Background and development
Finneas wrote and produced "What They'll Say About Us". It was inspired by the spark of Black Lives Matter protests after racial inequality in the United States and the death of Canadian actor Nick Cordero, who died at the age of 41 from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Finneas wrote the track in June 2020 while in quarantine. In an interview over Zoom with The Wall Street Journal, he said: "I wrote this song in June after spending the day at a protest in Downtown LA, filled with hope with the prospect that millions of people were coming together from all over the world to fight against institutionalized racism and inequality". He further stated: "The other component of the song was [that] I was very closely following Nick Cordero's story on Instagram, via his wife [Amanda Kloots], and Nick and his wife were not people I'd ever met. I don't know them at all. I saw the headlines about his health, just like everybody else did. I just became incredibly attached to this family that I’d never met before. I kind of wrote this song as if you were singing to your loved one who was in a hospital bed while the world was protesting outside. I did make a point to keep the song fairly ambiguous because I know everybody's sort of going through different circumstances of the same things right now".
Composition and lyrics
"What They'll Say About Us" begins "calmly and reassuringly": "You're tired now, lay down/I'll be waiting to give you the good news/It might take patience/And when you wake up, it won't be over/So don't you give up". However, as the beat and other instruments begin to arrive, the soundstage changes to be hazy. John Pareles, writing for The New York Times, says it "mortality begins to haunt the song, all the way to a devastating last line", noting the lyrics, "It might take patience/And if you don't wake up/I'll know you tried to/I wish you could see him/He looks just like you".
Reception
In a review for DIY magazine, the staff labeled "What They'll Say About Us" as "poignant" and an "ode to human strength". Writing for Billboard magazine, Jason Lipshutz said while the production on the track is "effectively restrained", people should credit Finneas for going "full-on showstopper when he draws out the line, 'We've got the time to take the world / And make it better than it ever was'". Emily Tan of Spin magazine described the track as a song that "aims to offer comfort to those who have lost someone due to Covid-19".
Music video
A music video for "What They'll Say About Us" was released to Finneas' YouTube channel on September 2, 2020. The video was directed by Sam Bennett and shot in one take. In the visual, lights and rain swirl around Finneas as he sings and offers comfort to people who have lost someone they love from COVID-19. Spin's Emily Yan described the visual as "simple" and "intimate".
What They'll Say About Us
FINNEAS Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be waitin'
To give you the good news
It might take patience
And when you wake up
It won't be over
So don't you give up
And make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
If I say a cliche
It's 'cause I mean it
We can't walk away
We gotta get in between it
And when you wake up
We'll grow together
So don't you give up
We've got the time to take the world
And make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
I never said it would be easy
I'm never givin' up, believe me
I used to think the pain would fade
But it never does
You're tired now, lie down
I'll be waitin'
To give you the good news
It might take patience
And if you don't wake up
I'll know you tried to
I wish you could see him
He looks just like you
In What They'll Say About Us, FINNEAS reflects on the current state of the world in 2020, acknowledging that it's a tough time for many people. The song starts with the idea of taking a break from the chaos and encourages someone who is tired to lie down and rest while they wait for the good news. In the chorus, he tells us that despite the challenges we face, we've got the time to make the world a better place than it ever was. He emphasizes that this is what the world will remember about us, that we took the time to make things better.
Throughout the song, FINNEAS acknowledges that it's not going to be easy, but he's not giving up. He tells us that he's always believed that the pain would fade, but it never does. In the bridge, he adds that we can't walk away from the world's problems. Instead, we need to get in-between them and try to make a difference. FINNEAS tries to inspire people with this song, suggesting that even though it might seem like the world is falling apart, we can still make an impact in our own way. Overall, the song is a message of hope and a call to action that encourages us to keep on fighting.
