I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth
Fall Out Boy Lyrics


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Joke me something awful just like kisses on the necks of "best friends"
We're the kids who feel like dead ends
And I want to be known for my hits, not just my misses

I took a shot and didn't even come close
At trust and love and hope
And the poets are just kids who didn't make it
And never had it at all

And the record won't stop skipping
And the lies just won't stop slipping
And besides my reputation's on the line
We can fake it for the airwaves
Force our smiles, baby, half dead
From comparing myself to everyone else around me

Please put the doctor on the phone 'cause I'm not making any sense
Blame everyone but me for this mess
And my back has been breaking from this heavy heart
We never seemed so far
I'm hopelessly hopeful, you're just hopeless enough
But we never had it at all

And the record won't stop skipping
And the lies just won't stop slipping
And besides my reputation's on the line
We can fake it for the airwaves
Force our smiles, baby, half dead
From comparing myself to everyone else around me
To everyone else around me




Everyone else around me
Everyone else around me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Fall Out Boy's song "I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth" convey themes of desperation, insecurity, and a desire for validation. The opening line, "Joke me something awful just like kisses on the necks of 'best friends'" suggests a sense of discomfort or betrayal, perhaps in a relationship. The next line, "We're the kids who feel like dead ends," reinforces a sense of stagnation and disappointment with life.


The chorus expresses frustration with the inability to succeed in love and trust, with the singer feeling like a failure compared to successful artists ("And the poets are just kids who didn't make it"). The constant repetition of the phrase "And the record won't stop skipping" highlights a sense of being stuck, feeling trapped by circumstances and unable to move forward. The line "Force our smiles, baby, half dead from comparing myself to everyone else around me" emphasizes the pressure to conform and be successful in the music industry.


Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the struggles of artistic and personal identity, and the difficulty of finding validation and success in a competitive world.


Line by Line Meaning

Joke me something awful just like kisses on the necks of "best friends"
Tell me something terrible that will hurt me, like the betrayal of two close friends.


We're the kids who feel like dead ends
We are the young people who feel like we are stuck in life, going nowhere.


And I want to be known for my hits, not just my misses
I aspire to be famous for my successes, not just my failures.


I took a shot and didn't even come close
I made an attempt, but it failed miserably.


At trust and love and hope
I tried to establish trust, love, and hope, but it didn't work out.


And the poets are just kids who didn't make it
The writers are just people who failed to achieve success.


And never had it at all
And they were never successful in the first place.


And the record won't stop skipping
The music playing is glitching and repeating.


And the lies just won't stop slipping
The deceitful words keep escaping and spreading.


And besides my reputation's on the line
Furthermore, my name and reputation are at stake.


We can fake it for the airwaves
We can pretend for the radio broadcast.


Force our smiles, baby, half dead
We put on fake smiles, even though we are feeling unhappy.


From comparing myself to everyone else around me
From constantly measuring myself against others.


Please put the doctor on the phone 'cause I'm not making any sense
I am so confused and irrational that I need to speak to a medical professional.


Blame everyone but me for this mess
Displace responsibility for this disaster on others and not myself.


And my back has been breaking from this heavy heart
My emotional burden has been so heavy that it causes my physical discomfort.


We never seemed so far
We have never felt so distant from each other.


I'm hopelessly hopeful, you're just hopeless enough
I have unrealistic aspirations, whereas you have given up completely.


To everyone else around me
To all those surrounding me.


Everyone else around me
All of the people nearby.


Everyone else around me
The people in my vicinity.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew John Hurley, Joseph Mark Trohman, Patrick Martin Stump, Peter Lewis Wentz

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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