This song was first played live on FBR 15th aniversary in NYC (Terminal 5).
Renegade
Paramore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
After watching it with my tears
I'm not sure where you went, now we are just past tense
The snakes, they're slithering in
Chasing me to my end
I can't say where that is, I'm running again
And when I get there, it won't be far enough
If ever I get there, it won't be fast enough
I'm a renegade, I always was
And the spark never lit up a fire
Though I tried and tried and tried
The wind came from your lungs, a hurricane from your tongue
And I'll keep your secrets with me
Right behind my teeth
Your anger, your anchor but I'll sail much further on
Ahh, ahh, ahh, on
And when I get there, it won't be far enough
I'm a renegade, it's in my blood
If ever I get there, it won't be fast enough
I'm a renegade, I always was
(I'm running, I'm running again, running, I'm running)
Keep running, running, running
(I'm running, I'm running again, running, I'm running)
Running, running, running
(I'm running, I'm running again, running, I'm running)
And when I get there, it won't be far enough
I'm a renegade, it's in my blood
If ever I get there, it won't be fast enough
I'm a renegade, it's in my blood
I'm a renegade, I always was
In Paramore's song Renegade, the narrative voice seems to be coming from a place of discontentment and perhaps even frustration. The opening line suggests that the singer is disillusioned and has come to the realization that the place they are in is not good enough for them. They use the metaphor of tears watering the grass to show how they have invested in the place but still find it lacking. Moreover, they imply that someone else was in that space with them but that person is now gone, they are only remembered in the past tense.
The second verse continues this narrative, this time suggesting that the singer tried to make a connection with someone else but it didn't work out. The wind that came from the other person's lungs turned into a hurricane from their tongue which suggests that they were not being truthful or were perhaps not on the same page as the singer. However, the singer is not bitter, they even go as far as to suggest that they will keep the secrets of the other person with them even if it feels like an anchor weighing them down. The last verse repeats the title verses and the lyrics state that the singer is a renegade and always has been. They are always running, always pushing forward towards an unknown future.
Line by Line Meaning
And the grass wasn't green enough here
The environment did not bring joy and contentment
After watching it with my tears
The character had cried over the unfulfilling situation
I'm not sure where you went, now we are just past tense
The character and another person have grown apart and ended their romantic relationship
The snakes, they're slithering in
Challenges are emerging and make the character feel uneasy
Chasing me to my end
The character is feeling overwhelmed and stressed by circumstances
I can't say where that is, I'm running again
The character is not sure where to go or what to do, so they continue to avoid facing problems
And when I get there, it won't be far enough
The character feels like they can never escape their problems
I'm a renegade, it's in my blood
The character identifies as someone who is a rebel or outcast
If ever I get there, it won't be fast enough
The character feels like they are always behind, no matter how much they try to keep up
And the spark never lit up a fire
The character tried to ignite a passion or connection, but it never panned out
Though I tried and tried and tried
The character put effort into making things work, but it was ultimately futile
The wind came from your lungs, a hurricane from your tongue
Another person's words and actions had a powerful impact on the character
And I'll keep your secrets with me
The character is still holding onto someone else's trust and confidentiality
Right behind my teeth
The character feels like they are withholding something important
Your anger, your anchor but I'll sail much further on
Another person's anger kept the character stuck, but they are determined to move past it
(I'm running, I'm running again, running, I'm running)
The character is constantly avoiding issues by running away from them
Keep running, running, running
The character is encouraging themselves to continue avoiding their problems
(I'm running, I'm running again, running, I'm running)
The character continues to run away from their problems
Running, running, running
The character is constantly in motion, but not really getting anywhere
I'm a renegade, it's in my blood
The character feels like being rebellious is simply a part of who they are
I always was
The character has always identified as a non-conformist
Contributed by Asher I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ThatOneGuy1989
"Renegade"
And the grass wasn’t green enough here
After watering it with my tears
I’m not sure where you went
Now we are just past tense
And the snakes, they are slithering in
Chasing me to my end
I can’t say where that is
I’m running again
And when I get there
It won’t be far enough
I’m a renegade
It’s in my blood
If ever I get there
It won’t be fast enough
I’m a renegade
I always was
Well, the spark never lit up a fire
Though I tried and tried and tried
The wind came through your lungs
A hurricane from your tongue
I’ll keep your secrets with me
Right behind my teeth
Your anger, your anchor
But I’ll sail much further on, ah, on
And when I get there
It won’t be far enough
I’m a renegade
It’s in my blood
If ever I get there
It won’t be fast enough
I’m a renegade
I always was
I’ll keep running
I’ll keep running again, keep running
I’ll keep running, running, running
Keep running, running, running
Oh, when I get there
It won’t be far enough
I’m a renegade
It’s in my blood
If ever I get there
It won’t be fast enough
I’m a renegade
It's in my blood
I’m a renegade
I always was
iHasCollabeen
And the grass wasn't green enough here
After watering it with my tears
I'm not sure where you went
Now we are just past tense
And the snakes, they are slithering in
Chasing me to my end
I can't say where that is
I'm running again
And when I get there
It won't be far enough
I'm a renegade
It's in my blood
If ever I get there
It won't be fast enough
I'm a renegade
I always was
And the spark never lit up a fire
Though I tried and tried and tried
The wind came from your lungs
A hurricane from your tongue
And I'll keep your secrets with me
Right behind my teeth
Your anger, your anchor
But I'll sail much further on, on, on
And when I get there
It won't be far enough
I'm a renegade
It's in my blood
If ever I get there
It won't be fast enough
I'm a renegade
I always was
I'll keep running
I'll keep running again, keep running
I'll keep running, running, running
Keep running, running, running
And when I get there
It won't be far enough
I'm a renegade
It's in my blood
If ever I get there
It won't be fast enough
I'm a renegade
It's in my blood
I'm a renegade
I always was
Oktober Love
I feel bad for anyone who had to go through high school without Paramore
Shane Miller
I graduated in '11 and didn't know this band existed until 2015....... how is this possible...
Lis Ferreira
Oktober Love preach!
Wolfox
I'm happy I found paramore early hightschool, got me through some tough times
Ishta Madan
I started listening to Paramore midway through freshman year
Riv Loveshine
Oktober Love I'm in high school (9th grade) right now. 😄
Tamás Haász
This track is so underappreciated and underrated it hurts my soul. Also people saying Self-Titled and After Laughter were surprises, dude Singles Club is literally a transition from punk-rocky edge to pop rockish things, and here we are in 2017 with After Laughter almost exclusively pop album with a good-old Paramore twist on things. I just love Paramore all together.
Luis C Hoil
So true
ARTV
forgot how much I dig this track
AnaBella Stegmaier
the singles club doesn't get enough appreciation