The song also features themes of secrecy and scandal. The speaker resorts to hotel rooms to carry out his affairs. “Loose lips sink ships” is colloquialism started during wartime that warned against spilling strategic secrets. Furthermore, the bridge of the song indicates the speaker lustfully watches someone through a keyhole.
The song also touches on Biblical morality – a subject that is occasionally visited by the band. The speaker notices a Gideon Bible placed in the hotel drawer and briefly questions his actions before ignoring an object that would “never call [him] when [he’s] down”. This emphasizes the speaker’s apathetic worldview.
XO
Fall Out Boy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My mouth moves too fast for you to figure it out
It starts eyes closed to fingers crossed
To "I swear, I say"
To "I swear, I say"
To hands between legs, to "whatever it takes"
To drinks at the club, to the bar
To hotel stairs, to the emergency exit door
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
Between the pages of the Bible in the drawer
"What did it ever do for me?", I say
It never calls me when I'm down
Love never wanted me, but I took it, anyway
Put your ear to the speaker and choose love or sympathy
But never both, love never wanted me
"I hoped you choked and crashed your car"
Hey "tear catcher", that's all that you are
And ever were from the start
I swear, I say
I swear, I say
To hands between legs, to "whatever it takes"
To drinks at the club, to the bar
To the keys to your car
To hotel stairs, to the emergency exit door
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
Between the pages of the Bible in the drawer
"What did it ever do for me?", I say
It never calls me when I'm down
Love never wanted me, but I took it, anyway
Put your ear to the speaker and choose love or sympathy
But never both, no
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
Through the keyhole as I watched you dress
Kiss and tell
Loose lips sink ships
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
Through the keyhole as I watched you dress
Kiss and tell
Loose lips sink ships
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
Through the keyholes as I watched you dress
Kiss and tell
Loose lips sink ships
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
Between the pages of the Bible in the drawer
"What did it ever do for me?", I say
The lyrics to Fall Out Boy’s song XO tell a story of a tumultuous and toxic relationship. The singer is on the hunt for love but has a self-destructive streak that inevitably drives them away from happiness. They start by searching through a crowd, and when they find someone they’re interested in, they move too quickly for them to keep up. From there, they progress to physical intimacy and substance abuse, all the while feeling like they’re undeserving of love. They’re left feeling jaded and resentful.
The line, “To the ‘love,’ I left my conscience pressed, between the pages of the Bible in the drawer, ‘what did it ever do for me?’ I say,” is particularly interesting. The singer is essentially saying that they don’t need morality or religion interfering in their quest for love – they’re willing to do whatever it takes, even if it’s not ethically sound. This highlights the character’s self-destructive tendencies and lack of self-worth, as well as their tendency to seek out unhealthy relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I comb the crowd and pick you out
I search through the crowd to find you and choose you
My mouth moves too fast for you to figure it out
I speak too quickly for you to understand
It starts eyes closed to fingers crossed
It begins with hope and anticipation
To "I swear, I say"
To my promise and my words
To hands between legs, to "whatever it takes"
To doing whatever it takes physically
To drinks at the club, to the bar
To partying and drinking
To the keys to your car
To using your car to get away
To hotel stairs, to the emergency exit door
To sneaking around and being secretive
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
Between the pages of the Bible in the drawer
To the love that I sacrificed my morals for
"What did it ever do for me?", I say
I question the value of my conscience
It never calls me when I'm down
My love doesn't comfort me in tough times
Love never wanted me, but I took it, anyway
I pursue love even when it doesn't want me back
Put your ear to the speaker and choose love or sympathy
But never both, love never wanted me
You have to choose between my love or my sympathy, but you can't have both
"I hoped you choked and crashed your car"
I wished harm upon you
Hey "tear catcher", that's all that you are
And ever were from the start
You are someone who only collects tears and nothing more
To the "love", I left my conscience pressed
Through the keyhole as I watched you dress
To love that I observed from afar and didn't act morally with
Kiss and tell
Loose lips sink ships
Talking about intimate moments can cause harm
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