Paranoid
Dylan Rockoff Lyrics

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I'm gonna talk
And you're gonna listen

Until I find the perfect words
'Cause I had 'em, and I lost them
So I'll have a smoke
And you know I'll be drinking
I'll strip off my clothes

Naked to the bone
Let you take my pulse
Just to let you know
That I am human and the earth is holding me down
But is it the sun?
Is it the moon?
Or is it the ground?

Oooh

When I was a child, I never paid no attention
But now that I'm grown, I've been tossing stones, I'm walking alone
And I don't even know what I'm out here searching for
If there ever is a reason to be paranoid

If the lessons that you learned, and all the books that you've been reading have been written by the people that control what to believe in

Are you paranoid?
Tell me, are you paranoid?
Are you paranoid?
Are you paranoid?

So now I walk
My mindset is different

Protect the weak
Question the strong
Never answer to the ignorant

Lay down the smokes
And let the world sink in

For all that you know
And all that you don't
You're not here alone
'Cause you don't even know what you're out here searching for
If there's any other reason to be paranoid

If the lessons that you learned, and all the books that you've been reading have been written by the people that control what to believe in

Are you paranoid?
Tell me, are you paranoid?
Are you paranoid?
Tell me, are you paranoid?

Are you paranoid?
Are you paranoid?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dylan Rockoff's song, "Paranoid," illustrate the struggles of the singer with finding the right words to convey their emotions. They reveal that even though the singer had the perfect words at one point, they lost them and now need to find them again. The singer speaks about their vulnerability by stripping their clothes and letting people take their pulse. They feel like Earth is holding them down and wonders if it's the sun, moon, or ground that's responsible for it.

Further, the singer reflects on their childhood and their growth into an adult. They feel like they're now walking alone and out searching for something. The singer questions the lessons they learned and the books they've read if they were written by the people who control what to believe in. They suggest that people may be paranoid without even realizing it.

In the end, the singer decides to change their mindset, protect the weak, and question the strong. The singer also talks about laying down the smokes and letting the world sink in to understand what they know and don't know. The song suggests that there may be a reason to be paranoid, and the singer leaves it up to the audience to decide if they are paranoid or not.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm gonna talk
I'm going to speak

And you're gonna listen
And you're going to hear me

Until I find the perfect words
Until I find the exact words I want to say

'Cause I had 'em, and I lost them
Because I previously had the perfect words, but I am currently unable to recall them

So I'll have a smoke
So I will smoke a cigarette

And you know I'll be drinking
And you know I will be consuming alcohol

I'll strip off my clothes
I will remove my clothing

Naked to the bone
Completely nude

Let you take my pulse
I will allow you to check my heartbeat

Just to let you know
To inform you

That I am human and the earth is holding me down
That I am a mortal being and being confined to the earth is limiting

But is it the sun?
But is it the sun that is holding me down?

Is it the moon?
Or is it the moon that is holding me down?

Or is it the ground?
Or is it the ground that is holding me down?

When I was a child, I never paid no attention
When I was young, I did not pay much attention to my surroundings

But now that I'm grown, I've been tossing stones, I'm walking alone
But now that I am an adult, I find myself aimlessly wandering and causing trouble

And I don't even know what I'm out here searching for
And I do not know what I am looking for

If there ever is a reason to be paranoid
If there is ever a valid reason to be excessively cautious

If the lessons that you learned, and all the books that you've been reading have been written by the people that control what to believe in
If the knowledge you have acquired and the literature you have read is controlled by those who dictate what should be believed in

Are you paranoid?
Are you excessively cautious?

Tell me, are you paranoid?
Please inform me, are you excessively cautious?

So now I walk
So now I travel

My mindset is different
My perspective has changed

Protect the weak
Defend those who are vulnerable

Question the strong
Interrogate those who hold power

Never answer to the ignorant
Do not allow those who lack knowledge or understanding to sway you

Lay down the smokes
Stop smoking cigarettes

And let the world sink in
And try to comprehend the world around you

For all that you know
Considering everything that you are aware of

And all that you don't
As well as everything that you are not aware of

You're not here alone
You are not on this earth by yourself