Here's my opinion. I think this song (or at least the chorus) is about how no matter what "scene" you run with, it's always kind of a contest. Basically the singer is saying "I don't care what side you're on, I just want to mix things up and start rumors." The singer is kind of in a controlling position, like if he keeps everyone mad at each other, he's always on top.

"Fitting you with weapons in the form of words"
Basically saying, I'll give you rumors to spread about them.

He wants to be the "leading man" by spreading lies that are "oh so intricate."

Yeah, that's what I think. It's about someone who stays above conflict by way of creating it.
Of course, I'll always love the misheard lyrics "I'm a little man, and I'm also evil, also into cats" :P

Wow, my bf's got Live at the Phoenix and this song is so amazing live! FOB are amazing live and when i first heard them I just fell in love. Patrick's voice is gorgeous and the lyrics are fab. Yay for FOB! And the people who only use this page to criticise them are wasting their time - no one really cares, because most people who check these lyrics love their music!

i believe what he's referring to as the bandwagon, is the numerous bands that jumped on their coat-tails whenever they came out and road it to their own fame as well, but i also think it is referring to all the people that started paying attention to the band after FUCT, who aren't fans of the band, only of the few songs that made the radio, and started calling themselves fans because it was suddenly cool to like FOB aka bandwagon fans. they make the music for themselves, not for their fans, and it may be aimed toward something like "we don't need you (bandwagon fans), we've already got enough fans (who have been with us the whole way)"

i think its about how they're the kings of this style of music, and everyone is copying it and making it mainstream when thats not what they wanted it to be. pete doesn't want to make music for all the preppy girls who spazz over his hair, he wants the people who his music really mean something to. it's a party song, but not meant to be for the bandwagon-jumping popular kids' parties. he's not going to change his style because it became mainstream. it never was before fall out boy.

All right so I'm so tired of ppl bashing on this song that ima put my own input here. 1st of all there's nothing wrong w/ a band trying to increase their fan base as long as they stay true to themselves. FOB did a very good job of doin this by making songs that either was true to their style or had a message they wanted to pass on. This song is doing several things at once: 1st and foremost it conforms to wat they think ppl will like so they can spread it around as far as they can. 2 it burns the ppl who like th song makin it a prank of sorts b/c th ppl who will like this song the most r the ppl who r being insulted by th song (and thnx to Pete's incredibly indirect lyrics and the overall inability to understand wat th hell Patrick is sayin most ppl wont even realize th message). Now between the attempts to make this song as main-stream as possible and his burning the ppl listening to the song its a testament to Pete's song writing abilities that he was able to put in another message into the song. This last one is a justification of mainly this song but the others that r directed towards the mainstream starting that "this is not a scene" but rather an arms race meaning that its just a contest between musicians due to the extended metaphor comparing his music and lyrics to weapons

Okay, i have never really publically given my own personal annaylysis of a song before ... so bare with me. I might be wrong, but from reading alot of of these comments, alot of people would be also. Some lines... i can simplify, but i was never able to tie it in with the meaning, you can try and let me know if you got anything. here goes:

I am an arms dealer fitting you with weapons in the form of words
(if you know this or not... well this song is indeed about pete's frustratrion with the 'emo'scene... just to clear the air... okay... i think this means baiscally he is the supplier, he is writing you *fitting you* with weapons in the form of words. or in other words giving you somthing to fight about *Decideing if you need to label him 'emo'*

And (don't really care which side wins)
As long as the room keeps singing that's just the business I'm in
(He dosen't care what you label him.. as long as he gets to write music. )

This ain't a scene, it's a goddamn arms race
(i don't know if i agree with myself on this part but after some thought.. i 'scene' as in the 'emo scene' is like a grouping of people... being catagorized.. meaning people in the 'emo scene' are all supposed to be alike and together. but instead its an 'arms race' meaning instead of being some group that is similar and think alike or dress alike whatever, they are fighting over what bands are considered 'emo' You see it all the time on youtube comments for music videos... it gets quite sickening after awhile.)

I'm not a shoulder to cry on, but I digress
(this is a hard one also.. maybe he is stating that...maybe his old lyrics used to make people fight over if he is 'emo' or not but he changed the subject, changed what he writes about, *which in this album he dose change alot about what he is writing, compare IOH lyrics to TTTYG lyrics....see what i mean?, but IOH lyric's are rather depressing which is where i think i am wrong with this interpratation.*)


I'm the leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate
(Um... i think he is stating that he is a leading mean, he dose what he wants, and says what he wants, and he can string together all these complicated lies. and since he is the 'leading man' people aren't gonna ask questions and just beleive the lies.)


