!! Kids in this era don’t know what real music is!

Blake Stormcrow

@beanwife this song was during one of my strongest emo/life challenging times. Anyone who listens to it, surely understands "real music" (as it applies to their temporary life experiences) 😋

More Comments

More Versions