I know you love how I make it all go away
all the joy, all the pain, all thoughts in your brain
For the price of your soul, I will hold your heart in my talons
For three summers straight you've been my sweet eye candy
and no one will ever, ever, take you away from me

I saw, I smelled what he did to you, girl
and to be frank, the thought makes my innards curl
How he preyed on your ripe insecurities
The thorn in your side is alive, and it's killing me
Obscure records entombed in his room with mechanical lust
diapered, desolate middle-aged doom
On your knees in his downtrodden shit-eating grin of a room
If only you'd meet me here soon

If only you'd start breathing, I'd court you exclusively
With my shovel, I'm pounding earth 'til suddenly I see

You awake from the dirt and the grime
stretch your fractured, pretzel spine
out to take your revenge for the crime
filled with fire and finally mine.

Paraded you around like a second place prize,
hair done up, black holes painted on your eyes
Held a book burning in your back yard
while your parents observed from their window, slightly scarred
And I've watched with my shovel in hand
I have in faith in you, child
From his nightmares I've plucked a plan
where that prick, to the world, is revealed as a wicked man
This is a prayer from your biggest fan

If only you could see me, we'd dance like a heart attack
With a wail you let them know you're furious, you're back

You awake from the dirt and the grime
stretch your fractured, pretzel spine
out to take your revenge for the crime
filled with fire and finally mine

You awake from the grave that he dug
pulsing, boiling, angry blood
Well aware that I'm falling in love
Filled with fire, I'm drinking gasoline to make it go faster
Gasoline will make it grow much faster
Gasoline to make it go faster
Gasoline will make it grow much faster

Faster (faster)
Faster (faster)
Faster (faster)
Faster (faster)
Faster (faster)
Faster (faster)
Faster (faster)
Faster



Lyrics submitted by Shawnk00

Track duration: 03:33

"Skinny, Mean Man" as written by Max Bemis

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Skinny Mean Man song meanings
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64 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's a song about his wife, Sherri and about the relationship she was in before they were married. How she was cheated on (she was with the guitarist of New Found Glory, and he cheated/left her for Hayley Williams), and left with a broken heart. Before they met she had said that she was not interested in anyone and didn't even want to think about talking to anyone because she was still grieving.
    I think Max wrote this song in anger to her ex-husband and how he resents what he did to his (then) girlfriend, now wife. How he and "dead" Sherri are both out to kill this man because he had "killed" Sherri.
    The ending though, I have no idea what the gasoline is about.

    I feel like I'm accurate, but honestly Max is so intricate with his lyrics that it could be about anything!
    Not a sandwich though.
    Flagged torymcdougallon September 21, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I think that this song is truly about Max falling for a girl but she is with someone who treats her like she were dead. before he counts her dead "with my shovel I'm pounding earth till suddenly I see" then he realizes she has "awaken" and she comes to the realization that the terrible guy she was with is horrible.
    Max and her then become a couple and they burn everything the awful guy has
    Flag getshankedon July 18, 2012   Link
  • -1
    My Interpretation:I HATE SayAnything and all their songs!
    Flagged Sergant123on August 21, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's not literally about a sandwich, moron. John Nolan fucked and/or dated a girl that Max was in love with. John's the skinny, mean man that Max wrote this song about. The girl is the "sandwich" that John refers to and the other subject of this song.
    Flag checkitfoolon October 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:lol...this song is about a sandwich that john eat that belonged to max lol...read it hear john said it. formspring.me/…
    Flag sivy1989on May 01, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The way I interpret it is that "Max" is in a relationship with this girl who has recently gotten around to being addicted to some kind of drug, the dealer being someone Max hates. "Paraded you around like a second place prize," Showing off to Max how he's in his metaphorical, stated before, "talons," "Hair done up, black holes painted on your eyes," y'know, the doped-up look...

    In the end, I see it as him convincing her to get off the drugs, and in typical pseudo-happy Say Anything endings, burn his house down. "Gasoline will make this go much faster", like a Bond-esque one liner.
    Flag KurtCobainMurderedon February 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i already mentioned this under retarded in love
    but someone said this is about a time max was freaking out
    because he thought john killed laura.
    Flag canvaswingson November 03, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning: Ok, i could be totally off line here, but think this song could be about bemis' drug addiction. it just seems to me that he references ideas and effects of drug use.
    "I know you love how I make it all go away
    All the joy, all the pain, all the thoughts in your brain
    For the price of your soul I will hold your heart in my talons
    For three summers straight you've been my sweet arm candy
    And no one will ever, ever take you away from me"
    To me, that just sounds like losing all your senses to an addiction and have it basket your life. Not necessarliy it being about a kidnapped girl or whatever. That may be a cover up for the real meaning. I might be way off base, but thats just my opinion.

    Flag iamthemovie819on August 17, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't know about you guys, but the entire intro is screaming drugs to me
    "Sweet arm candy"
    "hold you in my talons"
    "How I make it all go away"

    Sounds like shooting something up with a needle.
    As for the whole song, I think its just lyrical beauty and metaphor.
    If this is a concecpt album told from Max's point of view.
    He is watching this girls life being ruined by drugs, and maybe he liked her and wanted to be with her.
    But drugs are ruining her, and he wants to try and find the lost soul of the girl he once knnew before drugs.

    I think its something like that. Just my opinion.
    Flag omuffinoon June 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's about selling out.

    For the price of your soul I will hold your heart in my talons
    For three summers straight you've been my sweet arm candy

    "arm candy" being the person you bring to social events, premiers, and record label parties, because she'll make YOU look better, how else would you get this great person on your arm?

    Also, suggesting "deslolate middle-aged doom", that would be those old men you see dating young women for no apparent reason.
    Flag WhateverNevermindon May 24, 2009   Link

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