I wrote the gospel on giving up (and looking pretty sinking)
(Basically, i know how to give up and look good doing it.)

But the real bombshells have already sunk (primadonnas of the gutter)

(you can look at the word bombshell as an explosive, but it also means someone pretty and amazing, and he is stating that the bombshells are the primadonnas, and primidonnas remind me of all those poppy people like brittney spears who's career is in the gutter now. so if you tie in this line with the previous its stating * i was the first one to give up in my own original way *looking pretty sinking* even though you see all these divas like brittney spears who have already had their careers going down the drain, i did it better and in an original way)

At night we're painting your trash gold, while you sleep
( in the comments i read i was dissapointed to realize that no one insisted this line simply means 'one mans trash is another mans treasure'
tieing into the previous two lines basically saying, what you didn't want was what i have wished for, meaning that maybe the other stars like birttney spears didn't want to waste away purposfully, but he did.)


Crashing not like hips or cars but more like p-p-p-parties
(this is one i truelly don't get... um.. maybe that he is not here to crash cars and cause himself harm, but ruin other people cause a party is full of other people?)

Bandwagon's full, please catch another
(Tieing it to a conclusion saying, this is who i am, if your gonna complain or try to label me, go find someone else to do that to.)

All the boys who the dancefloor didn't love, and all the girls whose lips couldn't move fast enough, sing, until your lungs give out
(Um.. didn't really get this one etheir.. maybe saying that he is not the only person who is getting labeled, alot of people are and alot of people don't like it.)

That is all, thank you for reading, and if you agree cool, and if you disagree witht the whole thing or one part.. let me know... i never really thought of critisim as a bad thing.

this is about all the man sandwiches and pillow biting they do with each other

it's about pete's frustration with the emo scene.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Ain't_a_Scene,_It's_an_Arms_Race

done and done.

mmm.. haha. someone copied and pasted. AGAIN.

Wow, bahurmat-zero you are clearly very misguided. Anyone who considers Fall Out Boy to be "fucking cool" clearly hasn't the slightest taste in music. Sorry to burst your bubble but bands like Limp Bizkit went commercial and then when underground in 2005 and especially Linkin Park who used to be semi underground before they released collision coarse and minutes to midnight, I'm not trying to make them anti-establishment artists you are assuming I am making them out to be. Linkin Park receive loads of airplay on the radio I hate so much and have charted singles internationally, yeah really anti-mainstream they have become Their music used to be excellent, not like fall out boy who are laking any of the real "soul" or "passion" I speak of. Not saying I'm an authority on music just expressing my opinion but seriously get a clue.

Just thought I should correct you ;)

Wow, Faballian you are clearly very misguided. Anyone who considers Limp Bizkit to be "fucking cool" clearly hasn't the slightest taste in music. Sorry to burst your bubble but bands like Limp Bizkit and especially Linkin Park aren't the underground, anti-establishment artists you are making them out to be. Linkin Park receive loads of airplay on the radio you hate so much and have charted singles internationally, yeah really anti-mainstream they are. Their music is contrived and fomulaic, lacking any of the real "soul" or "passion" you speak of. Not saying I'm an authority on music or anything but seriously get a clue.

This song is basically saying FOB and the lyricist in particular are masters of their craft. They're not messed up just because they're a hot-producing emo rock band.

I disagree with some of people's interpretations. I think he means that these days, people fight alot over music. whatever someone has someone else thinks theirs is better. so, by supplying people with music, they are giving them some form of weaponry.for example, I like rock music of all sorts, i disagree with many people that listen to rap music (cause it sucks). It's the same principal, whoever has stronger (better) music wins.

Spare me from this teeney bobbing, happy hoarse shit that brings up the bile from the back of my neck. I have no time or tolerance for those shitey, whack acts like this. I'll piss on their CD's and put out a fire. I'm tired of this lame ass, tame ass prefabricated and sorry excuses for singers and muscians who are gay. What the world needs now is muscial revolution we need some nu-metal rapcore something that has boss, We need something with substance,depth something with soul, edge, passion, some power. Shit, if its going to be mellow, fuck man it better have something, it better mean something. I'm telling you, we need something hard, you gotta stick em with something limp, like limp bizkit. I'm so fucking tired of this shit I'm hearing on the radio, radio sucks! The same fucking songs over and over again. All the weak ones, all that disposable crap that is not going to matter in 3 months, it's just shit.There is shit going on and we need some new music, Limp bizkit and linkin park are fucking cool, those guys are cool, but fuck all of that other shit. It is taking up space in the charts,I'm outa here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by the way i meant pop rocks, the candy

