But I Can't
Plug in Stereo Lyrics


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Take me back to the days when I could not wait to wake up,
Weird hair, didn't care what to wear cause no matter what, I still felt loved.
Take me back to the days, when losing a game was the worst thing I knew.
Getting thrills off of little stuff that now, I just can't do.

I can't stand growing up, I'm going too fast.
Well just a second I miss my past.
Yeah being old has it's perks,
But I miss my old friends,
And the way the shit used to be
I wanna start again.

I can't stand growing up, I'm going too fast.
Well just a second I miss my past.
Yeah being old has it's perks,
But I miss my old friends,
And the way the shit used to be
I wanna start again.

I miss, everything.
I wish that you could.

Take me back to the days when school wasn't a chore.
Now I have to play hookie to hide from the things that I used to not want to ignore.
Take me back to, the world that I knew before, the love was taken.
Another smile drop, listen while time stops now...

I can't stand growing up, I'm going too fast.
Well just a second I miss my past.
Yeah being old has it's perks,
But I miss my old friends,
And the way the shit used to be
I wanna start again.

I can't stand growing up, I'm going too fast.
Well just a second I miss my past.
Yeah being old has it's perks,
But I miss my old friends,
And the way the shit used to be
I wanna start again.

Take me back to the days when I hated to fall asleep.
If I could I know I would spend a day under my sheets.
Take me back to the life, when I can know myself again.




I wish I could, I wish I could,
But I can't

Overall Meaning

The song "But I Can't" by Plug in Stereo is a nostalgic track that explores the singer's desire to go back in time to a simpler time in their life. The first verse touches on the innocence of childhood, where one's appearance and performance in games didn't matter as much since they knew they were loved no matter what. The second verse elaborates on how the pressures of aging and growing up has made the singer miss their old friends and the way things used to be. The third verse discusses the desire to escape from responsibilities and return to a time when introspection wasn't intimidating. The chorus repeats the sentiment of missing the past and the perks of being old but ultimately wanting to revert to a time that has passed.


The lyrics are relatable to anyone who has ever wanted to escape the challenges of adulthood and return to a time when life was simpler. It communicates the idea that even as one grows and matures, they may still long for the past - a sentiment that is particularly strong during the transitional period between adolescence and adulthood. The song highlights the bittersweet nature of nostalgia and illustrates how the pull of the past can be simultaneously comforting and agonizing.


Line by Line Meaning

Take me back to the days when I could not wait to wake up
I want to go back to the time when I was so excited to start a new day


Weird hair, didn't care what to wear cause no matter what, I still felt loved
In those days, I didn't worry about my appearance because I knew I was loved for who I am


Take me back to the days, when losing a game was the worst thing I knew
I miss the time when losing a game was the biggest disappointment I faced


Getting thrills off of little stuff that now, I just can't do
I used to enjoy simple things which now don't excite me anymore


I can't stand growing up, I'm going too fast
I hate the idea of getting older and the fact that it's happening too quickly


Well just a second I miss my past
Even though it's been a while, I still miss the good old days


Yeah being old has it's perks
I know there are good things about being older


But I miss my old friends
However, I really miss my old friends


And the way the shit used to be
I miss the way things used to be before they got complicated


I wanna start again
I wish I could start over and relive those moments again


I miss, everything
I miss everything about my past


Take me back to the days when school wasn't a chore
I want to go back to the time when going to school was fun and not a burden


Now I have to play hookie to hide from the things that I used to not want to ignore
Today, I miss school to avoid facing things that I didn't even know existed or ignored back then


Take me back to, the world that I knew before, the love was taken
I long for the world I knew before I lost the love I cherished


Another smile drop, listen while time stops now...
I'm lost in my thoughts and memories, trying to relive the happy moments once again


Take me back to the days when I hated to fall asleep
I want to go back to the time when I was so excited that I hated to fall asleep


If I could I know I would spend a day under my sheets
If possible, I'd love to spend a whole day in bed, doing nothing but reliving old memories


Take me back to the life, when I can know myself again
I long for the time when I could be true to me and not worry about things that don't matter now


I wish I could, I wish I could, But I can't
Even though I long for the past, I know I can't go back




Contributed by Xavier W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Dominique Angelica

So this says so much for just being a 3 minute, 17 second song. It speaks more than just your mind but the lyrics being that they are so simple have just such a big impact in an undescribable way. Makes you want to go back and time; not to change anything but to relive the days that meant the most.. <3

BertaKennedy

Still love this song! It describes growing up so well!

Gabriella Gonzalez

this is a beautiful song < 3

Rebecca Rivera

This song takes me back by listening to it now days, still love it!

Fernando Vasconcellos

Discovered this on Spotify, really glad i did

Jillian

He played this last sunday. <3 It brought me back to the days I used to listen to him before he even toured. I almost started crying. I love his music, so much. He will continue to be my favorite musician for a long time. :)

Andrea Roughan

love this song<3

Sam Cregeen

I genuinely think this has to be the best lyrics to any song of all time

Naaaaz

this went way back. can't be any more relatable now :(

jenna peritore

What a great song for a person graduating with the hard life.

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