Paramore, as a quartet, released their debut studio album, All We Know Is Falling, in 2005. The band rose to prominence in 2007 after the release of the hit single Misery Business from their second studio album Riot!. Crushcrushcrush and That's What You Get were released as the following singles experiencing commercial success. The band was nominated for "Best New Artist" at the 2008 Grammy Awards. The band announced the official line-up addition of Taylor York in June 2009 prior to the release of Brand New Eyes due later the same year. Josh Farro (guitar) and his brother Zac Farro left the band the following year, resulting in Paramore to continue as a trio.
From 2013 to 2014, Paramore released several singles from the self-titled album, including the singles Still Into You and Ain't It Fun. The latter became the band's highest-peaking single as well as their first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned the band their first Grammy award for "Best Rock Song" the following year. At the end of 2015, it was reported Jeremy Davis (bass guitar) left the band.
In 2017, Zac Farro officially rejoined the band, prior to the release of their fifth studio album, "After Laughter".
For a Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic
Paramore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And tear yourself down
You've built your one wall
Now find your way around
What's the problem?
You've got a lot of nerve
So what did you think I would say?
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away, you can't run away
You wouldn't
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay
I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
You threw it away
I'm not so naive
My sorry eyes can see
The way you fight shy
Of almost everything
Well, if you give up
You'll get what you deserve
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away, you can't run away
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away, you can't run away
You wouldn't
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay
I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
You threw it away
You were finished long before
We had even seen the start
Why don't you stand up, be a man about it?
Fight with your bare hands about it now
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay, well did you?
I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay
And I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
The lyrics "Just talk yourself up, and tear yourself down, you've built your one wall, now find your way around" suggest that the singer is addressing someone who has built up walls and barriers in their life, but now they need to find a way to overcome them in order to move forward. The line "What's the problem, you've got a lot of nerve" implies that the singer is calling out the person for their lack of action or courage.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "So what did you think I would say? No, you can't run away, you can't run away. You wouldn't." This could be interpreted as the singer challenging the person to face their problems head-on and not try to escape from them.
The following lyrics "I never wanted to say this, you never wanted to stay. I put my faith in you, so much faith, and then you just threw it away" suggest that the singer has been let down by this person before and their faith in them has been betrayed. The line "You were finished long before we had even seen the start" implies that the person had given up before they even began, and the singer is encouraging them to step up and fight for what they want.
Overall, the lyrics of "For a Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic" suggest a message of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity. The singer encourages the listener to find a way to overcome their obstacles and not give up on themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Just talk yourself up
Encourage yourself to be confident
And tear yourself down
Criticize yourself too harshly
You've built your one wall
You've created a barrier that prevents you from moving forward
Now find your way around
Confront your fears and find a solution to your problem
What's the problem?
Asking what the issue is
You've got a lot of nerve
You are being bold and daring
So what did you think I would say?
You expected a response from me
No, you can't run away, you can't run away
You cannot escape your problems
You wouldn't
You wouldn't try to run away from your problems
I never wanted to say this
I didn't want to have to say this
You never wanted to stay
You didn't want to stick around and face your problems
I put my faith in you, so much faith
I trusted you and had high hopes for you
And then you just threw it away
You disappointed me and failed to live up to my expectations
I'm not so naive
I'm not foolish or gullible
My sorry eyes can see
Even I can see
The way you fight shy
Your tendency to avoid confrontation
Of almost everything
Your fear of many things
Well, if you give up
If you quit and walk away
You'll get what you deserve
You will reap the consequences of your actions
You were finished long before
You had already given up before you even started
We had even seen the start
Before we had a chance to begin
Why don't you stand up, be a man about it?
Take responsibility and face your problems head-on
Fight with your bare hands about it now
Confront your problems and challenges without any assistance
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hayley Nichole Williams, Joshua Neil Farro
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@guilhermelili9644
For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic
Just talk yourself up
And tear yourself down
You've built your one wall
Now find your way around
What's the problem?
You've got a lot of nerve
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away, you can't run away
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away, you can't run away
You wouldn't
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay
I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
You threw it away
I'm not so naive
My sorry eyes can see
The way you fight shy
Of almost everything
Well, if you give up
You'll get what you deserve
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away, you can't run away
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away, you can't run away
You wouldn't
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay
I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
You threw it away
You were finished long before
We had even seen the start
Why don't you stand up, be a man about it?
Fight with your bare hands about it now
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay, well did you?
I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay
And I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
@JasonLSmallsJunior
[Verse 1]
Just talk yourself up and tear yourself down
You've hit your one wall, now find a way around
Well, what's the problem? You got a lot of nerve
[Pre-Chorus]
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away
No, you can't run away
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away
No, you can't run away, you wouldn't
[Chorus]
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay
I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
You threw it away
[Verse 2]
I'm not so naive, my sorry eyes can see
The way you fight shy of almost everything
Well, if you give up, you'll get what you deserve
[Pre-Chorus]
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away
No, you can't run away
So what did you think I would say?
No, you can't run away
No, you can't run away, you wouldn't
[Chorus]
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay
I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
You threw it away
[Bridge]
You were finished long before we had even seen the start
Why don't you stand up?
Be a man about it
Fight with your bare hands about it now
[Chorus]
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay, well did you?
I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
I never wanted to say this
You never wanted to stay
And I put my faith in you, so much faith
And then you just threw it away
@okyki
Seeing that girl jumping around on stage opening a Simple Plan show along with Plain White T's and Straylight Run, when no one knew who the hell they were, in Soma concert hall in San Diego was the best memory of my childhood.
@roshanfey
keeks this comment is so precious. also, straylight run, YES
@ItsAlwaysRainingInWa
Yeah Straylight Run is one of the most under rated bands, I'll never understand why they were not more known.
@AllAboutNightcore
Simple Plan AND Paramore?? How did I miss that!
@syintigs5543
Was it this concert in 2005?
https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/still-not-getting-any-tour--5
@user-nn6rv5dy6m
keeks I saw them opening for plain white ts too! At six flags over Georgia like 11 years ago !?!?
@nadeli8432
Hayley has a beautiful voice.
@Eeveeswhimsicalwonders
***** She's also frick fracking beautiful
@zeroradio8671
nadeli Agreed
@kylewagner2004
nadeli Hell ya