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I had the whole world in my hands but I gave it away
I'm a half-wit boy
Cracking a smile and wearing it all on m ysleeve
So cool, so poised
It's true I'm just around to see
Where this thing goes, I'll never know
But all I know is packing bags is a remedy
[chorus]
This time I'll be nervous
'Cause I can't see your hands in front of me tonight
Let's forget all pretense of what they thought we should be
What liars we can be
I'm on my way to the top of the world
And I've got a feeling I'll give it away
She's a maverick, she's so smooth
If things go according to plan
I'll have her finished by five a.m.
There's no changing plans
There's no second chance
I've already got both feet through the door
And I can taste the air
[repeat chorus]
Make a sound, it's safe for you
To choke in here alone
Whatever I say goes
You're not here with me
I'm a half-wit boy
Cracking a smile and wearing it all on m ysleeve
So cool, so poised
It's true I'm just around to see
Where this thing goes, I'll never know
But all I know is packing bags is a remedy
[chorus]
This time I'll be nervous
'Cause I can't see your hands in front of me tonight
Let's forget all pretense of what they thought we should be
What liars we can be
I'm on my way to the top of the world
And I've got a feeling I'll give it away
She's a maverick, she's so smooth
If things go according to plan
I'll have her finished by five a.m.
There's no changing plans
There's no second chance
I've already got both feet through the door
And I can taste the air
[repeat chorus]
Make a sound, it's safe for you
To choke in here alone
Whatever I say goes
You're not here with me
Lyrics submitted by OnlyChasingSafety
Track duration: 03:44
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A lot of this song seems like escapism, and a motor hobby would clarify some of the more mysterious references. Also, this entire cd was written about Aaron's break-up, so most of the things mentioned probably are Aaron's personal experiences.
Breaking it down part by part, this is kinda what I came up with:
This person had everything going for them, maybe with a person they felt they were in love with but they gave it away because they were scared. He sticks around in the relationship, or whatever the situation is, to see what’s gonna happen, but he’ll never know because when things go wrong he finds solace in running away and ‘packing bags’.
Maybe he has some sort of personal guide for him, like God or his conscience, but this time he feels like he’s lost his guidance and he feels nervous [can’t see your hands in front of me]. He wants to forget all of the expectations he needs to live up to. Not so sure about the ‘we’ – maybe him and his guide, or some girl who he might be in love with.
Once again, he had everything going for him but he got scared, maybe of not living up to expectations, and he thinks he’ll give it away again.
Meets someone, they have sex [finished by 5 AM?], and then he leaves again. He’s already out the door so there’s no regrets or turning back.
Now he’s by himself because he ran away from the people [or person] who meant something to him and he can ‘choke’ alone.
Whatever I say goes is maybe kind of an ironic thing, like him trying to convince himself that he doesn’t need anyone else’s help. He repeats it a few times and to me that seems to sort of reinforce the idea, like he’s trying to make himself believe it. When he’s saying ‘you’re not here with me,’ it sounds somewhat regretful to me. Like maybe the person that he ran away from really did mean something to him and now he’s upset because they’re not there with him. He sounds kinda angry to me, but it could just be the screaming.
So yeah, that's basically what I kinda came up with. Nobody's commented on this song in like half a year so I thought I'd throw my interpretation out there. (:
also i forgot to comment on "im on my way to the top of the world but ive got a feeling ill give it away"
i think they knew that they were gonna have a lot more success with the "new sound" that the label and them were going after, but that ultimately fame and glory wasnt what they really want, and their gonna give it away at some point. i think they are doing one more album after define the great line, i swore spencer said something about it in chicago this fall but i could be wrong, but i think underoath is done after that. also aaron said in AP that he doesnt see underoath going on much longer. it would be too hard to play hardcore music that long. i think hes getting more into the almost and other genres of music/other ways of using his talents to glorify god.
ok so ill analyse the lyrics :
"I had the whole world in my hands but I gave it away" this is the band having their music exactly how they wanted it/wrote it, and then "giving it away" to the label and letting it be morphed into something that is more marketable.
"I'm a half-wit boy
Cracking a smile and wearing it all on m ysleeve
So cool, so poised
It's true I'm just around to see
Where this thing goes, I'll never know
But all I know is packing bags is a remedy"
this is them saying allright well sell out but do it with a smile and see what being famous rock stars is all about. we just wanna see what happens. and packing our bags for the tour might make us feel better about our decision? (im really not so sure about the verses... thats the best i can do with it)
"This time I'll be nervous
'Cause I can't see your hands in front of me tonight
Let's forget all pretense of what they thought we should be
What liars we can be" i think they start refrencing god at this point, when they say i cant see your hands in front of me tonight. they are nervous cuz they dont know if its the right decision, or whats gonna happen. but they say lets forget what our fans and critics think about us... but acknowledge that theyve become liars and that their music is not as genuine as it was on their previous 3 albums. (the liar theme is very common among bands that have sold out... like the used "im a fake" and "liar" theres a lot of them)
the rest of the lyrics are iffy...
