This is a reference to the stereotype of people who often move to Hollywood with aspirations of “making it” as an actor or musician, but end up working jobs like being a waiter to make ends meet, yet still refer to themselves as all of those things when they aren’t yet “professional”.
A joke that went around the fanbase prior to the confirmation of the song title was that it stood for ‘Wentz Ate My Sideburns’, referring to vocalist Patrick Stump ditching his signature sideburns after the release of Folie À Deux.
w.a.m.s.
Fall Out Boy Lyrics
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Stuck in the box
Of an old ones head
When all the others were just stirring awake
I'm trying to trick myself to fall asleep again
Whoa
My head's in heaven
Let's meet in the purgatory of my hips and get well
Hurry, hurry
You put my head in such a flurry, flurry
What makes you so special?
What makes you so special?
I'm gonna leave you
I'm gonna teach you
How we're all alone
(How we're all alone, how we're all alone)
Give me, build me
It's your club, so let me in (let me in) oh
Knowing how heartwarming
It is inside your skin
My head's in heaven
My soles are in hell
Let's meet in the purgatory of my hips and get well
Hurry, hurry
You put my head in such a flurry, flurry
What makes you so special?
What makes you so special?
I'm gonna leave you
I'm gonna teach you
How we're all alone
(How we're all alone, how we're all alone)
Oh, oh
(Oh, oh)
(Oh, oh)
(Oh, oh)
(Oh, oh)
(Oh, oh)
(Oh, oh)
Hurry, hurry
You put my head in such a flurry, flurry
What makes you so special?
What makes you so special?
I'm gonna leave you
I'm gonna teach you
How we're all alone
(How we're all alone, how we're all alone)
Oh, oh
Hmm, hmm,
Baby, if you don't take your medication
We won't sleep for days
We won't sleep for days
And Mama, when we pray to the Lord
Doesn't sit or stay
Doesn't sit or stay
We waste it all in the back of a long dark car
And I'm sunshine machine
Uh, I want to get stuck, uh
I want to get stuck
And be
In your memories.
Hmm, oh
The lyrics to Fall Out Boy's song w.a.m.s are complex and open to interpretation. The song is about feeling trapped in someone else's mind and trying to escape. The first line, "I'm a young one, stuck in the box of an old one's head," suggests that the singer is in a relationship with an older person who is controlling and overbearing. They feel like they are being suffocated and are struggling to find a way out. The second line, "When all the others were just stirring awake, I'm trying to trick myself to fall asleep again," suggests that everyone else around them is waking up to the reality of their situation, but they are still trying to deny it and escape into sleep.
The chorus, "My head's in heaven, my soles are in hell, let's meet in the purgatory of my hips and get well," suggests that the singer is torn between the pleasure they feel in their physical relationship with this person and the pain they feel emotionally. They are hoping that by coming together physically, they can heal their emotional wounds. However, in the end, they know that they need to leave this person and teach them how to be alone.
The bridge, "Baby, if you don't take your medication, we won't sleep for days" suggests that the singer's partner may have a mental illness that is affecting their relationship. The line "And Mama, when we pray to the Lord, doesn't sit or stay" suggests that their partner's faith may also be in question. The final line, "We waste it all in the back of a long dark car and I'm sunshine machine," suggests that the singer is trying to find joy in the darkness of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a young one
I feel young and inexperienced
Stuck in the box
Feeling trapped in someone else's mind
Of an old ones head
Being confined within an older person's way of thinking
When all the others were just stirring awake
Feeling out of sync with the world around me
I'm trying to trick myself to fall asleep again
Attempting to tune out the noise and chaos of everyday life
My head's in heaven
Experiencing euphoria
My soles are in hell
Feeling overwhelmed and distressed by difficult situations
Let's meet in the purgatory of my hips and get well
Suggesting a physical connection to alleviate emotional distress
Hurry, hurry
Feeling a sense of urgency
You put my head in such a flurry, flurry
Feeling overwhelmed by someone's presence or actions
What makes you so special?
Questioning why someone holds such power over me
I'm gonna leave you
Expressing a desire to break away from this situation
I'm gonna teach you
Wanting to share my experience with someone else
How we're all alone
Reflecting on the universal feeling of loneliness
Give me, build me
Asking for someone to provide me support and guidance
It's your club, so let me in (let me in) oh
Asking to be a part of someone else's world
Knowing how heartwarming
Understanding the comfort and safety someone else can provide
It is inside your skin
Feeling drawn to someone else's physical and emotional presence
Baby, if you don't take your medication
Implying that the other person may be unstable or unpredictable
We won't sleep for days
Anticipating a prolonged period of stress and chaos
And Mama, when we pray to the Lord
Invoking a maternal or nurturing figure
Doesn't sit or stay
Feeling let down by an expected source of stability
We waste it all in the back of a long dark car
Spending time in a place of confinement or darkness
And I'm sunshine machine
Being a source of positivity and light in a dark place
Uh, I want to get stuck, uh
Desiring a deep and meaningful connection with someone else
And be
Wanting to exist in tandem with another person
In your memories.
Striving to make a lasting impact on someone else
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER WENTZ, PATRICK STUMP, JOSEPH TROHMAN, ANDREW HURLEY, PHARRELL WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind