You're a canary
I'm a coal mine
'Cause sorrow is just all the rage
Take one for the team
You all know what I mean

And I'm so sorry
But not really
Tell the boys where to find my body
New York eyes
Chicago thighs
Pushed up the window to kiss you off

The truth hurts worse than anything I could bring myself to do to you
The truth hurts worse than anything I could bring myself to do to you

Do you remember the way I held your hand
Under the lamp post and ran home this way?
So many times I can close my eyes

The truth hurts worse than anything I could bring myself to do to you
The truth hurts worse than anything I could bring myself to do to you

(The truth hurts worse than anything I could bring myself to do)
The truth hurts worse than anything I could bring myself to do to you
The truth...
The truth...



Lyrics submitted by shrodes, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Track duration: 04:07

"I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers" as written by Peter Wentz, Patrick Stump, Joseph Trohman, Andrew Hurley

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers song meanings
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78 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:first i wanna address the song title itself: "Ive got all this ringing in my ears and None on my Fingers"
    - his ears are ringing (ring in his ears) but there is/are no rings on his fingers..it makes sense for his ears to be ringing because he plays in a band and is around loud music a lot

    second: when i listen to this song i get a very Jazzy, Frank sinatra feel from it. I picture the band performing on a stage wayy back in the day with a giant orchestra with trumpets and the bands all dressed up in suits with their hair slicked back and they have show girls with those big feathers coming out of their head, on stage dancing in the background. Very OLD New York and Chicago---"new york eyes, chicago thighs.." both of which were VERY big with broadway/burlesque and Sinatra. For some odd reason, in my head, i just always thought the song could possibly be about one of the show girls. She obviously broke petes heart (cheated on him perhaps). She has nice long legs "chicago thighs" whatever that means and bright blue New York eyes (cause new york has all those lights and is always bright)

    Third: when he says "pushed up the window to kiss you off". I think of those old movies set in new York with those staircases that connect to the apartment windows from the outside. I picture pete climbing up the stairs (from the outside) and coming to the girls bedroom window and she opens it from the inside; "pushed it up" so he could kiss her one last time; "kiss her off" aka "kiss her goodbye.."

    im sure im reading into this A LOT! but ive been listening to this song for over 3 years and till this day its still probably my third favorite fallout song ever! and this is how ive always pictured it in my head haha
    Flag nkasson January 16, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:"New York eyes, Chicago thighs
    Pushed up the window to kiss you off"
    to me this is about sneaking out with someone and opening your bedroom window tho give them a goodbye kiss
    Flag jaser5000on May 12, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The part, "New York eyes, Chicago thighs," has always intrigued me. And lately, I've been thinking that the person they're singing about has big city dreams, but at the same time they savor the taste of their humble beginnings.

    I think this song is saying that the guy is the deathly part of the relationship and thinks he is going to exterminate the girl; because of this, he sacrifices himself in order for her to be happy. Especially when Patrick sings, "The truth hurts worse than anything I could bring myself to do, to you."
    "Pushed up the window to kiss you off," was an interesting part as well. I assume that Patrick, Pete, is the one pushing the window up and letting the girl go off. Or maybe it shows as well that they are accepting the end of their relationship, that they just want the best for the other person...
    Flag battylasheson November 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think I know what this song means, but this is just a guess.

    "You're a canary, I'm a coalmine"
    Way back when, coal miners used to bring canaries to to coalmines to test the air quality. If they died, it means the air wasn't safe to breathe, so maybe it means he's dangerous to her?


    I think "Tell the boys where to find my body
    New York eyes, Chicago thighs" is sort of like his was of saying to her "I'm not like any guy you know, I'm different." These are my favorite lines from this song.

    "The truth hurts worse than anything
    I could bring myself to do, to you" He's ashamed of something, and worried he's going to hurt her.

    "Do you remember the way
    I held your hand under the lamp post and ran home?
    This way, so many times I could close my eyes." He knows it's wrong to be with her, that, or he's extremely shy, so he's running away. That, or it's referring to running away from your problems?

    Amazing song. This is my favorite off the album.
    Flag Raka73on July 25, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Okay, the canary thing makes my interpretation of the song make even more sense now. Yay!
    When I was listening to it I started writintg the beginning of a story (I'm an aspiring novelist) and this is what it made me think of:
    A guy is assigned to kill this girl or he has to hurt her, or something. He ends up falling in love with her, but he still has to live with the fact that he is supposed to be hurting her. He doesn't want her to know (the truth hurts worse than anythig I could bring myself to do)
    Interesting, right? lol
    Flag FindingForeveron July 21, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:You're a canary, I'm a coal mine
    (pretty self explanitory, he's slowly suffocating her).

    'Cause sorrow is just all the rage
    (but she's letting him, because she wants to feel something/ for attention).

    Take one for the team, You all know what I mean
    (bit iffy with this one, but to me the 'team' represents girls and how they sort of don't do the whole manwhore relationship thing, but he's asking her to please just do it).

    And I'm so sorry, but not really
    Tell the boys where to find my body
    (he's not really sorry that he's like this, but he's either trying to be or putting it on. And he's pretty much screwed, because this is geting to him).

    New York eyes, Chicago thighs
    Pushed up the window to kiss you, off
    (somehow i imagine the window as saying goodbye, like you know how you wave from a window in an airport or whatever? But he's not letting her, as new york eyes, chicago thighs is obviously himself. She's trying to go, but he's seducing her again. And dude, who could resist?)

    The truth hurts worse than anything
    I could bring myself to do, to you.
    (the truth that she succumbed, is worse than him telling everyone or whatever bad things he can do to exploit this. But he's still fighting with himself, hence the "anything I could bring myself to do".)

    Do you remember the way
    I held your hand under the lamp post and ran home?
    This way, so many times I could close my eyes
    (again, he's conflicted . he held her hand, but ran. Yet he remembers it later on.)


    I dunno. I have a weird outlook, but to me this seems like a manwhore (in a good way. like knows he's really very hot way) being conflicted with this girl who is pretty much suffocting because he's reverting to his tempting manwhorish ways to get her to stay, but she's starting to mean something. And he's a little confused as to what she really wants from him.

    oh and i love this song.
    :D
    Flag ilyilyilyon February 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:The "Pushed up the window to kiss you off" is talking about a girl who he's using to get over the other girl in the song
    Flag car-crash-hearton December 06, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I take that back, she's not worldy, she is 'all-american'
    Flag divicool72on June 19, 2008   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:I can't beleive that no1 else thought this song was about gayness.. now im pretty sure that none of fallout boy are gay and i'm sorry but from the 1st line that's what it soudned like to me.

    1) "You're a canary, I'm a coalmine" -does that not sound to you like a cheesay chat up line to another bloke?
    2) in this same verse he even adds "take one for the team" and "you all know what I mean". He's trying to make it so obvious that thats what the song's about!
    3) "Tell the boys where to find my body" -I mean come on!

    There may have been people hwo have picked up on this already but didn't find them. Someone please comment back if they agree lol
    Flag Joto69on March 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:You Know What, actually the now press repeat thing is on GINASFS (the UK bonus track) all thats on the IGATRIMEBNOMF is clapping and cheering... Any actually got GINASFS? xo
    Flag sideeffectsofloveon January 25, 2008   Link

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