Sublime with Rome performed their first gig together in February 2009 near Gaugh's home in Nevada, followed by an appearance at Cypress Hill's Smokeout Festival in San Bernadino that October. On April 20, 2010, the band embarked on their first-ever US tour with dates going into that fall. After positive reaction on the road, Sublime with Rome released a debut album on Fueled By Ramen records in July 2011.
In December 2011, Bud Gaugh revealed in an interview that he would be leaving Sublime With Rome and KROQ's Accoustic Christmas would be his last show. He saying he wanted to go home and spend more time with his family. He later went on to say "It was really good for the first few months, after that, it just felt wrong. Not playing the songs but playing them with the name Sublime, without Brad." When asked if he saw the band reuniting in the future Gaugh replied "No, I am done with SWR. I would be into playing music with Eric Wilson, however." He was replaced by Josh Freese.
You Better Listen
Sublime with Rome Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And break apart the everything that makes me man
So I want you to leave
If I ever want to restore my sanity, oh
Baby look at me, I'm the fool
I tear myself in two,
Oh oh the vision of me and you
Every time you come around, girl you got me thinking
That I'm gonna loose it
And every time I talk to you, you better listen
'Cause you need to choose between,
The things that will lift you up, and will break you down
Oh, baby don't you know, yeah, yeah
Just listen to the words that I got to say
You wanna do it your own,
And go about it your way
I don't suggest that you, walk that path alone
You don't have the protection or the knowledge, girl
To prevent you from the bad harm of the world
I wanna say that you're, more than welcome to leave with me
Oh, but, now baby don't you know your man's a fool, ba-na-na-na
Tear myself in two, for the vision of lovin' you
Hey, every time you come around, girl you got me thinking
I'm gonna loose it
Every time I talk to you, you better listen
'Cause you need me to choose between
The things that will lift you up and will break you down
Oh, baby don't you know, yeah, yeah
Stop, wait, and slow down a minute, you're moving too fast baby
Stop, wait, and slow down a minute, you're movin', you wanna
Don't you wanna just, slow it down, for the sake of your mercy girl?
Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you wanna slow it down?
Now you know
Every time I talk to you, you better listen
'Cause you need to choose between
The things that will lift you up, and will wither your soul
'Cause girl you'd better know now
Every time I talk to you, you better listen
'Cause you need to choose between,
The things that will lift you up, and will wither your soul
'Cause girl you'd better know now
Every time I talk to you, you better listen
'Cause girl you'd better choose what is right for you baby
The lyrics of Sublime with Rome's song "You Better Listen" expresses the internal and emotional struggle of the singer in his relationship with his significant other. The song depicts the individual's attempts to weigh in on the positive and negative aspects of his relationship, ultimately wanting to restore his sanity by leaving his lover behind. The line "you take on me and break apart the everything that makes me man" signifies how the singer's relationship with his lover is taking a toll on his masculine persona and power. He is aware that his love for her is tearing him apart and he needs to distance himself to heal.
The chorus emphasizes the importance of listening to what the singer has to say, as he warns his significant other to choose wisely for herself. He says that he tears himself apart for the vision of their love, but his lover needs to face a decision that will either lift her up or break her down. The repeated line "every time I talk to you, you better listen" is a plea for his lover's attention and a suggestion to approach their relationship with more caution and wisdom.
In the second verse, the singer suggests that his lover cannot go down the path she's chosen alone. He points out the dangers associated with taking this path and invites her to join him, albeit commenting on his foolishness for loving her despite the harm that may come from their relationship.
Overall, "You Better Listen" is about the internal conflict that the singer experiences when he is torn between love and reason. It tells the story of how he realizes that his love for his partner is self-destructive and how he eventually convinces himself to move on in search of his own sanity.
