The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Well if you wanted honesty
That's all you had to say
I never want to let you down or have you go
It's better off this way
For all the dirty looks
For photographs your boyfriend took
Remember when you broke your foot
From jumping out the second floor?
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out
What will it take to show you
That it's not the life it seems?
I told you time and time again
You sing the words
But don't know what it means
To be a joke and look
Another line without a hook
I held you close as we both shook
For the last time
Take a good hard look
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out
Forget about the dirty looks
The photographs your boyfriend took
You said you read me like a book
But the pages all are torn and frayed
I'm okay
I'm okay
I'm okay, now
(I'm okay, now)
But you really need to listen to me
Because I'm telling you the truth
I mean this
I'm okay (trust me)
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
Well, I'm not okay
I'm not o-fucking-kay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay (kay)
That's all you had to say
I never want to let you down or have you go
It's better off this way
For all the dirty looks
For photographs your boyfriend took
Remember when you broke your foot
From jumping out the second floor?
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out
What will it take to show you
That it's not the life it seems?
I told you time and time again
You sing the words
But don't know what it means
To be a joke and look
Another line without a hook
I held you close as we both shook
For the last time
Take a good hard look
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out
Forget about the dirty looks
The photographs your boyfriend took
You said you read me like a book
But the pages all are torn and frayed
I'm okay
I'm okay
I'm okay, now
(I'm okay, now)
But you really need to listen to me
Because I'm telling you the truth
I mean this
I'm okay (trust me)
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
Well, I'm not okay
I'm not o-fucking-kay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay (kay)
Lyrics submitted by Brandnizzle2k4, edited by SmashingDestiny
I'm Not Okay (I Promise) Lyrics as written by Gerard Way Frank Iero
Lyrics © BLOW THE DOORS OFF CHICAGO
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Gerard himself has said that the song is about the fact that he kind of had this thing with some girl...and he was like in love with her...but she had a boyfriend. And she took all these slutty pictures with her boyfriend, and Gerard got all upset.
The song's about him just...not being okay, at all, mentally nor emotionally. It's an answer to the ever-so-frequent question "Are you okay?" Most people will say that they're fine...even if they aren't. Gerard's just like "Fuck that, No, as a matter of fact, I'm not okay"...I'm just kind of rambling now.
Good song...lYkE OMgZzZ McR T0talLY RawX Fo ReEl!1!!
Har Har har.
@You\'ll be a memory i like how this comment was made when i didnt even exist and now this song has been my fav for 10 years :)
Wow, 2014 and I'm still rocking to this song. It brings me a lot of high school feels. I so miss my high school batchmates. I remember rocking this song in all of the corners of our school! That moment when the teachers were like "What's with you people?!" and we're just "I'm okay. Trust me!" with all the eyeliners and black jeans. haha. MCR's music has been an inspiration and guide to us until now. Not because of their dark and sharp lines, but the message it conveys. It's all about the real world. It surprisingly makes us good people if we just get the real lessons from their music. They're excellent!
@FairyAlonto It's 2017 an I'm still in love with this song xD
@FairyAlonto It's 2022 and I'm still rocking to this song!
love it when he says "trust me."
i love this song so much it's unbelievable =D it really gets the party going and whenever me and my friends hear it we go crazy!!! i love the bit in the song where it goes 'i mean this. im okay. trust me!' and then it carries on. the trust me bit is probably the bit everyone waits for lol. it's a song i think everyone can relate to when your feeling pissed off or having a bad day. it's like you feel really upset but you can't say to your friends 'hey, im not okay.' it's like this song is just about letting all your anger out. i think this song is a legend and will still be loved in years to come (: x x x
there was this one guy and he recommended me this band so i started to listen to them a lot. he was my best friend at the time and we were "friends on the verge of becoming more" so everytime i listened to them I thought of him. We did all kinds of crazy things together... We smoked, drank, partied, and committed various criminal acts. I had the time of my life. He influenced me in so many ways (good and bad) and at one point we were going to do something too extreme "you wear me out" and I just couldn't keepup with him. In the end i got my shit together and I we started going crazy together. all was swell and it was all I ever wanted. We were not even 16 ha. Then he met this one girl and everything fell apart. He wouldn't spend time with me anymore even though he promised we would be friends for life. I started my hoe phase and now if you are reading this I hope you are happy you fill me with so much rage I trusted you and you left me for some 18 year old girl you never met huh
@lithium420 Dammmm thats absolute shit fuck that guy. if he just gonna do that to u fuck him.
@lithium420 I feel just very similar way. In the summer of 2007 I was introduced to the girl of my dreams probably the first to actually take some real interest in me. Friends at first because I was a little older than her but as the year passed we became a lot more, started going to a lot more gigs with each other some of my favourite some of her's everything was rosey. This girl had two other friends and around the same time one of them found love too, which left one of them out on her own, unfortunately this is where it started falling apart. This single friend was the jealous type, every time I tired to meet up with my friend, go to a gig or a festival she would just blow me out. Each and every time this jealous friend was the cause of it. We fell out of love with each other because I stated to just get annoyed. We've stayed friends and still are, she invited me to her wedding, I sat there totally cut up inside, heart broken, managed to hold it all in but was a very hard day, annoyingly this jealous mate was there to, Karma has her she's still single herself.... <br /> <br /> But this song was just how I felt at her wedding, Yeah I'm okay mate, not that I can tell you at your wedding how I feel "wink wink".<br /> The last song at their wedding was Wonderwall, yeah that's one of my fav songs from my fav band, cheers for that lol.
Sounds like Queen at points....can't go wrong with that. wonderful song.
The songs about how he felt when he was in highschool. He only had one real friend and he was really in love with this girl, and she took all these pictures with her boyfriend and he was really upset, I also read that this is like a part 2 to headfirst for halos.
Probably the most "poppy" song they have done, but very good. I love the video too. Did everyone participate in Talk Like A Pirate Sunday? I sure did, haha fun times with MCR.
To me, this song is, basically, my life now and forever <3 Can't diss them...MCR 4 ever!! <3
i listened to this song so hard and on and on in the street when i had this fucking summertime sadness