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see, it's not like i didn't mean what i said
when i said "i'll put my money where my mouth is"
and i put my money where my mouth was
until i couldn't breathe through my nose
and now i'm starring at the floor
where my second life just ended,
where i lost not one, but two friends.
yeah, i had it all
sitting on top of the world
but i threw it away.
just to prove that i could,
i put my money where my mouth is
see, i recall quite perfectly who i was
both before and after the drugs
both before and after the drugs
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth was
i got a strong will, just weak hands
and i don't know what to do
with either one of them
yeah, i had it all
sitting on top of the world
but i threw it away.
just to prove that i could,
just to prove that i could,
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth is
your knight in shining armor
of a mother and a father,
you had everything
everything you needed
and it was made crystal clear
that would not change
yeah, i had it all
sitting on top of the world
but i threw it away.
just to prove that i could,
yeah, i had it all
yeah i had it good, so good
but i threw it away.
just to prove that i could,
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth is
yeah, i had it all.
when i said "i'll put my money where my mouth is"
and i put my money where my mouth was
until i couldn't breathe through my nose
and now i'm starring at the floor
where my second life just ended,
where i lost not one, but two friends.
yeah, i had it all
sitting on top of the world
but i threw it away.
just to prove that i could,
i put my money where my mouth is
see, i recall quite perfectly who i was
both before and after the drugs
both before and after the drugs
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth was
i got a strong will, just weak hands
and i don't know what to do
with either one of them
yeah, i had it all
sitting on top of the world
but i threw it away.
just to prove that i could,
just to prove that i could,
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth is
your knight in shining armor
of a mother and a father,
you had everything
everything you needed
and it was made crystal clear
that would not change
yeah, i had it all
sitting on top of the world
but i threw it away.
just to prove that i could,
yeah, i had it all
yeah i had it good, so good
but i threw it away.
just to prove that i could,
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth is
i put my money where my mouth is
yeah, i had it all.
Lyrics submitted by matthew_tm
Track duration: 03:53
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i put my money where my mouth was
This song has two meanings that belong in the title. The first is obvious; drugs. The second had me rolling in confusion. I believe through the success of Tell All Your Friends, Adam found drugs, or he had already found them by then and used them more because of the first official record that hit big. This however, I believe, ruined John perspective for the band. In Nolan's own, A Slow Decent he pictures the "decent" from a harmless victory drug turning the band from "unique to routine", which left him becoming "cynical and broken" to then leaving the band. But on that car journey where they "said all they had to say" I think Adam became angry and competitive worrying it was over ("I've got a bad feeling about this") to him it must felt like Nolan was going to race with another band and become a more successful one causing Adam to think and say (To hell with you and all your friends, it's on.") He must of thought John was a more talented writer than him ("I thought it through and my worse things out the best in you"). With that anger and fear Adam made a sort of empty threat to Nolan and said "I'll put my money where my mouth is" which, like said in the song, didn't mean. But that gamble and threat worked and he did become successful and Taking Back Sunday won - Adam won - but did he? In the video that shows the "new" band shooting guns, some scrolling writing appears saying "...Sometimes it takes some time to remember where you were headed in the first place and the people you intended to go there with...". It's taken Adam some time (a lot of time) to realise that he was wrong and that if he'd probably compromised and sacrificed more that night, the little break up might never have happened. But he "put his money where his mouth was" looked back a realised that his second life just ended and lost not one, but two friends.
of a mother and a father,
you had everything
everything you needed
and it was made crystal clear
that would not change"
I kind of agree with summerhero about it being, at least in part, about Chauntelle.
Sorry for people who like TBS now, but even Adam knows TBS is a shell of who they were when John was in the band. And it sounds like what he is trying to say by "money where his mouth is" is he used the band's incredible success to justify letting John and Shaun walk away, as if to say, "Whatever, this band is successful we don't need you, and I'll let you walk away CAUSE I CAN, because this band will continue." Remember, Tell All Your Friends shot to #3 on Billboard, while they were rookies with Victory Records. That's an amazing achievement, but TBS has never even come close to that again in terms of critical success, and by the sounds of this song, Adam is lamenting that he let that hot start get to his head. To me, it sounds like EVEN ADAM is aware that he overestimated what Taking Back Sunday was going to achieve...
Tell All Your Friends did NOT debut at #3 on Billboard, Where You Want To Be did. And they DID reach that success again when Louder Now debuted at #2 on Billboard (selling more copies than Bruce Springsteen). New Again debuted at #7. TAYF did not come close to these numbers.
Your are an idiot if you think TBS is less successful now than the TAYF days.
I mean look at TBS, one original member. And Adams sort of center stage and he replaced Jesse as a bassist. I mean listen to a a really old TBS, like Summer Stars, Longo's still on the vocals and Jesse's backing up. Compare that to the new TBS songs, it's like two different genre's basically.
So basically, don't think that just because an album sells to the masses that its 100% golden music, I mean that could be the case sometimes -- Deja by BN -- but not always. It just means more teenage girls with radio's... I'm joking :P But I like this song, it does have a TAYF vibe, just more refined and a little bit mainstream tweaked. But good. And TakingTheFall, maybe they are more successful but I really don't think the music standards the same, that might be only me and you probably don't agree but I guess that's life :) Tell me, what is your favorite TBS album?