Line by Line Meaning
You take on me
You accept me and become a part of my life
And break apart the everything that makes me man
And destroy everything that defines me as a person
So I want you to leave
So I want you to go away from my life
If I ever want to restore my sanity, oh
If I ever want to feel sane again
Baby look at me, I'm the fool
I am foolish for being attached to you
I tear myself in two,
I am torn between my feelings for you and my own sanity
Oh oh the vision of me and you
The fantasy of us together
Baby don't you know
Don't you realize
Every time you come around, girl you got me thinking
Every time you're near me, you make me believe
That I'm gonna loose it
That I will lose control of myself
And every time I talk to you, you better listen
You better pay attention to what I have to say
'Cause you need to choose between,
Because you have to make a decision
The things that will lift you up, and will break you down
Things that will either make you happy or bring you down
Oh, baby don't you know, yeah, yeah
Oh, don't you understand
Just listen to the words that I got to say
Just hear me out
You wanna do it your own,
You want to do things your way
And go about it your way
And do it in your own unique style
I don't suggest that you, walk that path alone
I don't advise you to do it alone
You don't have the protection or the knowledge, girl
You don't have enough experience or wisdom
To prevent you from the bad harm of the world
To shield you from the evils of the world
I wanna say that you're, more than welcome to leave with me
I want to tell you that you are welcome to come with me if you want to
Oh, but, now baby don't you know your man's a fool, ba-na-na-na
But you should know that I am acting foolishly when it comes to you
Tear myself in two, for the vision of lovin' you
I am splitting myself in two because of my desire to love you
Hey, every time you come around, girl you got me thinking
Every time you're close, you create thoughts in my mind
I'm gonna loose it
I will lose my grip on my emotions
Stop, wait, and slow down a minute, you're moving too fast baby
Stop and take a moment, you're rushing things too much
Stop, wait, and slow down a minute, you're movin', you wanna
Stop, wait, and take a breather, you are hurrying up, do you want to slow down?
Don't you wanna just, slow it down, for the sake of your mercy girl?
Don't you want to take it slow for the sake of your own well-being?
Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you wanna slow it down?
Do you not want to take it slow?
Now you know
Now you understand
Every time I talk to you, you better listen
Pay attention to what I have to say
'Cause you need to choose between
You have to make a decision
The things that will lift you up, and will wither your soul
Things that will either make you happy or harm your soul
'Cause girl you'd better know now
Because you should understand now
Every time I talk to you, you better listen
You better pay attention to what I'm saying
'Cause girl you'd better choose what is right for you baby
You better choose what is best for you, girl
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BUD GAUGH, BUD GRAUGH, ERIC WILSON, LOUIS RICHARDS, ROMAN RAMIREZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sharissa Nasution
You take on me
And break apart the everything that makes me man
So I want you to leave
If I ever want to restore my sanity, oh
Baby look at me, I'm the fool
I tear myself in two, for the vision of me and you
Baby don't you know
Every time you come around, girl you got me thinking
That I'm gonna loose it
And every time I talk to you, you better listen
Cause you need to choose between,
The things that will lift you up, and will break you down
Oh, baby don't you know, yeah
Just listen to the words that I got to say
You want to do it your own,
And go about it your way
I don't suggest that you, walk that path alone
You don't have the protection or the knowledge, girl
To prevent you from the bad harm of the world
I wanna say that you're, more than welcome to leave with me.
Oh.
But, now baby don't you know your man's a fool
I tear myself in two, for the vision of lovin' you
Every time you come around, girl you got me thinking
I'm gonna loose it
And every time I talk to you, you better listen
Cause you need to choose between,
The things that will lift you up, and will break you down
Oh, baby don't you know, yeah
Stop, wait, slow down a minute, you're moving too fast baby.
Stop, wait, slow down a minute, you're movin'
Don't you wanna just, slow it down, for the sake of your mercy girl?
Don't you, don't you, don't you wanna slow it down?
Now you know
Every time I talk to you, you better listen
Cause you need to choose between,
The things that will lift you up, and will wither your soul
Cause girl you'd better know now
Every time I talk to you, you better listen
Cause you need to choose between,
The things that will lift you up, and will wither your soul
Cause girl you'd better know now
Every time I talk to you, you better listen
Cause girl you'd better choose what is right for you baby.
Ida T.
Rome is incredibly talented. I understand the gravitation towards Brad Nowell because of his rough and raw sound but i think everyone needs to understand that Rome isn't trying to imitate Brad, he just happens to mesh well with the remaining members of sublime so his talent shouldn't go unnoticed.
EC IS Here
no doubt, i agree.People always gotta make an issue.
Shelby Taylor Vlogs and Nonsense Time
I mean obviously Sublime before Rome is always going to be classic, but I actually really like them with Rome, too. It's different, but I still really enjoy the vibe.
That Girl
true
Nalikey
Shelby Taylor They're so good live and Rome does an amazing job at replicating Bradley's style.
Victor M
Shelby Taylor i have seen them preform twice :D better than never seeing the original band
Aaron Stafford
I agree wholeheartedly.
Snowbound Cody
+Shelby Taylor Totally prefer rome !!!
Cris Morgan
I cant imagine meeting a bigger sublime fan than me. Ive had to of heard every live recording/interview/answering machine message from Bradley.
and yet, I still really dig sublime with rome.
Dudes a badass singer and living the dream of every sublime fan that plays an instrument. People are haters. Romes dope. Bradley is God. RIP
matthew placencia
Cris Morgan there’s only 1 god. Let’s get that straight