Breakdown
Plain White T's Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've seen a man cry.
I've seen a man shout out,
Afraid losing the woman he loves.
I've seen a woman lying
To her man flat out,
About who she's been with
And where she was.
I've seen a low fire
And tried to figure it out.
This fight, it isn't going anywhere
I've seen a child's eyes
Watching his parents freak out.
I know they seem him but they just don't care.

It won't stop if they don't stop yelling.
It's not the way of working your problems out.
I can't stand being around this yelling
So I'm finding my way out.

I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.

I've seen a child's eyes.
I've seen him living in doubt.
Not ever knowing what it's like to be in love.
I've seen his friends try
To just to help him get out.
He never told them what the problem really was.
I've seen a suicide.
They couldn't figure it out.
He blamed himself because they couldn't get along.
I've seen his parents' eyes
Trying to figure it out.
Where did our baby go and what went wrong?

It won't stop if they don't stop yelling
It's not the way of working your problems out.
I can't stand being around this yelling
So I'm finding my way out.

I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.

I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Hold it inside until I break down.
I'm gonna try until I break down
Say my goodbyes until I break down.
(Baby c'mon)

I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.

I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.





I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Hold it inside until I break down.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the song Breakdown by Plain White T's, convey the impact that witnessing constant fighting and yelling can have on a person, as well as the consequences of unresolved issues in relationships. The artist starts the song by describing different scenarios where he has seen people struggling with their relationships. The man who cries and shouts out, fearing to lose his love, the woman who lies flat out about cheating, the child who watches helplessly as his parents fight, and the suicide victim who couldn't cope with the constant fighting.


The artist then expresses his frustration with being around that kind of negative energy, and decides that he needs to get away from it all. He decides to "drive and never ever slow down" until he breaks down. The song represents the idea of physical distance as a way to deal with emotional turmoil. Sometimes, taking a break from a situation or walking away from it altogether might be the best way to cope.


Through the song, the artist depicts a situation where yelling and fighting do not solve problems but escalate them. The repetition of the lines, "It won't stop if they don't stop yelling, It's not the way of working your problems out, I can't stand being around this yelling, So I'm finding my way out," shows the frustration of the singer with the yelling and the urgency to find a way out of this situation. Breakdown is a reminder that constant anger and emotional violence can lead to the deterioration of relationships and the possibility of irreversible damage.


Line by Line Meaning

I've seen a man cry.
I have witnessed a man express his emotions through tears.


I've seen a man shout out,
I have witnessed a man yell out in frustration or anger.


Afraid losing the woman he loves.
He is fearful of losing a woman whom he loves very dearly.


I've seen a woman lying
I have seen a woman deceive others.


To her man flat out,
She lied directly to her significant other.


About who she's been with
She lied about her activities and who she spent time with.


And where she was.
She also lied about her whereabouts.


I've seen a low fire
I have witnessed a small, insignificant conflict.


And tried to figure it out.
I attempted to understand what is causing the argument.


This fight, it isn't going anywhere
The conflict doesn't seem to be getting resolved or moving forward.


I've seen a child's eyes
I have witnessed a child's expression during a difficult or emotionally charged situation.


Watching his parents freak out.
The child was observing his parents behaving erratically or in panic.


I know they seem him but they just don't care.
Although the parents are aware of their child's presence, they are not prioritizing his well-being or emotions.


It won't stop if they don't stop yelling.
The argument and conflict will not end if the yelling and screaming continues.


It's not the way of working your problems out.
Yelling and screaming is not an effective method of conflict resolution.


I can't stand being around this yelling
I am unable to tolerate the constant noise and screaming.


So I'm finding my way out.
I am looking for a way to escape and remove myself from the situation.


I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I plan on driving away from this place as quickly as possible, without stopping.


I'm gonna drive until I break down.
I will keep driving until something stops me, whether my car breaks down or I collapse emotionally.


Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I am gathering my possessions and leaving this city behind.


I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Once again, I will drive until I can no longer continue.


Not ever knowing what it's like to be in love.
The child has never experienced the feeling of being in love and is unsure of what it means.


I've seen his friends try
I witnessed the child's friends attempting to help him.


To just to help him get out.
The friends want to assist the child in escaping from a difficult situation.


He never told them what the problem really was.
The child did not share the true nature of his problem with his friends.


I've seen a suicide.
I have witnessed someone taking their own life.


They couldn't figure it out.
The people around the person who committed suicide were unable to understand why it happened.


He blamed himself because they couldn't get along.
The person who committed suicide felt responsible for the tensions and disagreements around him.


Trying to figure it out.
The parents were attempting to understand what caused their child to feel so unhappy and troubled.


Where did our baby go and what went wrong?
The parents of the child are curious about why their child is in such emotional distress and despair.


Hold it inside until I break down.
I am going to keep my emotions bottled up until I can no longer contain them.


I'm gonna try until I break down
I will attempt to keep going despite my emotional turmoil, until I can no longer handle it.


Say my goodbyes until I break down.
I will say goodbye to those I need to, until I can no longer continue without breaking down.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOM HIGGENSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@tetsushatarii2108

I still remember the first time I heard this. It was so long ago on my best friends 23 song limit MP3 player… memories.

@verdantbf

This is honestly a great song I'm so proud of you Tom!

@inutrasha4027

I love this song 💙

@sahidalcantara

Todo lo que necesitaba. ❤️

@anthonyg5834

people are still here

@markchristopher3991

someone listened to this at max volume while running from an abusive mothers home, unsure of what the future would be. good luck…

It worker out…

@kise_ryota

Tão boa quanto eu lembrava

@pedrooberlaender91

Eles são foda

@MissUnderstood92

<3

@doodlethecommenter1257

Imagine having a 4x platinum song and dying this hard

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