Lyrics for Unwell as interpreted by ruben

Unwell Lyrics
All day
Staring at the ceiling making
Friends with shadows on my wall
All night
I'm hearing voices telling me
That I should get some sleep
Because tomorrow might be good
For something

Hold on
I'm feeling like I'm headed for a
Breakdown
I don't know why

(chorus)
I'm not crazy I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be

See me
Talking to myself in public
And dodging glances on the train
I know
I know they've all been talking 'bout me
I can hear them whisper
And it makes me think there must be something wrong
With me

Out of all the hours thinking
Somehow
I've lost my mind

(chorus)

Talking in my sleep
Pretty soon they'll come to get me
They'll be taking me away

Interaction
Mail to a friend Send Lyrics to a Friend
Share on Facebook

Stumble It
Add to Del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us




  • 110 Comments
  • Printer Friendly Lyrics
oldest first     Expand All
Heather200408
12-03-2007

Rated 0 
social anxiety disorder

Log in to reply
David6.net
12-21-2007

Rated 0 
Well This Song Is Starting To Grow On Me again. A Few Years Ago It Was Wat To Over Played.

Log in to reply
Eddie9107
12-28-2007

Rated 0 
I know it prob wrong but i think its about him saying to his gf or the girl he likes that he may seem crazy at that time but just wait a little longer and you will see the other side of me.

I kind of think that because its on the girls myspace that i like and basically how she acts kind of shows that. Oh well, probably wrong.

Log in to reply
hollylolly
01-01-2008

Rated 0 
i agree with heather compleatly . He is just saying i am messed up and i know i am causing it ...Also if you get to know him he isn't so "crazy" acting because his aniexty is leaving because he now knows you ...Also sounds like he is trying to get better ...so all the close people who notice how he has changed will be getting the old him back

Log in to reply
hollylolly
01-01-2008

Rated 0 
oh also the last few lines .... maybe i think mean that today i might act better but in the morning i will just be the same the problems will come back

Log in to reply
JemBem5
01-08-2008

Rated 0 
no offence and don't go off at me but this isn't the best matchbox twenty song...... it is soooo overrated! i mean seriously some songs like Kody and Hand me down are way better than this song..... other MBT songs have metaphors and stuff in them which is heaps better than it bein real obvious like this one..... it's a good song but sorry.... listen to Push and 3AM and it will give u something real to think about.....

Log in to reply
quantum_deviant
01-13-2008

Rated 0 
This song is definitely about bipolar. I've actually been thought to have the disorder, and when I heard the song, I immediately thought about what I have to go through with the disorder. I really do think that Rob Thomas might have it - at least it seems to me that a lot of his songs are manic-depressive. Another song that reminded me of my struggles with bipolar is "Bent". I listened to that song, and I was automatically reminded of how I felt frequently. And this isn't to say that those songs were written EXCLUSIVELY about a mental illness, because I really do think that we can all relate to a certain degree to their inner meanings. I mean, we've all gone through relationships that make us question our sanity. Shit, I've gone through enough of those. I think that what makes me respect Rob Thomas the most is the fact that he is not only so talented as a musician, but that he is so willing to share his innermost feelings with us in his songs. And I have always marvelled at the creative abilities which most mucisians have in taking these negative energies and converting them into music. It's really a brilliant form of art, and something that really has fueled me and generated the healing process for me. I think Rob Thomas would have to be among my many influences as a musician and songwriter.