I give kudos to songrwriters because some have souls. in this case, not so much. this song can apply to many different things but to me, this song means nothing. it's like this song was spit out of a dictionary and vaguely made sense. the music? More of our rap crap disguised as pop rock
( Mmmmmm.... Pop Rocks)

and im sorry if youre a girl, cuz i said "he"

but still, get a life

fob sucks

well im just here to talk shit.
i hate FOB
not cuz theyre "sell-outs"

but because theyre music is gay and it pisses me off

and im sure that Loubee86 has no life but to log onto songmeanings.net all day and get off by talking shit about those who talk shit

but thats fucking gay

no way he has a life

oh yeah hahah
fall out boy is gay

their music is for homos

and thats that.

"I am an arms dealer fitting you with weapons in the form of words
And (don't really care which side wins)
As long as the room keeps singing that's just the business I'm in" he's talking about how he's a singer and he doesn't really care if he's not the best, but as long as people listen to FOB's music, then that's what he wants.

"This ain't a scene, it's a goddamn arms race" To him, it's war with other musicians to have the most people listen to them.

"I'm not a shoulder to cry on, but I digress" He'll change the subject right away basically what it means.

"I'm the leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate" He's the singer, and when he writes the lyrics, he may be lying, but no one ever notices because it's too hard to figure it is one.

"I wrote the gospel on giving up (and looking pretty sinking)
But the real bombshells have already sunk (primadonnas of the gutter)
At night we're painting your trash gold, while you sleep
Crashing not like hips or cars but more like p-p-p-parties" How their songs will make you lose control, especially in parties.

The rest is talking about the same thing, so I pretty much cleared it out.

i think this song's title and chorus comes from the chuck palahnuik book lullaby.

i was just reading it and came across this:

"This is the arms race of sound. You don't win with a lot of treble. This isn't about quality. It's about volume. This isn't about music. This is about winning. You stomp the competition with the bass line. You rattle windows. You drop the melody line and yell the lyrics. You put in foul language and ocme down hard on every cuss word. You dominate. This is really about power." (Chuck Palahnuik, Lullaby).

it makes sense if you think about the song compared to the quote. plus panic and fob seem to be fans of palahnuik, so it is a possibility.

im not really a deep thinking mastermind, and i am sure other people would be able to make better connections than me but..
it seems like pete is saying that it seems like music is becoming more about mindless competition than depth and quality of music.

just thought i'd put this out there in case it helps anyone out.

i like this song i toatly agree with youngblack_fabulous and what she said but i love the song and the band and pete and andy

"I am an arms dealer fitting you with weapons in the form of words
And (don't really care which side wins)
As long as the room keeps singing that's just the business I'm in"

Tie some words together people... my goodness. So, what does the writer of this song do for his job? He is a musician… he writes lyrics describing concepts or events or people etc. that are important to him. So, from that knowledge one can conclude that an arms dealer in this song write is a musician, one who writes lyrics to share with others, hence "fitting you."

"This ain't a scene, it's a goddamn arms race"

Basically, he's not trying to make a big deal: he's only doing his job as well as he can and spread his ideas to as many people as he can, it's not some limited thing.

It's a good song, but I don't want to do the rest. People are smart. Now that you know that, do the rest on your own, if you care to.

Hint: don't read into the bandwagon being full as the author saying he doesn't like his fans. That is entirely redonkulous.

Yuh......

I was in a right mood when I wrote that LOL

My dad is into metal in a big way but he's, like, 40!

Why did you search this song if you don't like it?!

"metal is long gone, get over it"...

(slaps forehead)

metal is as alive as it will ever be. crawl out from underneath your rock for a minute and browse the millions of metal bands(including the better experimental ones, tool, meshuggah, ministry, dream theater, mnemic, to name a few on, hell even myspace alone. this song does not rock the house because it is basic and unoriginal. the vocals are generic. if this sounds new to you, it is because you are way too sheltered and buying into the bullshit void of any substance that our pathetic pop culture is constantly shoving down your throats.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that no-one gives a shit what brewsta and armando say.

Judas Priest?!?!?! Metal is loooong gone.

Get.Over.It.

P.S, this song rocks the house down, it's ace!