I never knew
I never knew that everything was fallin' through
That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue
To turn and run when all I needed was the truth
But that's how it's gotta be
It's comin' down to nothin' more than apathy
I'd rather run the other way than stay and see
The smoke and who's still standing when it clears

And everyone knows I'm in
Over my head, over my head
Eight seconds left in overtime
She's on your mind, she's on your mind

Let's rearrange
I wish you were a stranger, I could disengage
Just say that we agree and then never change
Soften a bit until we all just get along
But that's disregard
Find another friend, and you discard
As you lose the argument in a cable car
Hanging above as the canyon comes between

And everyone knows I'm in
Over my head, over my head
With eight seconds left in overtime
She's on your mind, she's on your mind
Everyone knows I'm in
Over my head, over my head
With eight seconds left in overtime
She's on your mind, she's on, on

And suddenly I become a part of your past
I'm becoming the part that don't last
I'm losing you, and it's effortless
Without a sound
We lose sight of the ground in the throw around
Never thought that you wanted to bring it down
I won't let it go down 'til we torch it ourselves

And everyone knows I'm in
Over my head, over my head
With eight seconds left in overtime
She's on your mind, she's on your mind
Everyone knows
That she's on your mind
Everyone knows I'm in over my head
I'm in over my head
I'm over my

Everyone knows I'm in
Over my head, over my head
With eight seconds left in overtime
She's on your mind, she's on your mind


Lyrics submitted by Raptor98

Over My Head (Cable Car) Lyrics as written by Joseph A King Isaac Edward Slade

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Over My Head (Cable Car) song meanings
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231 Comments

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  • +14
    General Comment

    I think that this song is about a guy who wants to be with this girl, but he knows that it is not a possibility and that no mater what he does he know that he will become "part of her past", and despite all this he still hangs on, even though he is over his head and has no chance he still cant help but to think of her ever moment, even with 8 seconds left in the game there she is on his mind. that is what i thank anyways.

    buchoson March 05, 2006   Link
  • +9
    General Comment

    "I'm losing you and its effortless" Amazing.

    killstaron December 13, 2005   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    its about letting go and holding on to a possibility that you can still be with the one that got away

    lacunacoil86on March 22, 2006   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    I never cared that much about this song, although I liked it. Tonight it took on a whole new meaning.

    I'd rather run the other way than stay and see The smoke and who's still standing when it clears Everyone knows I'm in Over my head

    I'm so fucking sick of of "friends" that you can't tell if you can trust or not. I'm so much better than some of these people and all they care about it their fucking reputation. And if people learned to look beyond that fakeness they would know the people that are real and will be good for them in the end.

    EarnYourWingson April 09, 2006   Link
  • +8
    My Interpretation

    I know this song is about his brother, but I interpret it as a really hard break up where there's no one there for him.

    I never knew I never knew that everything was falling through That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue To turn and run when all I needed was the truth

    [As soon as he broke up with the girlfriend everyone just fled, no one wanted anything to do with him, it's like - fair weather friends, when everything is good they're there, but when it's bad they all flee.]

    But that's how it's got to be It's coming down to nothing more than apathy I'd rather run the other way than stay and see The smoke and who's still standing when it clears

    [He accepts the fact that they're are gonna be fake friends in life, and basically he says that he's learned that nothing can help that, but he also wants to see who's really his friend, and who's gonna still be there when things are bad.]

    Everyone knows I'm in Over my head With eight seconds left in overtime She's on your mind

    [Everyone knows that he's obviously still thinking about this girlfriend, and it's pushing them away because she's all he thinks about.]

    Let's rearrange I wish you were a stranger I could disengage Say that we agree and then never change Soften a bit until we all just get along

    [He wishes that he could just get rid of all thoughts of this girlfriend and forget about her (disengage0, and say that they agree on their break up, and that they can be just friends, but they know that it won't happen]

    But that's disregard Find another friend and you discard As you lose the argument in a cable car Hanging above as the canyon comes between

    [They know it'll never happen, and he is afraid that she will find a new lover, and they're arguing about it]

    Everyone knows I'm in Over my head With eight seconds left in overtime She's on your mind

    [Same as before]

    And suddenly I become a part of your past I'm becoming the part that don't last I'm losing you and its effortless

    [So they break up, and he's a part of her past, and it's clear he's not gonna be in her life again, so without any effort they're just done.]

    Without a sound we lose sight of the ground In the throw around Never thought that you wanted to bring it down I won't let it go down till we torch it ourselves

    [They lose sight of what made them fall in love in the first place, and he never thought she wanted to break up.]