Log in to reply
quantum_deviant
01-13-2008

Rated 0 
just an addendum to one of my other comments: I read somewhere that someone had posted that "Unwell" is about the stigma surrounding mental disorders that has been engendered by the general public, and I would have to agree. I think that Rob Thomas' song certianly demonstrates this and even satirizes it. Which I find to be interesting, as there is a lot of hype about mental disorders that isn't necessarily true. A whole lot of assumptions are made about the mentally ill, to the point where they are ostracized and excluded from society to a point which is tantamount to human rights abuse. Forgive me for sounding too passionate about this, it's just that I was really close to one person who had a mental illness, and he was one of the most brilliant people I've ever met. He had a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar syndrome, which I had no idea could occur at once, but he really was one of the most brilliant people I've met. It's just that he thought on a completely different level than most people, and nobody understood him. When he was clear, and when he was lucid (there were times where he utterly made no sense whatsoever), he actuallly could think on a higher plane than most people. It's just that the stigma surrounding his mental illness was so great that people avoided him. And his mannerisms were so bizzarre that they pushed people away. And it's just a shame that society literally treats these people like they're somehow sub-human. It utterly disgusts me. Because a lot of these people can contribute so much to society if they were only given a chance to demonstrate their brilliance. As to the Rob Thomas songs, I certianly don't see schizophrenia, but bipolar is a definite possibility, as i had discussed previously. However, the lyrics may not necessarily describe any kind of a mental disorder. Moreover, they could be relating to the mere facets of human emotion, and the polarity of emotions in relationships is so dichotomous that every extreme comes out. I think that was the message of his song, "Unwell" and in a lot of his other songs as well.

Log in to reply
perhapspsychology
01-13-2008

Rated 0 
Well, here's the thing... talking to oneself is a sign of high intellegence... I'm going to guess at why (don't quote me, I'm not going to background check this)... When a person does a lot of reading, thinking, etc... they begin to process this info and talk to themselves about it... Like instead of checking thoughts with someone else they check them with themselves because all the info is up there. He also says he's a little "Impaired" Probably alcohol? Alcohol inhibits sleep. Coming off a nice bender is quite the little nightmare. The above comment it interesting... I see things a little bit differently... What if all a mental disorder is is a different way of processing thought... Like I have had different computers with different processors... Also windows vista vs window XP, etc. We all have a different version of the human brain. Perhaps if we began educating people by giving examples we would be better off. I read a lot of philosophy and sometimes people think these ideas up but don't know philosophy and that, in my opinion, is enough to drive anyone nuts. Plus everything is carnal vs mind, this vs that... It's like the tragic hero... Their greatest weakness is their biggest strength... Maybe it's the same for the mind... The more you can do with it the more dangerous it becomes to you?

Log in to reply
Mowthwaush
01-15-2008

Rated 0 
I agree with most people here, though I think it's more about being different than being mentally ill. I kinda understand the lyrics in the song firsthand because I do talk to myself a lot and suffer from chronic insomnia, but that's besides the point.. :p

I just don't think it's one of those achy-heartbreak songs, to be blunt.

Log in to reply
fpoppq
03-11-2008

Rated 0 
honestly i dont think this has anything to do with love. in my opinion it tells the story of a lonely man who is quite paranoid. He seems creepy to everyone around him only because he doesnt like being in public for the paranoia drives him insane. it creates false ideas in his head that everyone is out to get him. Then because of this he acts fairly strange in public places creating a never ending cycle. But since everyone today just goes by initial glance of a person rather than getting to know them. he seems very lonely and is looking for some friends.

Log in to reply
stupidlamb
07-07-2008

Rated 0 
I agree with many of you. I think that others see this person as crazy or having an illness, when really he is just suffering from something like loss of a love, or longing to be with the one he loves. He knows that he is not crazy and he is trying to convince others of this.

Log in to reply
chubs999
07-12-2008

Rated 0 
about a mental illness..
not about being in love you freaks

Log in to reply
russimal
07-30-2008

Rated 0 
Being in recovery from drugs and alcohol, It means to me that I don't feel right with the world, and it doesn't show on the outside. I feel like I am totally crazy, but I'm not, I'm just a little unwell and you can't tell.

The people who have seen me go from normal to screwed up may have reservations about me, but if they hang around me, they see the old me surface again, the one they hung around and liked.

Sometimes I think everyone is looking at me, when in reality they are not; sometimes I feel like I am heading for a breakdown, when I am just feeling sad and don't know how to deal with it.

I sometimes wonder if bent and unwell are recovery related or if it's just accidental .... or if the same struggles I have with life are the same ones everyone else have, I just used drugs and alcohol to cope.

I'm not as nuts as I think I am

Log in to reply
russimal
07-30-2008

Rated 0 
I also think maybe that it describes how our imagination and reality can get distorted together, and everybody goes through that

Log in to reply
dark_eyez_666
08-21-2008

Rated 0 
paranoia.

