I Am Fred Astaire
Taking Back Sunday Lyrics


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I'm under the assumption that I'm gonna be the one that's leaving you
Tonight
Oh, tonight

Well, I flipped every switch
That I could find on my way out
Just to upset you more (just to keep you busy)
just to make you angry (just because you were right)
Just because you were

All tired
Scream, safe haven
Lets get this out and on the table
Fast forward to, say, four o' clock,
I'm keeping time,
I'm holdin',
We're always holdin' (always holdin)
We're always holdin, holding out
And that's what got us here in the first place,
We should have never come here alone
(we should have never bothered at all), bothered at all

Scream older and wiser
Still filled with resentment
We get it, we get it
(i haven't been happier since)
Older and wiser
Still filled with resentment
We get it, we get it
(I haven't been happier, no, I haven't been happier, not since)

Five o' clock the floor caught fire with footsteps (my footsteps)
And spread like a disease to the door
I'm stuttering through it but I hear it's
Good to stick to what you know.
And you know the whole lot of this
All could have been avoided
When you were court side for this nightmare
Well since then I got myself
Come and listen

Scream older and wiser
Still filled with resentment
We get it, we get it
(I haven't been happier since)
Older and wiser
Still filled with resentment
We get it, we get it
(I haven't been happier, no, I haven't been happier, not since)

Well, we used to get so much more
(I used to, I used to too)




It used to take so much more
(I used to, I used to, I used to)

Overall Meaning

In Taking Back Sunday's song I Am Fred Astaire, the singer is expressing that they feel it's inevitable that they will be the one to leave their partner that night. They describe flipping every switch they could find on their way out, seemingly doing their best to upset their partner and make them angry, even though their partner was right. The singer acknowledges that they are always holding out on something, which is what got them into their current situation. They regret coming to this point, saying that they should never have bothered being in a relationship at all.


As the song progresses into the chorus, the singer screams that they are older and wiser but still filled with resentment. They seem to understand that their relationship has come to an end and that their previous efforts to make things work were ultimately a failure. The floor catching fire with footsteps can be interpreted as the singer's haste to leave, and they acknowledge that sticking to what they know is good advice. However, the singer ends the song by noting that they used to get so much more and that it used to take so much more, perhaps indicating that they have changed over time and this relationship is no longer what they want or need.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm under the assumption that I'm gonna be the one that's leaving you, Tonight, Oh, tonight
I believe that I will be the one to end things between us, and it will happen tonight


Well, I flipped every switch, That I could find on my way out, Just to upset you more (just to keep you busy), just to make you angry (just because you were right), Just because you were
I purposely caused chaos and frustration on my way out to make you feel worse about the situation, even though you were in the right


All tired, Scream, safe haven, Lets get this out and on the table, Fast forward to, say, four o' clock, I'm keeping time, I'm holdin', We're always holdin' (always holdin), We're always holdin, holding out, And that's what got us here in the first place, We should have never come here alone (we should have never bothered at all), bothered at all
We are exhausted and need to confront our issues in a safe space. We are stuck in a cycle of holding back and avoiding our problems, which is what led to our current troubles. We should have never tried to tackle these problems alone in the first place


Scream older and wiser, Still filled with resentment, We get it, we get it (i haven't been happier since), Older and wiser Still filled with resentment, We get it, we get it (I haven't been happier, no, I haven't been happier, not since)
We have matured and learned from our mistakes, but still harbor negative feelings towards each other. We acknowledge this, but I can't help feeling better now that we're apart


Five o' clock the floor caught fire with footsteps (my footsteps), And spread like a disease to the door, I'm stuttering through it but I hear it's, Good to stick to what you know, And you know the whole lot of this, All could have been avoided, When you were court side for this nightmare, Well since then I got myself, Come and listen
As I was leaving, I caused a commotion that affected the entire room. Despite my uncertainty, it's better to stick to what I know. This whole mess could have been avoided if you had supported me from the beginning. But now I am taking care of myself and moving on


Well, we used to get so much more (I used to, I used to too), It used to take so much more (I used to, I used to, I used to)
Our relationship used to be stronger and require more effort to maintain




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ADAM BURBANK LAZZARA, EDWARD REYES, FREDERICK PAUL MASCHERINO, MARK O'CONNELL, MATTHEW A. RUBANO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@lunavigil6100

I've delved into alot of music since finding this, but nothing hits the emptiness quite like this song does.

@notgoodgamer5990

I agree

@davidentendu

I always come back to this song to realize how amazing it is all over again. TBS fucking owns and you know it!

@Laughingjack178

Fred era tbs was so good

@FredAsta1re

Awesome song. Out of all my favourite bands, TBS are only one of two bands that don't have a single song i dislike

@ISawHaleysComet

What;s the other band?

@dg-2105

Yes yes and get out of my head 😁

@christianrobinson1761

FredAsta1re who’s the other?

@FredAsta1re

@@christianrobinson1761 Hard to get back into my mind from 7 years ago but fairly sure i was big into Muse at the time

@dennis_burgess

Lol what about now?

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