    Everyone knows I'm in Over my head With eight seconds left in overtime She's on your mind

    [Same as before]

    I know this is a little out there, but I just went through a situation like this so...yeah.

    liljojo204on May 16, 2012   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    When i first heard this song i thought they were tlkin about football! "That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue To turn and run when all I needed was the truth" and "With eight seconds left in overtime She's on your mind" lol i know it seems silly but it made him sound like he was a qb and everyone was waiting for him to dicide what they were doing while everything else was falling through and he felt he was in over his head becasue of the pressure.

    ShowPonieon March 22, 2006   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    I'm not sure this is a breakup song. I think it might be, but I think it more portrays a guy's addiction with a girl.

    "With 8 seconds left in overtime, she's on your mind."

    I think that means that he's in love with this girl so much, that even with 8 seconds left in overtime that determines the outcome of the game, he's still thinking of her. It always makes me think of a guy shooting a free throw shot with 8 seconds left on the clock, his heart pounding, and all he can think of is this girl.

    Maybe I'm totally confused. But either way, this song is amazing.

    kbetrayon March 05, 2006   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I first thought this song was about how a guy's relationship with a girl was disintegrating. The guy is in over his head because he is trying to patch up his relationship with her but it is clear that it is futile.

    "I never knew that everything was falling through"

    This refers to how their relationship is falling apart, but the guy has no idea. He just continues to go about his business without any knowledge that she is hurting.

    "That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue To turn and run when all I needed was the truth"

    This could be describing how all his friends have abandoned him to deal with his girlfriend alone. In reality, all the guy needed was to be told the truth to help this girl, but now it may be too late.

    "But that's how it's got to be It's coming down to nothing more than apathy I'd rather run the other way than stay and see The smoke and who's still standing when it clears"

    Now that it's probably too late to salvage the relationship, the guy becomes apathetic to his fate and decides to run away from his problems with his girlfriend rather than stick around and be caught in the mayhem.

    "Let's rearrange I wish you were a stranger I could disengage Say that we agree and then never change Soften a bit until we all just get along"

    He first wishes that his girlfriend was just a stranger who he could forget about ever knowing. He later proposes that they patch things up and agree to agree until they get along again.

    "But that's disregard Find another friend and you discard As you lose the argument in a cable car Hanging above as the canyon comes between"

    However, the speaker knows it's hopeless because the girl will just find another friend and discard just like she did to him. Now the canyon comes between them.

    "And suddenly I become a part of your past I'm becoming the part that don't last I'm losing you and its effortless Without a sound we lose sight of the ground In the throw around Never thought that you wanted to bring it down I won't let it go down till we torch it ourselves"

    He states emphatically that he is losing the girl and basically says, "let's just burn this whole relationship to the ground now."

    In reality, however, this song is actually about a fight that Isaac (member of the band) had with his brother Caleb (nicknamed "Cable Car") back when Caleb still played bass for the Fray. Isaac wanted Caleb to leave the band because Caleb wasn't so great. I guess I wasn't that far off. This song was about a conflict. It is probably told through Caleb's eyes. "Everything falling through" refers to the band coming apart because of the conflict. Caleb also wishes that someone had just been honest with earlier and told him that they wanted him to leave. He then feels apathetic about the band and resigns himself to run away. The second verse is where Caleb calls out the rest of the band and says that they will find a new bass player ("another friend") but will just mistreat him like they did to himself. Caleb is in over his head because he thought he could be a great musician, but it turns out he wasn't good enough.

    TheHurricaneKidon May 08, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    i like this song i heard it today and was like "Awww...how sweet and mellow" It's about wanting to be with the one that got away....how sad

    todie4on April 07, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    just another take...

    I could be about that fragile time right before you get to the relationship where both parties are putting cards out on the table. He's really invested, but she is one of those girls who is too nice to just say no and he thinks she's invested too. "I never knew that everything was falling through That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue To turn and run when all I needed was the truth."

    It may be obvious that he is shooting a little high, which is why "Everyone knows I'm in over my head."

    "I wish you were a stranger I could disengage"... he wishes he could blow her off like she is blowing him off, and not be hurt.

    "With eight seconds left in overtime"...It appears that he may still have a small chance depending on what sport he is thinking of. 8 seconds is still enough to make a shot in basketball.

    "She's on your mind"... This could be a 3rd party. Another has entered the picture and he doesn't stand a chance.

    Basically, it's about a guy getting jerked around by a girl who was too nice to just say no.

    duellynotedon April 26, 2006   Link

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