I never said that TBS is good because they sell a lot of albums. I'm well aware that being popular doesn't mean being talented but how would you define success then? Whether the music has been good or not is one thing, but TBS has taken the band to great heights since John and Shaun left.. being signed to Warner Bros.(One of the "Big 4" major labels), headlining tours all around the world, selling out huge amphitheaters, playing at LIVE EARTH, 2 going on 3 gold records. They may not be as good as they were in TAYF days but are wayy more successful.
For the record, Tell All Your Friends is my favorite album of all-time and TBS will most likely always be my favorite band because of what that album did for me. I've learned to like most of what they've put out since but nothing has made an impact on me like TAYF did. I first heard "cute w/o the e" not too long after TAYF came out but didn't really get into them until the very end of the Nolan era in mid 2003. I feel like I've grown up with them. I'm not some teenybopper fanboy but I'm not a TAYF obsessed TBS basher. I don't compare album they put out to TAYF because that's just stupid. I'm hard on TBS though because I expect a lot out of them but I'm completely fair with them.
For me, New Again was a huge letdown because I know it should have been a lot better. Adam had all the inspiration in the world...a band member leave on bad terms, an ugly breakup that went public. I was expecting another WYWTB, which I would have been thrilled with. I've learned to like most of the songs song the album but only really LOVE this song and EMG. Adam has become a very lazy songwriter. Whether their label had something to do with their song structure or lyric content or not, I don't know.
I double checked, and TakingtheFall is right that it was Where You Wanna Be that debuted at #3 - I thought that Tell All Your Friends was there. And I should add, you are right in saying that Taking Back Sunday has achieved greater success, even, as far as SELLING albums. That, again, is true. While those facts might speak louder, it would also be fair to say, judging by the fact there's been so many changes in the band, at least SOME of their success can be attributed to their namesake. And even though they didn't hit nearly as high as I stated on the charts, it's still true that they blew up out of nowhere into a successful band that became poster children for the "emo" genre.
But I still stand that in terms of critical success, the band had taken a turn. "Tell All Your Friends," was an album that defined a genre, a genre that as a whole has taken a huge plummet. I know the comments were directed at Fall Out Boy, but Jim Suptic in The Get Up Kids said: "The punk scene we came out of and the punk scene now are completely different. It's like glam rock now. We played the Bamboozle fests this year and we felt really out of place... If this is the world we helped create, then I apologize... the problem is most of [the bands TGUK inspired] aren't very good."
I know that's one guy, but I feel there's a general truth to that...
Old Taking Back Sunday T-Shirt:
merch.com/images/…
New Taking Back Sunday T-Shirt: merchnow.com/store/graphics/00000018/…
I can put it a little less harsh as I did in the first post. While Taking Back Sunday, like them or hate them, may still write decent music, they will NEVER write another album like Tell All Your Friends, just as Brand New will never write another "Your Favorite Weapon," or Thursday will never write another "Full Collapse," or Dashboard Confessional will never match "Places You Have Come to Fear the Most."
I think the fact that the original lineup got back together makes me a little more certain that the whole John and Shaun thing was still on Adam's mind, and this song is probably getting at the nostalgia for that time in their band's history. And while I'm just as excited as anyone that the original lineup is back together, I'm calling it now that they will never write another genre defining album. Even Rivers Cuomo realized it when he said, "I could write 1000 Keep Fishin's - there will still only be one Say It Ain't So."
I definitely think this song is about John Nolan and his sister Michelle and that's who he's referring to when he says he "lost not one but two friends". It's a very heartfelt song and it sounds like Adam is just saying sorry for everything he did and admitting his ego was a little out of control. Taking Back Sunday rocks, but Adam and John were literally unstoppable together. I really hope to see them reunite. Now we'll just have to wait to see how John Nolan and the rest of Straylight Run respond.
Sorry for people who like TBS now, but even Adam knows TBS is a shell of who they were when John was in the band. And it sounds like what he is trying to say by "money where his mouth is" is he used the band's incredible success to justify letting John and Shaun walk away, as if to say, "Whatever, this band is successful we don't need you, and I'll let you walk away CAUSE I CAN, because this band will continue." Remember, Tell All Your Friends shot to #3 on Billboard, while they were rookies with Victory Records. That's an amazing achievement, but TBS has never even come close to that again in terms of critical success, and by the sounds of this song, Adam is lamenting that he let that hot start get to his head. To me, it sounds like EVEN ADAM is aware that he overestimated what Taking Back Sunday was going to achieve...
"I put my money where my mouth is" - A rolled up paper bill is often used for cocaine
"I lost not one, but two friends" - His fiancee and Fred (Fred didn't leaving TBS on good terms due to both musical direction and the fact he felt semi-excluded is why I believe Fred is the other friend)
If you want to argue that there's no history of drug reference in TBS's music, then listen to Miami... It was written about when Adam spent a few weeks holed up in a Miami hotel doing ridiculous amounts of cocaine...
That's my opinion anyway
the part "your knight in shining armor of a mother and a father..." really makes me think that it has to do with chauntelle considering she comes from a really close and religious family, so i don't doubt that her parents were active in their relationship.
mainly, i think this song refers to both his more current problems but i think he ties in his older issues too, but maybe i'm completely off.
of a mother and a father,
you had everything
everything you needed
and it was made crystal clear
that would not change"
Is he talking about himself here?