Line by Line Meaning
You're tired now, lie down
Relax and take a rest
I'll be waitin'
I'll always be there for you
To give you the good news
To give you hope and optimism
It might take patience
We need to wait and persevere
And when you wake up
After a good night's sleep
It won't be over
The struggles will continue
So don't you give up
Stay strong and don't lose hope
We've got the time to take the world
We have the ability to achieve greatness
And make it better than it ever was
We can improve the world
That's what they'll say about us
Our legacy will be positive change
If I say a cliche
If my words are predictable or overused
It's 'cause I mean it
I truly believe in what I'm saying
We can't walk away
We must face our challenges head on
We gotta get in between it
We need to be proactive in finding solutions
And when you wake up
After a good night's sleep
We'll grow together
We will progress and develop as a team
So don't you give up
Stay strong and don't lose hope
I never said it would be easy
I know that this journey will be difficult
I'm never givin' up, believe me
I will persevere through any obstacle
I used to think the pain would fade
I once believed that things would get easier
But it never does
But the struggle continues
And if you don't wake up
In the event that you pass away
I'll know you tried to
I know that you gave it your all
I wish you could see him
I want you to see my new child
He looks just like you
He resembles you in many ways
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Finneas O'Connell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nocomment...3143
Verse 1
You're tired now lie down
I'll be waitin'
To give you the good news
It might take patience
Bridge
And when you wake up
It won't be over
So don't you give up
Chorus
We've got the time to take the world and make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
Verse 2
If I say a cliche
It's cause I mean it
We can't walk away
We gotta get in between it
Bridge
And when you wake up
We'll grow together
So don't you give up
Chorus
We've got the time to take the world and make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
Verse 3
I never said it would be easy
I'm never giving up, believe me
I used to think the pain would fade, but it never does
Outro
You're tired now lie down
I'll be waitin'
To give you the good news
It might take patience
And if you don't wake up
I'll know you tried to
I wish you could see him
He looks just like you
>I Know someone else comented the lyrics but my OCD kicked off on how they structured it so I had to fix it UwU <3 <3 <3
@dieterbanaag7768
Hello. Thank u so much for this but I think it should be labelled like this,
Verse 1
You're tired now, lie down
I'll be waiting to give you the good news
It might take patience
And when you wake up it won't be over
So don't you give up
Chorus
We've got the time to take the world
And make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
Verse2
If I say a cliché, it's 'cause I mean it
We can't walk away, we gotta get in between it
But when you wake up, we'll grow together
So don't you give up
Chorus
We've got the time to take the world
And make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
BRIDGE
I never said it would be easy
I'm never givin' up, believe me
I used to think the pain would fade, but it never does
Outdo
You're tired now, lie down
I'll be waiting to give you the good news
It might take patience
And if you don't wake up
I'll know you tried to
I wish you could see him
He looks just like you
@MitchellZia
You're tired now, lie down
I'll be waitin' to give you the good news
It might take patience
And when you wake up, it won't be over
So don't you give up
We've got the time to take the world
And make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
If I say a cliche, it's 'cause I mean it
We can't walk away, we gotta get in between it
And when you wake up, we'll grow together
So don't you give up
We've got the time to take the world
And make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
I never said it would be easy
I'm never giving up, believe me
I used to think the pain would fade, but it never does
You're tired now, lie down
I'll be waitin' to give you the good news
It might take patience
And if you don't wake up
I'll know you tried to
I wish you could see him
He looks just like you
@emiliacsuk4076
@@dimitrioskoutsoumpakidis839
This song was inspired by the BLM protests and also by Nick Cordero and Amanda Kloots. Nick Cordero died July 5th of complications from Covid-19. He was a healthy 41 year old broadway actor with no underlying health issues. He battled the virus for 95 days, but ultimately it got the best of him. The ending of the song..when he says
“And if you..don’t wake up
I’ll know you tried to
I wish you could see him
He looks just like you”
They have a son together. His name is Elvis..and he does look like his dad. It’s really sad. It sucks.
@proprioio8492
Lyrics
You're tired now, lie down
I'll be waiting to give you the good news
It might take patience
And when you wake up, it won't be over
So don't you give up
We've got the time to take the world
And make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
If I say a Cliché, it's cause I mean it
We can't walk away, we gotta get in between it
And when you wake up, well grow together
So don't you give up
We've got the time to take the world
And make it better than it ever was
That's what they'll say about us
I never said it would be easy
I'm never giving up, believe me
I used to think the pain would fade, but it never does
You're tired now, lie down
I'll be waitin' to give you the good news
It might take patience
And if you don't wake up
I'll know you tried to
I wish you could see him
He look just like you
@MadNetwork
"We didn't realize we were making memories, we were just having fun." - Winnie the Pooh
@batoolabuhlaiqa2052
like wanna keep it 111
@lesly5836
How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard
@ineedacase3483
He liked omg 😳😳
@MagdaSanchezoficial
So right!!!❤️😊
@terencemusicsteelpan3311
Billie and Finneas 🎶❤️😍💚https://youtu.be/tmm63g0XUys
@xairuzbarrientos7731
he even takes showers in his suit
@pancheetoz4647
He liked!!! Congrats (⌐■_■)
@abigkid2236
Omg he liked it
@xairuzbarrientos7731
@@pancheetoz4647 thank uu <33