Ac… Read Full Bio ↴Features vocals by Victoria Bergsman (The Concretes, Taken By Trees).
According to the Young Folks Songfacts, the whistled hook was originally added by the trio as a marker for a future instrument before realizing that it was just what the song needed.
Young Folks
Peter Bjorn and John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Told you how I used to be
Would you go along with someone like me?
If you knew my story word for word
Had all of my history
Would you go along with someone like me?
I did before and had my shareIt didn't lead nowhere
I would go along with someone like you
It doesn't matter what you did
Who you were hanging with
We could stick around and see this night through
And we don't care about the young folks
Talkin' 'bout the young style
And we don't care about the old folks
Talkin' 'bout the old style too
And we don't care about their own faults
Talkin' 'bout our own style
All we care about is talking
Talking only me and you
Usually when things has gone this far
People tend to disappear
No one will surprise me unless you do
I can tell there's something goin' on
Hours seems to disappear
Everyone is leaving I'm still with you
It doesn't matter what we do
Where we are going to
We can stick around and see this night through
And we don't care about the young folks
Talkin' 'bout the young style
And we don't care about the old folks
Talkin' 'bout the old style too
And we don't care about their own faults
Talkin' 'bout our own style
All we care about is talking
Talking only me and you
And we don't care about the young folks
Talkin' 'bout the young style
And we don't care about the old folks
Talkin' 'bout the old style too
And we don't care about their own faults
Talkin' 'bout our own style
All we care about is talking
Talking only me and you
Talking only me and you
Talking only me and you
Talking only me and you
The song "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John speaks volumes about the singer's past transgressions and how they might affect his relationship with the listener. The first two stanzas address the question of whether the listener would judge the singer if they knew all about his past. The singer acknowledges that he has made mistakes in the past, and he's attempting to find out whether the listener is the kind of person who might judge him for those mistakes. As such, the first two stanzas serve as a way for the singer to establish trust with the listener.
The chorus is a declaration of independence from the norms of society. The singer is communicating that he and the listener are not concerned with the opinions of others. Instead, they are free-spirited people who only care about talking to each other. The chorus is sung twice, emphasizing the point that the singer and the listener are unique individuals who don't need anyone else to tell them what to do.
The final stanza is the singer's attempt to deepen the bond between himself and the listener. The fact that they are still together while everyone else has left indicates that there is something special between them. The singer recognizes this and wants to ensure that he and the listener remain together no matter what. The song ends with the chorus once more, driving home the point that the singer and the listener are singular entities who only need each other.
Line by Line Meaning
If I told you things I did before
If I revealed my past to you
Told you how I used to be
Described my former self to you
Would you go along with someone like me?
Would you accept me as I am?
If you knew my story word for word
If you had complete knowledge of my past
Had all of my history
Knew everything about my past
Would you go along with someone like me?
Would you be willing to associate yourself with me?
I did before and had my share
I had experiences in the past which I am not proud of
It didn't lead nowhere
Those experiences were not fruitful
I would go along with someone like you
Despite that, I would accept you as my companion
It doesn't matter what you did
Your past is irrelevant
Who you were hanging with
Or who you associated yourself with previously
We could stick around and see this night through
Let's stay together and spend the night
And we don't care about the young folks
We are not concerned about what the younger generation thinks
Talkin' 'bout the young style
Their fashion sense or preferences
And we don't care about the old folks
We don't care about the opinions of the elderly either
Talkin' 'bout the old style too
Their taste or choices
And we don't care about their own faults
We are not interested in pointing out their mistakes
Talkin' 'bout our own style
We are more interested in sharing our own views
All we care 'bout is talking
All we want to do is converse
Talking only me and you
We don't need or want anyone else to join us
Usually when things has gone this far
Usually if things have progressed to this stage
People tend to disappear
Others typically leave the scene
No one will surprise me unless you do
No one else can give me the same sense of enjoyment as you do
I can tell there's something goin' on
I can sense that something is happening
Hours seems to disappear
Time seems to be passing so quickly
Everyone is leaving I'm still with you
Everyone else is leaving but I still want to remain with you
It doesn't matter what we do
It doesn't matter what activity we engage in
Where we are going to
Or where we are headed
We can stick around and see this night through
We can stay together and enjoy the night
Talking only me and you
We are content with just conversing with one another
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bjorn Yttling, Peter Moren, John Eriksson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ianglenn1946
God...
I remember I used to get annoyed at my mom when I was 7 in 2009. I used to get so annoyed at my mom, as she loves this song, and played it all the time. I miss those days. Take me back....
Take me back to a time when I was young, carefree, when I played with my neighbors in and around the neighborhood. When I was in elementary school, playing on the playground. When.. when I was a kid.
Now I'm working a job, almost done with high school, and came across this song In my recommendations on my break. Nostalgia just hit me like a wave when I heard it that familiar drum and whistle.
Take me back.
@Orbifold2
Lyrics:
If I told you things I did before
Told you how I used to be
Would you go along with someone like me?
If you knew my story word for word
Had all of my history
Would you go along with someone like me?
I did before and had my share
It didn't lead nowhere
I would go along with someone like you
It doesn't matter what you did
Who you were hanging with
We could stick around and see this night through
And we don't care about the young folks
Talkin' 'bout the young style
And we don't care about the old folks
Talkin' 'bout the old style too
And we don't care about their own faults
Talkin' 'bout our own style
All we care about is talking
Talking only me and you
Usually when things has gone this far
People tend to disappear
No one will surprise me unless you do
I can tell there's something goin' on
Hours seems to disappear
Everyone is leaving I'm still with you
It doesn't matter what we do
Where we are going to
We can stick around and see this night through
And we don't care about the young folks
Talkin' 'bout the young style
And we don't care about the old folks
Talkin' 'bout the old style too
And we don't care about their own faults
Talkin' 'bout our own style
All we care about is talking
Talking only me and you
And we don't care about the young folks
Talkin' 'bout the young style
And we don't care about the old folks
Talkin' 'bout the old style too
And we don't care about their own faults
Talkin' 'bout our own style
All we care about is talking
Talking only me and you
Talking only me and you
Talking only me and you
Talking only me and you
@buscemilove3969
God. I was 14 when this came out. Now i'm 84. Times really flies..
@eleanor5675
I was 2 when this came out, and now I'm 85859626468488552229084874874857556767768676865679063476662586687654445666666663.
@abrahamlopez9396
I was 69 now I'm 420 B^)
@siso9292
Abraham Lopez BLAZE IT
@Friendlasagna
Buscemi Love how do you do fellow kids
@dani.o2400
LOL
@adanvargas2339
This song hasn’t aged at all. Still feels fresh after all these years.
@emptyplenty4730
After all these years lol. What's it been? 15
@zacktrever1878
Best comment ever
@gideonamare160
The sweeds know how to make a dam good pop song