Pencey Prep practiced 7 nights a week in the basement of Frank Iero's house in Belleville. Before the band even had a first show they had plans to record "Heartbreak In Stereo". The album was starting to take shape almost a full year before it was even recorded. With songs contributed by Hambone, Frank and Neil they easily had more than enough material to work on. The band played their first show in at The Loop Lounge in Passaic Park, New Jersey with the band Nada Surf. They were also able to get on shows with bands like Atom & His Package, Thursday, and even The Strokes and New Found Glory. "Heartbreak In Stereo" was released on November 26, 2001 on Eyeball Records. After going on a disastrous tour of the Midwest US where there were bunches of internal fights, several points where their van broke down, and low attendance, the band called it quits. Their last show was on May 7, 2002 at CBGB's.
Since the band's disbandment, Frank joined My Chemical Romance. Neil now plays in Fairmont. Hambone played in Leathermouth and Brine & Bastards and was also in Fairmont for some time. Tim became an artist and posts somewhat often about Pencey Prep on Instagram. Shaun toured with MCR as their keyboardist for a while and also co-wrote The Fabulous Killjoys comic with Gerard Way in 2013. In 2021, Heartbreak In Stereo was reissued in celebration of its' 20th anniversary on streaming services, CD, and for the first time, on vinyl and cassette tape.
Nineteen
Pencey Prep Lyrics
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Can't help myself this time.
I'm on the outside looking in,
Can't see myself this time.
Don't wanna go, don't wanna go, don't wanna drive back home.
There's nothing there for me.
It's 1am, it's 2am, it's 4 in the morning.
Did I think she'd be here?
Did I fool myself again?
I think I did.
I think I fooled myself again.
Again, again, again.
I fooled myself again.
If I spend just one,
Just one more night,
Just one more night,
Being mediocre then,
Just one more night,
Just one more night,
Well, I'll scream atop my lungs,
Just one more night,
Just one more night,
Being mediocre then,
Just one more night,
Just one more night,
Well, I'll scream atop my lungs, but it falls on deaf ears.
I wear myself too thin,
Can't help myself this time.
I'm on the outside looking in,
Can't see myself this time.
Don't wanna go, don't wanna go, don't wanna drive back home.
There's nothing there for me.
It's 1am, it's 2am, it's 4 in the morning.
Did I think she'd be here?
Did I fool myself again?
I think I did.
I think I fooled myself again.
Again, again, again.
I fooled myself again.
If I spend just one,
Just one more night,
Just one more night,
Being mediocre then,
Just one more night,
Just one more night,
Well, I'll scream atop my lungs,
Just one more night,
Just one more night,
Being mediocre then,
Just one more night,
Just one more night,
Well, I'll scream atop my lungs.
I scream out loud,
but no one hears a sound.
I take my life with lack of sleep.
I believe the things I feel,
The things I see are fooling only...
scream out loud,
but no one hears a sound.
I take my life with lack of sleep.
I believe the things I feel,
The things I see are fooling only...
scream out loud,
but no one hears a sound.
I take my life with lack of sleep.
I believe the things I feel,
The things I see are fooling only...
scream out loud,
but no one hears a sound.
I take my life with lack of sleep.
I believe the things I feel,
The things I see are fooling only...
scream out loud,
but no one hears a sound.
I take my life with lack of sleep.
I believe the things I feel,
The things I see are fooling only...
scream out loud,
but no one hears a sound.
I take my life with lack of sleep.
I believe the things I feel,
The things I see are fooling only me.
The lyrics of Pencey Prep's song, "Nineteen," express the feeling of being lost and alone in a situation where the singer has fooled himself into believing that he could find something worth staying for. The singer is trying hard to justify to himself why he should stay back and not drive home even though there's nothing left for him there. The lines "I wear myself too thin, can't help myself this time. I'm on the outside looking in, can't see myself this time," express the singer's sense of alienation and lack of control over the situation he finds himself in. He feels like he has exhausted himself trying to fit in or belong somewhere, but nothing seems to work. The repetition of the phrase "just one more night" reveals the singer's struggle with mediocrity and his desire to find something that is worth staying for, even though he knows deep down that it's all just an illusion.
The singer has fooled himself into believing that he could find something that feels like home, but just as before, he feels like he's looking from the outside in. The line "Did I think she'd be here? Did I fool myself again? I think I did. I think I fooled myself again" indicates that the singer has expectations from the people around him, and when they do not meet these expectations, he feels betrayed and lost. The frustration is palpable in the lines "I scream out loud, but no one hears a sound. I take my life with lack of sleep. I believe the things I feel, the things I see are fooling only me," where the singer expresses his sense of helplessness and the feeling of being trapped in his own mind.
Overall, Pencey Prep's "Nineteen" is a song about the struggle to find oneself and the conflict between the desire to fit in and the longing to be authentic. The singer is lost, tired, and disillusioned, searching for something that he knows deep down does not exist.
Line by Line Meaning
I wear myself too thin
I am spreading myself too thin and exhausting myself
Can't help myself this time
I am unable to stop myself from exhausting myself this time
I'm on the outside looking in
I feel like an outsider looking into a situation
Can't see myself this time
I am unable to view myself clearly in this situation
Don't wanna go, don't wanna go, don't wanna drive back home
I do not want to leave, but I also do not want to stay in this situation
There's nothing there for me
I feel like I do not belong in this situation and there is nothing for me to gain
It's 1am, it's 2am, it's 4 in the morning
It is late at night and I am struggling with my thoughts and emotions
Did I think she'd be here?
Did I have false hope that this person would be present in this situation?
Did I fool myself again?
Did I deceive myself once more?
I think I did
I do think I deceived myself in this situation
If I spend just one, just one more night, being mediocre then
If I spend one more night settling for average and not striving for something better
Well, I'll scream atop my lungs
I will express my frustration and disappointment clearly and loudly
but it falls on deaf ears
My expression of frustration and disappointment will be ignored or unheard by those around me
I scream out loud, but no one hears a sound
My expression of frustration and disappointment goes unnoticed or ignored
I take my life with lack of sleep
I live my life with exhaustion and fatigue
I believe the things I feel
I trust my emotions and intuition
The things I see are fooling only me
My perception of the situation is not accurate and I am deceiving myself
Contributed by Keira E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.