The genesis of Australian-bred, California-based hard rock outfit Sick Pupp… Read Full Bio ↴The genesis of Australian-bred, California-based hard rock outfit Sick Puppies dates back to a 1997 meeting between founding members Shimon Moore (vocals/guitar) and Emma Anzai (bass/vocals) in a suburban Sydney band room. Within ten years, the two high school friends who bonded over a mutual love for Silverchair would find mainstream commercial success on an entirely different continent. With original drummer Chris Mileski, Sick Puppies made their debut with the self-released Dog's Breakfast EP, followed two years later by their first album, Welcome to the Real World. One of the album's songs, "Nothing Really Matters" won the 2011 Triple J Unearthed competition, which showcases homegrown and undiscovered talent. A chance 2004 meeting with Australian performance artist Juan Mann would later prove to be the band's big break. Inspired by his "Free Hugs Campaign," Moore began filming the candid reactions as Mann carried his sandwich board around a street mall offering free hugs to anyone who took him up on it. After adding Sick Puppies' song "All the Same" to the video montage, Moore sent the video to Mann, who uploaded it to YouTube in 2006. By the end of that year the heartwarming video had netted ten-million views.

By this point, the band had relocated to America -- with Mileski replaced by new drummer Mark Goodwin -- and soon landed a deal with Virgin Records. Sick Puppies' sophomore LP, Dressed Up as Life, arrived in April of 2007. The exposure brought to them by the Free Hugs video helped the single "All the Same" reach number eight on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. Their second U.S. single, "My World," also reached number 20 on the Modern Rock chart and was followed by three more singles in 2008. Working with American production team Rock Mafia, Sick Puppies' delivered their third album, Tri-Polar, in 2009, which rose to number 31 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Less than a year later, they released the EP Live & Unplugged, which contained acoustic versions of songs from the album. A second companion EP, this one called Polar Opposite and also containing acoustic versions of songs from Tri-Polar, appeared in 2011. Produced again by Rock Mafia, their fourth album, Connect, fared even better, reaching number 17 on the Top 200 in the summer of 2013. In spite of their rising success, Connect would prove to be their last album with founding member Moore, who left the band in late 2014. Within days of this announcement, Anzai was approached by Texas-born singer and guitarist Bryan Scott, whose audition tape quickly landed him the job as Moore's replacement. The new lineup began writing and recording material for their fourth album, teasing with a new single, "Stick to Your Guns," in early 2016.

- compiled by Timothy Monger & David Jeffries, Rovi (from MTV artists 2016)

What Are You Looking For
Sick Puppies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I walk the line of the disappointed
I celebrate when I'm in pain
My heart and mind can be disjointed
And I built a bed in this hole I made

I recognize that I'm damaged
I sympathize that you are too
But I wanna breathe without feelin' so self-conscious

But it's hard when the world's starin' at you

Another piece of the puzzle, it doesn't fit
You throw your arms up, you're so fuckin' sick of it
What are you working for? What are you searching for?
Love

You won't be thinkin' of causes
You're on your death bed and dyin'
You'll only be thinkin' of what you are paying for
What you are praying for, love

You join the line of the getting richer
You keep your face but it's moving slow
You are defined by all that you have hoarded
But you're surprised it doesn't fill up the hole

Another piece of the puzzle, it doesn't fit
You throw your arms up, you're so fuckin' sick of it
What are you coping for? What are you hoping for?
Love

You won't be thinkin' of causes
You're on your death bed and dyin'
You'll only be thinkin' of what you are paying for
What you are praying for, love

I'll never be what I see on the TV screen
I just keep dreaming of what I'm never gonna be
I can't think of a better way to waste my time than try

Another piece of the puzzle, it doesn't fit
You throw your arms up, you're so fuckin' sick of it
What are you hurting for? What are you searching for?
Love, love, love, love

You won't be thinkin' of causes
You're on your death bed and dyin'
You'll only be thinkin' of what you are paying for
What you are praying for, love, love, love, love

You won't be thinkin' of causes
You're on your death bed and dyin'

You'll only be thinkin' of what are you workin' for
What are you waitin' for?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sick Puppies' "What Are You Looking For" convey a sense of disillusionment and disappointment with the world. The songwriter addresses personal feelings of disjointedness, self-consciousness, and a sense of being damaged. Meanwhile, it seems as though society is placing too much importance on material possessions, power, and wealth. The line "You are defined by all that you have hoarded" reflects this message. The singer encourages a focus on love, rather than these outwardly successful traits, as seen in the repeated refrain "What are you working for? What are you searching for? Love."

The lyrics also bring to light the idea of impermanence and the importance of appreciating what is truly valuable in life. The lines "You won't be thinking of causes, You're on your death bed and dyin', You'll only be thinking of what you are paying for, What you are praying for, love" suggest that, in the end, our priorities may be different from what we once believed to be significant. The song ultimately encourages listeners to reevaluate their priorities and focus on what truly matters.

Line by Line Meaning

I walk the line of the disappointed
I often feel disappointed in life and experience it frequently.

I celebrate when I'm in pain
I often feel happiness when something difficult has been conquered.

My heart and mind can be disjointed
I often feel like my emotions and thoughts aren't in sync.

And I built a bed in this hole I made
I'm stuck in this bad place I made for myself and it's comfortable for me.

I recognize that I'm damaged
I understand that there are parts of me that have been permanently affected.

I sympathize that you are too
I understand and feel sorry for those who have been hurt like me.

But I wanna breathe without feelin' so self-conscious
I want to feel free and get away from worrying constantly about what people think of me.

But it's hard when the world's starin' at you
It's difficult to let go of self-consciousness when everyone around you is paying attention to you.

Another piece of the puzzle, it doesn't fit
I keep searching for something and trying to put together the pieces but still feel unsure.

You throw your arms up, you're so fuckin' sick of it
You give up and feel very frustrated and tired of trying.

What are you working for? What are you searching for?
What's your motivation for what you do, and what are you looking to gain ultimately?

You won't be thinkin' of causes
On your death bed, you won't be focused on the reason things happened.

You'll only be thinkin' of what you are paying for
You'll only be focused on what you have given and received in life and relationships.

Love
Love is what everyone really seeks, despite material wealth or worldly goods.

You join the line of the getting richer
You fall in line with those who prioritize wealth gain.

You keep your face but it's moving slow
You aren't showing the effects of this pursuit on the outside, but it's not fulfilling you very quickly.

You are defined by all that you have hoarded
What you have collected determines you and your worth according to society.

But you're surprised it doesn't fill up the hole
You're disappointed when the things you thought would make you happy are not enough.

What are you coping for? What are you hoping for?
What is your strategy for handling life, and what are you looking for long-term?

I'll never be what I see on the TV screen
I cannot meet the standards of media representation and society's expectations.

I just keep dreaming of what I'm never gonna be
Despite this, I continue to have dreams and aspirations that may never come to fruition.

I can't think of a better way to waste my time than try
Even though it seems pointless, I can't think of anything better to do than to aim for what I want.

What are you hurting for? What are you searching for?
What is causing you emotional pain, and what do you hope to find ultimately?

Love, love, love, love
Love is not just something I want, it's something that's very necessary and important to have.

You'll only be thinkin' of what are you workin' for
On your death bed, you'll be only thinking of what you worked for in life.

What are you waitin' for?
What are you hoping will happen in the future?

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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