Sideways
Travis Meadows Lyrics
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Mend every fence I drove my hard head through
Re-lock all the doors I wish I never opened
Unlearn the things I wish I never knew
And it came out through the bottle
It came out through my fists
It came out way too early
I wish it never did
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Bitter roads turn into highways
Push it down it comes out sideways
I have days where it's just nose above water
Keep it together while I fall apart
I have moments when I act just like my father
The only man that ever broke my heart
And it comes out in my silence
Sometimes unwanted tears
Comes out disguised as anger but it's really fear
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Bitter roads turn into highways
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Travis Meadows's song "Sideways" captures the idea that our emotions have a way of leaking out, even when we try to suppress them. In the first verse, Meadows sings about the things he wishes he could undo, including breaking fences, opening doors he shouldn't have, and learning things he wishes he hadn't. He acknowledges that his negative emotions came out through the bottle and his fists, saying that he wished they never did. The chorus reiterates the idea that pushing emotions down only causes them to come out in unintended ways, like coming out sideways. The bitter roads turning into highways can be seen as a metaphor for how our repressed emotions can manifest in our lives and keep us stuck on a negative path.
In the second verse, Meadows acknowledges that there are days where he feels like he is barely keeping his head above water, trying to hold it together while feeling like falling apart. He also confronts the fact that he can sometimes act like his father, who was the only man that ever broke his heart. This verse again emphasizes that emotions come out in unexpected ways, sometimes even disguised as anger when it's really just fear.
Line by Line Meaning
If I could buy myself a conscience that wasn't broken
I wish I could get a new conscience that is not flawed and could function properly.
Mend every fence I drove my hard head through
I wish I could undo all the damage I caused during my stubborn moments.
Re-lock all the doors I wish I never opened
I hope I could just close out and forget all my past mistakes that I regret opening up to.
Unlearn the things I wish I never knew
I wish I could unknow some things that hurt me or do not benefit me.
And it came out through the bottle
I used alcohol to cope with the emotional baggage I carried.
It came out through my fists
I lashed out violently as a result of my emotional pain.
It came out way too early
My emotions surfaced prematurely, and I was not ready to face them yet.
I wish it never did
I regret expressing my emotions in such a destructive way.
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Suppressing my emotions will only lead to it manifesting itself negatively in other ways.
Bitter roads turn into highways
The longer I keep my emotions bottled up, the more intense it becomes and harder to deal with.
I have days where it's just nose above water
Some days, I am barely able to keep it together in the midst of all the turmoil.
Keep it together while I fall apart
I try to maintain composure while internally breaking down.
I have moments when I act just like my father
Sometimes, I exhibit the same negative behaviors my father demonstrated towards me, despite my effort not to.
The only man that ever broke my heart
My father was the only man to have hurt me deeply in the past.
And it comes out in my silence
I struggle to express my pent-up emotions during quiet times, when expected to speak up.
Sometimes unwanted tears
I cry unintentionally when my emotions suddenly overwhelm me.
Comes out disguised as anger but it's really fear
I may appear angry but it is actually rooted in my fear of being hurt again.
Contributed by Aaron T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sagar98640
If I could buy myself a conscience that wasn't broken
Mend every fence I drove my hard head through
Re-lock all the doors I wish I never opened
Unlearn the things I wish I never knew
And it came out through the bottle
It came out through my fists
It came out way too early
I wish it never did
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Bitter roads turn into highways
Push it down it comes out sideways
I have days where it's just nose above water
Keep it together while I fall apart
I have moments when I act just like my father
The only man that ever broke my heart
And it comes out in my silence
Sometimes unwanted tears
Comes out disguised as anger but it's really fear
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Push it down, it comes out sideways
Bitter roads turn into highways
Push it down, it comes out sideways
@majorpayton
Michael Palmisano brought me here and I'm damn glad he did.
@coloaten6682
Me too! :)
@joeysonner2158
Me too brother
@sharlonbarnes8977
Me to. Awful glad.
@joeysonner2158
His song..."cut me i bleed the blues" with him and that harmonica legit made me tear up. This dude is as legit as they come. One of my favs
@814Taylor
Same here
@juliamckenzie5361
Here after watching Michael Palmisano’s amazing reaction and analysis … and thank you to subscriber Fred S for making this wonderful song better known!
@timkinley1779
Same here. Bishop Gun and Leon Bridges fell into my collection in the same manner.
@jasonlawn3923
Yep.
@wg4652
Found this the same way.