Log in to reply
unwell
10-12-2008

Rated 0 
this song actually describes perfectly how you feel when you're depressed, you are afraid that people think you're crazy and don't want to be with you. But it also say's "but stay "But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me" that shows that like all illnesses, you will feel better again in time. I am suffering from depression myself and this song always meant so much to me, because it describes how I feel and gives me hope that I will be better some day

Log in to reply
Cest-La-Vie
12-14-2008

Rated 0 
Same for me, 'Unwell', Not so much this week, but earlier on. Especially a few months ago. I would listen to this song and it just hit something inside me, because it was Exactly how i felt. It was my theme song. Your depressed and you have random breakdowns. You think that everyone is staring at you and judging you. In the hallways I always give people strange looks because I feel they are staring at me as they pass. My point is, its a great song. Hits the nail on the depression head.

Log in to reply
kaynicka1988
02-13-2009

Rated 0 
at a concert in atl rob thomas said that everybody in the world is messed up and that there are two kinds of ppl,the ppl who are ok and ppl the who try to hide. this song is for the ones who are ok with it.

Log in to reply
jtm101583
02-18-2009

Rated 0 
I personally think it's about a drug addiction; After all, Rob Thomas DID get mixed up with drugs shortly after their first CD went big.

Log in to reply
Ovechkinrocket13
02-24-2009

Rated 0 
It seems to me that this song has many meanings: One could interprete it as a song about a relationship where one of them is having a hard time with life and causing a strain in the relationship, and is simply explaining to their significant other that while they're going through a hard time mentally, they're not crazy and is asking the person to stick it out with them and be there for them to see that while they're depressed and impaired, possibly doing drugs to deal with the depression that there is a different side of them and while they might not care to why they're doing drugs to repress their pain if they leave eventually they're going to regret leaving and they're going to think about how that person used to be when they were themselves. Or it could be his way of dealing with his stardom and how it has made him isolated to the world and has caused depression in his life he's explaining while he has the microscope on him there's a different side to him than what he's feeling at that period of time. but it's art and truly the only person who knows the exact meaning of the song is Rob Thomas and what he was feeling while he wrote it. As well its like many of Matchbox 20 songs that can be interpreted differently by many people to what they're going through which has made them successful and popular with many teenagers-young adults.

Log in to reply
pristinewaters
03-04-2009

Rated 0 
I think this song shows just how misunderstood this person feels; that no one is able to understand him. Describing how society can be so judgemental and impatient in labelling someone quickly as 'crazy' or a 'weirdo'. (based on what they see on the outside) How he feels trapped by those labels. How it all feels like a self-prophecy - everyone calling him crazy... kind of actually drove him 'crazy'. Now he wants to declare - declare that he is not really 'crazy' at all, that it's all a construct, it's all a consequence of society's close-mindedness, labelling, and rigid adherence to conformity.

Log in to reply
2h432
03-05-2009

Rated 0 
No jus 4 every1's info of what this song is about is about being on dope not weed or ne of that jus ice,crank,or any other form of meth. I mean he is paranoid, seeing shadows, can't sleep at night, bein so paranoid in public havin 2 dodge glances from every1, talking to himself. I'm sorry but there is no mental illness here its dope.

Log in to reply
2h432
03-05-2009

Rated 0 
No jus 4 every1's info of what this song is about is about being on dope not weed or ne of that jus ice,crank,or any other form of meth. I mean he is paranoid, seeing shadows, can't sleep at night, bein so paranoid in public havin 2 dodge glances from every1, talking to himself. I'm sorry but there is no mental illness here its dope.

Log in to reply
Wolfstar96
03-20-2009

Rated 0 
Oh my goodness...I love this song so much. It is definitely one of my favorite songs ever. I always felt like the song was talking about someone who acts weirdly, but is really a pretty nice person.

My favorite line(s):"I'm not crazy I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me"

"I know
I know they've all been talking 'bout me
I can hear them whisper
And it makes me think there must be something wrong
With me"

It's just so emotional and deep.

Log in to reply




  • Add Your Comments
What does this song mean to you?

You must be logged in to post your comments.

Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.





Popular
Top:   Lyrics, Artists, Albums
Random:   Lyric, Artist, Album

Your Ad Here