"She's a maverick, she's so smooth
If things go according to plan
I'll have her finished by five a.m.
There's no changing plans
There's no second chance
I've already got both feet through the door
And I can taste the air"
when i first heard it i thought it was about manipulating sex.. but that didnt agree with underoath.. then i thought it might be about him saying goodbye to a loved one, knowing that he was gonna be starting a new chapter of his life and be gone for a long time. that the decision was made, theres no turning back, its really gonna happen and the old chapted is done by 5am if everything goes right.
i think the end might be about god too... i agree that it could be him saying i want it my way, and god saying if you go down your path, then your not with me in my plans. or it could be god saying whatever i say goes, cuz your not in heaven with me, you dont know the ultimate plan, so just trust me and whatever i put in front of you, even if you cant see my hands at work in front of you.
anyway i think the main theme is starting something new that god has planned for them and being nervous but saying that they just need to let go and let gods will be done.
I'm a half-wit boy
Cracking a smile and wearing it all on m ysleeve
So cool, so poised
It's true I'm just around to see
Where this thing goes, I'll never know
But all I know is packing bags is a remedy
[chorus]
This time I'll be nervous
'Cause I can't see your hands in front of me tonight
Let's forget all pretense of what they thought we should be
What liars we can be
I'm on my way to the top of the world
And I've got a feeling I'll give it away
She's a maverick, she's so smooth
If things go according to plan
I'll have her finished by five a.m.
There's no changing plans
There's no second chance
I've already got both feet through the door
And I can taste the air
[repeat chorus]
Make a sound, it's safe for you
To choke in here alone
Whatever I say goes
You're not here with me
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had the whole world in my hands but i gave it away
(I had everything but i gave it away)
Cracking a smile and wearing it all on my sleeve
So cool, so poised
It's true I'm just around to see
Where this thing goes, I'll never know
But all I know is packing bags is a remedy
(Describing how fake he was and he just wanted to see where its going to go but all he knows is that leaving this behind is a remedy which means getting rid of all evil. Possibly talking about how he was before he was a Christian how fake he was and now he knows in his heart he needs to leave all that behind).
This time I'll be nervous
'Cause I can't see your hands in front of me tonight
Let's forget all pretense of what they thought we should be
What liars we can be
(This time he is nervous because he cant see if anyone is going to guide him if he falls away and he wants to forget what everyone wants him to be because they are all used to how he was before which is fake hence "what liars we can be".
I'm on my way to the top of the world
And I've got a feeling I'll give it away
(Hes on his way to the top again and he feels like hes going to give it away like last time which to me means hes fallen away from god and he has a feeling he will go back to him)
"She's a maverick, she's so smooth
If things go according to plan
I'll have her finished by five a.m.
There's no changing plans
There's no second chance
I've already got both feet through the door
And I can taste the air"
( This is the most confusing part of the song for me but i believe
He is saying how smooth and tricky she is and if things go his way he will have her tonight and and hes not going to change his plans and even if he did he knows there is no second chance and he thinks Im already in the door (her house) and he can taste the air, he sees how its going to be)
Make a sound, it's safe for you
To choke in here alone
Whatever I say goes
You're not here with me"
(This is my favorite part of the song its what speaks to me the most since its most common in my life, I believe the boy is praying ether before or after he had his way with the maverick......in the song as soon as it says "make a sound its safe for you here to choke alone" the music gets soft and beautiful like god is speaking to the troubled Christian and saying tell me whats wrong confess, confess!!!!! and the christian is soooo overwhelmed with ether guilt or lust and the boy screams at god and says "what ever i say goes" pretty much saying "im my own god in my fake world" and god i believe is represented by aaron by saying it back to him "no what every i say goes" and they both keep saying it back and forth back and forth in the song until finally the boy leaves god and says "your not here with me" "your not here with me" hence the whole premise of this song "i had the whole world in my hands and i gave it away".
We can chose to leave or stay with god and underoath depicts that in this song crystal clearly.....simply amazing and something to think about....
-KeRsH-
"She's a maverick, she's so smooth
If things go according to plan
I'll have her finished by five a.m.
There's no changing plans
There's no second chance
I've already got both feet through the door
And I can taste the air"
shouldn't the 4th line be
"There's no turning back
there's no second chance" ?
?