The song appeared in The Simpsons episode "A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again."
"Boy from School" charted for two weeks on the UK Singles Top 75 chart, peaking at position #40.
Boy From School
Hot Chip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Helplessly helping all the rules
And there was a boy at school
Hopelessly wrestling all his fools
And there was a girl at school
Blaming all the words she learned from home
Nothing would keep her a child
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
Now I meet you on the street
Harmlessly breaking rules we meet
Lives are found and love's are lost
Say goodbye to nothing everything caused
Now I find you on the street
Breaking rules hopelessly we meet
Lives are found but love's are lost
Say goodbye to everything, nothing caused
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
I got, I got lost
You said this was the way back
I got, I got lost
You said this was the way back
I got, I got lost
You said this was the way back
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
The lyrics of Hot Chip's "Boy From School" are a reflection on growing up and the ways in which childhood experiences shape our adult lives. The song describes a boy who follows the rules and a girl who struggles with the words she's learned from home. The chorus suggests that despite their efforts to connect with their peers, they were unsuccessful in fitting in.
The first verse describes the singer, who is obediently following the rules but is also powerless to change them. The second verse describes a girl who is dealing with the difficulties of growing up and the expectations she is encountering from her family. The chorus returns to a sense of helplessness, with the repeated refrain "We try but we don't belong" suggesting that despite their best efforts, the characters feel alienated and disconnected from their surroundings.
In the final verse, we hear about how the boy and girl have grown up and now reconvene on the street. They are "harmlessly" breaking rules, perhaps indicating that they have a newfound sense of agency and freedom. However, the repetition of "lives are found but love's are lost" suggests that their connection is bittersweet and may not endure. The final lines of the song describe the feeling of being lost and searching for a way back, conveying a sense of disorientation and uncertainty.
Overall, "Boy From School" is a poignant reflection on the experience of growing up and the ways in which our childhood experiences continue to shape us as adults. It captures a sense of nostalgia and loss, but also hints at the possibility of finding connections despite the difficulties that life can present.
Line by Line Meaning
And I was a boy from school
I was just a student at a school.
Helplessly helping all the rules
I followed all the rules without any resistance.
And there was a boy at school
There was another boy at the same school I attended.
Hopelessly wrestling all his fools
He was struggling with the foolish people around him.
And there was a girl at school
There was also a girl at school.
Blaming all the words she learned from home
She attributed her negative behavior to the words she learned at home.
Nothing would keep her a child
She didn't want to remain a child anymore.
Long hours don't you know we try
We put in a lot of effort, but it was all for nothing.
We try but we didn't have long
We attempted to change our situation, but it didn't last long.
We try but we don't belong
Despite trying, we didn't fit in.
Now I meet you on the street
Now we bump into each other on the street.
Harmlessly breaking rules we meet
We now meet as rule-breakers, but it doesn't cause harm.
Lives are found and love's are lost
People find themselves and lose love in the process of living.
Say goodbye to nothing everything caused
We end up saying goodbye to everything, even things that weren't our fault.
Now I find you on the street
Now I come across you on the street again.
Breaking rules hopelessly we meet
We meet while breaking rules we feel hopeless about.
Lives are found but love's are lost
People still find themselves, but they continue to lose love.
Say goodbye to everything, nothing caused
We say goodbye to everything, even things we had no control over.
I got, I got lost
I lost my way.
You said this was the way back
You assured me that this was the route back to where we started.
We try but we don't belong
Despite our efforts, we don't feel like we fit in.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alexis Benjamin Taylor, Joseph Goddard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cath Erine
And I was a boy from school
Helplessly helping all the rules
And there was a boy at school
Hopelessly wrestling all his fools
And there was a girl at school
Blaming all the words she learned from home
Nothing could keep her a child
Long hours don't you know we try
[Hook]
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
[Verse 2]
Now I met you on the street
Heartlessly breaking rules, we meet
Lives are found and loves are lost
Say goodbye to nothing everything caused
[Hook]
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
[Bridge]
I got, I got lost
(You said this was the way back)
I got, I got lost
(You said this was the way back)
I got, I got lost
(You said this was the way back)
Biel Delgado
Letra en español
Y yo era un chico de la escuela
Ayudando impotente a todas las reglas
Y había un chico en la escuela
Luchando desesperadamente a todos sus tontos
Y había una chica en la escuela
Culpar a todas las palabras que aprendió de casa
Nada podría mantenerla como una niña
Largas horas, ¿no sabes que lo intentamos?
Lo intentamos, pero no tuvimos mucho tiempo
Lo intentamos, pero no pertenecemos
Lo intentamos, pero no tuvimos mucho tiempo
Lo intentamos, pero no pertenecemos
Ahora te conocí en la calle
Rompiendo sin corazón las reglas que encontramos
Se encuentran vidas y se pierden vidas
Di adiós a nada que cueste todo
Ahora te encuentro en la calle
Rompiendo reglas irremediablemente nos encontramos
Los amores se encuentran y los amores se pierden
Despídete de todo, nada cuesta
Lo intentamos, pero no tuvimos mucho tiempo
Lo intentamos, pero no pertenecemos
Lo intentamos, pero no tuvimos mucho tiempo
Lo intentamos, pero no pertenecemos
Tengo tengo me perdí
Dijiste que este era el camino de regreso
Tengo tengo me perdí
Dijiste que este era el camino de regreso
Tengo tengo me perdí
Dijiste que este era el camino de regreso
Lo intentamos, pero no tuvimos mucho tiempo
Lo intentamos, pero no pertenecemos
Lo intentamos, pero no tuvimos mucho tiempo
Lo intentamos, pero no pertenecemos
Seth Gavriel Adventure!
How does this song only have 192k views???? This is one of the coolest songs ever! I used to play this on my way to work everyday summer ‘07!
lavinder11
It was uploaded over 10 years after its release
Seth Gavriel Adventure!
@lavinder11 ahh that makes sense now. Thanks!
Random Guy
@lavinder11 actually it was uploaded since 2012 or so but the original video got deleted and they re uploaded this HD version in 2019. The old one had millions of views !
Cath Erine
And I was a boy from school
Helplessly helping all the rules
And there was a boy at school
Hopelessly wrestling all his fools
And there was a girl at school
Blaming all the words she learned from home
Nothing could keep her a child
Long hours don't you know we try
[Hook]
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
[Verse 2]
Now I met you on the street
Heartlessly breaking rules, we meet
Lives are found and loves are lost
Say goodbye to nothing everything caused
[Hook]
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
We try but we didn't have long
We try but we don't belong
[Bridge]
I got, I got lost
(You said this was the way back)
I got, I got lost
(You said this was the way back)
I got, I got lost
(You said this was the way back)
Gemini II
Thank you 😊 ✌️
mel m
the nostalgic feeling of this song i felt from it when it was brand new is compounding through the years, it's kinda haunting, but still beautiful. What a gem of a song and a cool vid too
1908JB
i remembered when i heard this in the simpson’s and i was like wow, that’s the album my dad used to play to me all the time as a kid, an absolutely special piece of music
Elliott
Same, this is my favorite band because my dad used to play this all the time and still does. It’s just so nostalgic
1908JB
@Elliott this whole album is amazing mate, i’m glad i wasn’t the only one who was brought up with such great music