The All-American Rejects are an Americ… Read Full Bio ↴Stillwater OK, United States
The All-American Rejects are an American pop rock band that formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in the late 1990s by high school friends Tyson Ritter (on vocals, bass, piano) and Nick Wheeler (lead guitar, vocals and keys). Other current members are Chris Gaylor (on drums and percussion) and Mike Kennerty (rhythm guitar and vocals). They released their first independent album in the spring of 2000, and eventually built up a large local fanbase.
In the summer of 2001, the Rejects released the EP Same Girl, New Songs and began to tour the American Midwest. By the tour’s end, the band had signed a contract with Doghouse Records, the label of such bands as River City High and The Get Up Kids.
In 2002 the Rejects recorded their international debut album. From this album came the single Swing, Swing for which the Rejects were first known.
In 2005, The All-American Rejects released their new album, Move Along. This album features the song Dirty Little Secret, which was the first single. Their music video for the song features postcards from the book “Post Secret” by Frank Warren. The second release from the album was Move Along, recognised by its far from ordinary video, followed by It Ends Tonight which got some publicity from being featured on the third season of the MTV show, Laguna Beach. They also appeared in the TV series ‘Smallville’ where they played It Ends Tonight on the party of Lex Luthor. Before that, you also heard their songs Swing, Swing and Dirty Little Secret on the same show.
Real World
The All American Rejects Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought it was a dream
At first we learned to walk
Then learned to scream
You can't understand
When you're fed from a TV screen
You can't see the things that I can see
Some things just never stay
And we all just slip away
This cant be the real world now
I don't believe it
When I can't see the truth
Welcome to the real world now
When all our carried in now just to poison you
Am I
The only one who thinks it's tragic?
This cant be the real world now
No oh uh no oh
I look for some hope in every face that has a vacant stare
The shadows come but no one seems to care
The darkness floods every light that promised change
She passed sound asleep when the blood is stain the blood is pain
Somewhere I know that I'm not all alone
This bated breath I hold
My lungs want to explode
This cant be the real world now
I don't believe it
When I can't see the truth
Welcome to the real world now
When all our carried in now just to poison you
Am I
The only one who thinks it's tragic?
This cant be the real world now
No oh uh no oh
Just as soon as we see every floor in every mean will understand
Before the first time
Child to a mans only real words that he can
Its too late to smell the roses
When all emotions set aside
In a whisper say goodbye
This cant be the real world now
I don't believe it
When I can't see the truth
Welcome to the real world now
When all our carried in now just to poison you
Am I
The only one who thinks it's tragic?
This cant be the real world now
No oh uh no oh
This cant be the real world
This cant be the real world
This cant be the real world now
No oh uh no oh
The song "Real World" by The All-American Rejects is about feeling disillusioned and disconnected from the rest of the world. The song describes waking up and feeling like he is living in a dream or a nightmare. He then reflects on how he and others have been conditioned by the messages they receive from television, unable to see the world beyond what they are shown. He feels that he sees things differently than those around him, but he forgets that others pray and feel grateful for their lives. He then laments the tragedy of how people can't see the pain around them in a world where they carry in poison, with no one caring or noticing. He reflects on how the world changes and how we grow up from childhood to adulthood, and finally the song concludes by repeating that this can’t be the real world.
The chorus repeats the phrase "this can't be the real world now," which underscores the feeling of confusion and disorientation that the singer is experiencing. This feeling is strengthened by the use of metaphors throughout the song, such as “the shadows come but no one seems to care” and “the darkness floods every light that promised change.” These phrases help illustrate how the singer feels stifled and trapped in a world that doesn’t make sense to him, and highlight that the real world can't be this bleak and harsh.
Overall, The All-American Rejects use "Real World" to describe the difficulty of living in a world where people are too consumed by their own lives and problems to worry about the larger issues that affect society as a whole. It's a song about feeling like an outsider, but also feeling frustrated that the world is the way it is.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up on this side
I woke up and realized what's happening in the world.
I thought it was a dream
It's hard to believe what's happening in the world.
At first we learned to walk
We learn basic things in life first.
Then learned to scream
We learn to express ourselves and our emotions.
You can't understand
It's hard to understand if you only rely on media.
When you're fed from a TV screen
If you only get information from TV, it's not always truthful.
You can't see the things that I can see
People who don't look deeper can't see the real issues.
But I forget that you thank god and pray
Some people rely on a higher power to make sense of the world.
Some things just never stay
The things in the world are always changing.
And we all just slip away
We all eventually leave the world.
This cant be the real world now
It's hard to believe this is the world we live in.
I don't believe it
It's hard to accept the reality of the world.
When I can't see the truth
It's hard to see what's really happening in the world.
Welcome to the real world now
This is the real world we live in.
When all our carried in now just to poison you
Everything we consume can be destructive to our health.
Am I
Asking a question.
The only one who thinks it's tragic?
Asking if others see the tragedy that's happening in the world.
No oh uh no oh
Expressing disbelief and sadness about the situation.
I look for some hope in every face that has a vacant stare
Trying to find optimism in the people who look uninterested.
The shadows come but no one seems to care
The darkness comes, but people don't seem to acknowledge it.
The darkness floods every light that promised change
The darkness takes over everything good that was supposed to bring change.
She passed sound asleep when the blood is stain the blood is pain
People often turn a blind eye to things that cause pain.
Somewhere I know that I'm not all alone
Knowing that there are others who understand the situation.
This bated breath I hold
Feeling anxious about what's happening.
My lungs want to explode
Feeling overwhelmed and suffocated by the situation.
Just as soon as we see every floor in every mean will understand
When people look deeper and understand everything, things will change.
Before the first time
Before people get the chance to experience things.
Child to a mans only real words that he can
A man only knows a limited number of words.
Its too late to smell the roses
It's too late to appreciate the beauty of life.
When all emotions set aside
When people become heartless to the world.
In a whisper say goodbye
Leaving the world quietly.
This cant be the real world
Expressing disbelief about the reality of the world.
No oh uh no oh
Expressing disbelief and sadness about the situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NICK WHEELER, TYSON RITTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind