Set It Off has experimented with a variety of genres, beginning with pop-punk within their early years and then adding R&B elements within their album Duality, in 2014. Carson has stated online that the band was influenced by Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, Green Day and Blink-182 in the earliest years of the band. Set It Off introduced more influences; including hip-hop and emo within 2019's Midnight. However, in 2023, the band have returned to their pop-punk roots, through singles including 'Punching Bag', 'Win Win' and 'Evil People'.
The band have released five studio albums including Cinematics (2012), Duality (2014), Upside Down (2016), Midnight (2019) and Elsewhere (2022). They have also appeared in 'Punk Goes' through various covers including 'This Christmas (I'll Burn It to the Ground)' and 'Problem'.
The Haunting
Set It Off Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dirty secrets, happy memories and broken hearts across the floor
I was knocked out, heels over head
So you dragged me by my feet to a ghost town, where you buried me
No wonder no one heard my screams
Love's so alive, but it died in it's sleep
And now that it's dead, I live in your head and I will haunt your fucking dreams
No one will love you like I did, will treat you like I did
So go on, wear that scarlet letter
No one will love you like I did, will touch you like I did
So good luck finding something better
Run away, boy, if you couldn't tell, baby's got a thirst for blood
A subtle system, breaking melodies, craving bullets from her gun
So I tripped, stayed, follow every word, little spirals in their eyes
Catch a lover, turn an enemy just to watch them burn alive
No one will love you like I did, will treat you like I did
So go on, wear that scarlet letter
No one will love you like I did, will touch you like I did
So good luck finding something better
Someday you may find that picture perfect guy
And I'll chase my words with poison
Until that day arrives, and swine takes to the sky
Fill your void with open thighs so
No one will love you like I did, will treat you like I did
So go on, wear that scarlet letter
No one will love you like I did, will touch you like I did
So good luck finding something better
No one will love you like I did, will treat you like I did
So go on, wear that scarlet letter
No one will love you like I did, will you fuck you like I did
So good luck finding something better
The opening lines of the song "Come on in, boy," said the skeletons sitting by her closet door, sets the tone for what is to come next. These lyrics are haunting and signify that the singer is in a place where she should not be. The skeletons in the closet represent the secrets, memories and heartbreaks that have been confined behind closed doors. The imagery of dirty secrets, happy memories and broken hearts across the floor reveals that the person she was with had a lot of emotional baggage
The chorus "No one will love you like I did, will treat you like I did, so go on, wear that scarlet letter" is the highlight of the song. The lyrics imply that the singer is enraged and wants to punish the person whom they have loved who is now with someone else. Scarlet letter is a literary reference to the letter A that Hester Prynne is made to wear on her chest in the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel of the same name.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics "Someday you may find that picture perfect guy and I'll chase my words with poison, until that day arrives, and swine takes to the sky, fill your void with open thighs so” suggest that the singer is still holding on to the past and wants to ruin any chance the person she once loved has of being happy.
Overall, the song talks about love, betrayal, and obsession. It's a song about a lover who has turned into an enemy, and the intense emotions that come along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on in, boy," said the skeletons sitting by her closet door
The skeletons welcomed the boy inside the room where the girl keeps all her secrets.
Dirty secrets, happy memories and broken hearts across the floor
In the girl's room, there are various objects like pictures, ripped notes and other items that represent the girl's past relationships and personal experiences.
I was knocked out, heels over head
The boy was so in love with the girl that he was completely taken by her.
So you dragged me by my feet to a ghost town, where you buried me
The girl led the boy to a place where he felt isolated and unwanted after their relationship ended.
No wonder no one heard my screams
The boy was in so much pain after their relationship ended but no one seemed to care or listen to him.
Love's so alive, but it died in its sleep
Their love was once happy and strong but it eventually faded away slowly without them realizing it.
And now that it's dead, I live in your head and I will haunt your fucking dreams
The girl's broken heart resulted in her becoming a haunting memory that the boy couldn't forget.
No one will love you like I did, will treat you like I did
The girl believes that the boy will never find someone else who will love and treat him as well as she did.
Run away, boy, if you couldn't tell, baby's got a thirst for blood
The girl is dangerous and the boy should stay away from her.
A subtle system, breaking melodies, craving bullets from her gun
The girl is manipulative and enjoys destroying the people who fall in love with her.
So I tripped, stayed, follow every word, little spirals in their eyes
The boy found himself drawn to the girl despite knowing that he should leave her alone.
Catch a lover, turn an enemy just to watch them burn alive
The girl enjoys manipulating and hurting people emotionally.
Someday you may find that picture perfect guy
The girl acknowledges that the boy may eventually find someone who is perfect for him.
And I'll chase my words with poison
The girl will use her words to hurt the boy whenever she can.
Until that day arrives, and swine takes to the sky
The girl will continue to hurt the boy until he finds someone else.
Fill your void with open thighs so
The girl suggests that the boy should have casual relationships with other people to fill the void she left behind.
No one will love you like I did, will you fuck you like I did
The girl believes that the boy won't find anyone who can satisfy him like she did.
So good luck finding something better
The girl wishes the boy good luck in finding someone better than her.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANDY KUBISZEWSKI, CHRISTOPHER HALL, JAMES ERIC SELLERS, MARCUS ELIOPULOS, WALTER FLAKUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mari
Who thinks this band is so underrated?
The Wayward Son
"Set It Off" has the ability to stand out as an excellent band, but unfortunately the opportunity is lost in the many generic refrains on their songs.
This song is an example,
Excellent intro, but with a boring tone in the chorus
Ian Jones
if u think Set It Off is Underrated then i respect your opinion but SET IT OFF IS THE BEST (better then BTS)
Ian Jones
@The Wayward Son i respect your opionion
The Wayward Son
@@Ian JonesI really like Set It Off, Nightmare is one of my favorite songs.
But I never thought I'd feel this way about the band.
If you like K-pop, I also respect it
But comparing Set it Off with BTS, this offended me a little
Mirage_06
@The Wayward Son Yup same, like you can't just compare a band to a singing group :/
JLee
I'm convinced if there's ever a show where codys not allowed to jump into the crowd he'd probably find some way to do it anyways
erika bollock
When I saw them at the Black Mass tour at my venue there's a VERY strict rule against performers jumping into the crowd so instead of jumping he walked across the crowd,did a trust fall and then crowd surfed back to the front and he didn't get in trouble for it!
erika bollock
+erika bollock I'm not sure if a video of it exists.try looking up Cody Carson walks on crowd(there might be a video of it from a concert where he did it but it may not be from my concert) i personally did not record it bc 1) I was in the front and got walked on so I had to help support him(didn't want to let him fall) and 2) I refuse to record at concerts bc I hate it when ppl sit behind their phones the whole time(I rather live in the moment)
erika bollock
+Sky Schmidt everyone was so into it even if they weren't fans as he was an opener. There was always hands on his feet/legs to keep him going. And he was still singing while doing all this it was crazy.i barely knew of set it off then(love them now) but I thought he was crazy. He was holding the mic in one hand and would reach out with the other hand for someone to grab it to help him balance then he just said "trust fall" and went down on his back and crowd surfed. There's actually some parts in this video where you can see him standing in the crowd with everyone supporting him