Wonderland
Kesha/Patrick Carney Lyrics


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I was a just a young kid with time to waste
Living out of my car, those were the days
We were all the wild ones, the wasted youth
Other than a dream, had nothing to lose

Ain't it funny how time flies? Fades into gold
Now I wanna do a drive-by but I can't find the road
Back to wonderland
Where it all began
Everything was so simple then
Living life like our last weekend
Wish I could find my way
Back to wonderland

Carrie's in the valley, she's got a kid
Julie's still a waitress living on tips
Sometimes we get together and shoot the shit
But it's not the same now, no, nothing is

Feels like it was a movie that plays in my mind
Shadows of a past life, wish I could rewind

Back to wonderland
Where it all began
Everything was so simple then
Living life like our last weekend
Wish I could find my way
Back to wonderland

Didn't have a clue what we were doing or where we would end up
Living off of nickels and dimes and our young reckless love
We didn't ever think that time would ever come to an end
Now if I could, you know I'd run

Back to wonderland
Where it all began
Everything was so simple then
Living life like our last weekend




Wish I could find my way
Back to wonderland

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Kesha and Patrick Carney's "Wonderland" speak to feelings of nostalgia, longing, and a desire to return to a simpler time. The singer reflects on their younger, wilder days, when they lived out of their car and felt like they had nothing to lose. Now, as they look back on that time, it feels like a distant dream. The line "other than a dream, had nothing to lose" speaks to a sense of freedom and possibility that the singer felt in their youth, a sense that they miss now.


The chorus of the song is an anthem to this feeling of longing - the desire to go "back to wonderland," where everything was simple and life felt like "our last weekend." The mundanities of adulthood - jobs, kids, distance - have taken away that sense of carefree joy that the singer felt in their youth, and they long to recapture that feeling.


The song's use of the phrase "wonderland" is interesting - it suggests a place that is both real and fantastical, a place that exists in the mind as well as in the world. It also recalls Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," a story about a young girl's journey through a surreal, dreamlike world. Like the singer of the song, Alice longs to return to this world of enchantment and possibility, but finds that it is always just out of reach.


Overall, "Wonderland" is a bittersweet reflection on the passage of time and the loss of youthful innocence. The song captures a feeling that many people can relate to - the sense that the past was a more magical time, and that the present is often defined by its mundanities and responsibilities.


Line by Line Meaning

I was a just a young kid with time to waste
When I was young, I had a lot of free time with nothing to do.


Living out of my car, those were the days
I used to live in my car back then.


We were all the wild ones, the wasted youth
We were young, reckless, and carefree.


Other than a dream, had nothing to lose
Besides our aspirations and hopes, we had nothing else.


Ain't it funny how time flies? Fades into gold
Time can pass quickly, but it becomes valuable and cherished memories.


Now I wanna do a drive-by but I can't find the road
I want to revisit my past, but I don't know how to do it.


Back to wonderland
Yearning to go back in time to our past.


Where it all began
Revisiting the place where our journey started.


Everything was so simple then
Life was much easier and uncomplicated back then.


Living life like our last weekend
We used to live life to the fullest like every day was our last day.


Wish I could find my way
Hoping to find a way to return to our past.


Carrie's in the valley, she's got a kid
Carrie lives in the valley, and now she has a child.


Julie's still a waitress living on tips
Julie is still serving in a restaurant and earning tips.


Sometimes we get together and shoot the shit
We occasionally reunite and reminisce about old times.


But it's not the same now, no, nothing is
Things are different now, and nothing is quite the same as it used to be.


Feels like it was a movie that plays in my mind
Looking back on my past feels like it was a memory from a movie.


Shadows of a past life, wish I could rewind
Remnants of my past haunt me, and I wish I could turn back time.


Didn't have a clue what we were doing or where we would end up
We were clueless and didn't know where life was going to take us.


Living off of nickels and dimes and our young reckless love
We were broke but madly in love and did our best to make ends meet.


We didn't ever think that time would ever come to an end
We believed that our youthful days would never end.


Now if I could, you know I'd run
If I could go back in time, I would do it in a heartbeat.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALLAN GRIGG, HENRY WALTER, KESHA SEBERT, LUKE GOTTWALD, PEBE SEBERT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@acornsoundsquirrel

I think the reason I really enjoy Kesha's music is how convincing she is. If she's singing a party anthem song, she sounds really excited. In this song, she sounds incredibly sincere. I love this song so much. I think this may be my favorite of hers.

@BackOffLoser1

My morning song ... makes me feel refreshing with those beautiful lyrics and the angelic voice of hers

@ryanrogocki

Huh. Might be the first Ke$ha song I can like as more than a guilty pleasure. Meaningful lyrics, vocals that aren't auto-tuned to death, wow. Nice :)

@lovelylivie14

Wow... Totally blown away to hear this song! She sounds so much better without the autotune!

@pelinbuyukmurat7909

She sings it , she feels it! <3

@jinx4life316

this was so beautiful and from the heart loved it so much

@EAB82

love the southern rock twang vibe.. nice to hear she isn't just doing an all out pop dance record

@fmweezy121

Lover her natural voice!!!!!

@planetsoverload

Kesha recorded country and pop rock songs long before Tik Tok. She has a pretty interesting history in music that almost no one knows anything about. Her early stuff is all over Youtube.

@melancholy_dude

no autotune! sounds good.

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