Give me a second I,
I need to get my story straight
My friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the Empire State
My lover she's waiting for me just across the bar
My seat's been taken by some sunglasses asking about a scar, and
I know I gave it to you months ago
I know you're trying to forget
But between the drinks and subtle things
The holes in my apologies, you know
I'm trying hard to take it back
So if by the time the bar closes
And you feel like falling down, I'll carry you home

Tonight, we are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

Tonight, we are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

Now I know that I'm not
All that you got, I guess that I, I just thought
Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart
But our friends are back
So let's raise a tab
'Cause I found someone to carry me home

Tonight, we are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

Tonight, we are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

Carry me home tonight (Na na na na na na)
Just carry me home tonight (Na na na na na na)
Carry me home tonight (Na na na na na na)
Just carry me home tonight (Na na na na na na)

The world is on my side
I have no reason to run
So will someone come and carry me home tonight
The angels never arrived
But I can hear the choir
So will someone come and carry me home

Tonight, we are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

Tonight, we are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

So if by the time the bar closes
And you feel like falling down
I'll carry you home tonight



Lyrics submitted by Backspacer

Track duration: 04:11

"We Are Young" as written by Nathaniel Joseph Ruess, Andrew Dost, Jack Michael Antonoff, Jeffrey Bhasker

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


We Are Young song meanings
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102 Comments

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  • 0
    Song Meaning:I think this song is about 5 minutes too long. One of the worst songs of all time.
    Flag HotTampaon May 20, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:ok all you fools, this song is obviously about a guy who bumped into his ex in a bar ok? (his ex which he somehow gave a scar to, probably domestic violence) he still has feelings for her, hes been trying to take back everything hes done to her so he can get her back... but he knows that hes not the only thing going on with in her life anymore... shes been trying to move on, and obviously theres some guys interested...

    so when he sees her sitting there being talked to by another guy, he tries to think of ways to apologize once again and get his story straight while his friends are getting high n having fun.... in the end he things well shes moving on with her life so fuck it tonight we r young, so i might as well enjoy this night as well... but in the end if she needs me i'll be there for her... but he gets shitfaced n turns out its him who need someone to carry him home... but the intention was to take care of her in the end kinda of as an apology....this song actually gets me, its just such a real situation...

    i've been in such a difficult relationship, that i totally get it... this song is definitelly about real life situations
    Flag misamisa1on May 09, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I guess this song talks about a guy who struggles with regret. He regrets what he did to his lover. He hurted her badly, fisically or emotionally (My seat's been taking by some sunglasses asking about a scar and I know I gave it to you months ago).

    He's trying to make it up showing that he'll be there for her no matter what (So if by the time the bar closes and you feel like falling down, I'll carry you home).

    The man also realizes that she could work it out without him, since he's not all that she got in life, but strives to be by her side.

    And I really don't think that the song is about young people but people who are feeling young and capable of anything at that exact moment.

    In the end, it really doesn't matter, because the guy who wrote it doesn't know what it is about, so what do we know, right?
    Flagged Bertozzion March 16, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:It you just listen to the chorus (and I'm sure that a lot of people do), this is a happy song about how wonderful is is to be young and have your whole life ahead of you. It's bravado: loud, harmonic and easy to get caught up in.

    On the other hand, if you could somehow only listen to the verses, you'd come to the conclusion that this is a song about feeling lonely in a crowd, being unsure of oneself, and in need of comfort and connection. It's angst expressed quietly and quickly.

    And just as the chorus drowns out the verses, the partying of the friends at the bar drowns out the worries of the day. Suddenly everything is wonderful. They are young. They have infinite potential. And as long as they keep up the reverie, no one will hear those quieter detracting thoughts.

    I think the phrase "carry me home tonight," is telling. He doesn't want someone to "go" home with him or even to "take" him home. Like a child who has dozed off in front of the television, he wants to be lifted up and carried off by bigger and wiser arms. He wants to be taken where he needs to go, because he has no idea where that might be.

    And neither do his friends.
    Flagged AZF924on March 02, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love how in an interview he said "I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote these lyrics, we are not young."
    And when he said "the lines should be "my friends are in the bathroom because they ate too much fancy steak"
    Flagged overthinkaon February 15, 2013   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:He's cheating on his girlfriend with his ex girlfriend. You've got to listen to it a few times, but the line, "my lover is waiting for me across the bar" changes the whole thing. It means he's NOT talking to his lover.

    He needs a minute to get his story straight. His friends are getting high in the bathroom; they won't be able to contradict his story he's making up. He gave his ex the slip a few months ago, and he's trying as hard as he can to take it back, unsuccessfully until tonight, so he promises to "carry" (take) her home tonight.

    He tells her that we can be young for the night, it doesn't matter what we throw away, because we're young and we can fix it in our youth. So, they set fire to their world (their past lives). Their love can become brighter than the sun.

    The guy knows that he's not all that she's got, so he tells her that they can find new ways to fall apart, or fall in love.

    They can't do anything now, because their friends came back too soon, so they spend the rest of the night raising the tab and just partying it up until it's time to go home. He rejoices in the fact that he finally found someone to carry him home.
    Flagged Chimera21on February 14, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:It's about being a flavorless 20something right out of college with high hopes for the world. Unfortunately, the singer gets a wind of reality and sinks all the way to rock bottom in a bar. It's about how after a crushing defeat, you still have someone to carry you home from the bar.
    Flagged averagejoey2000on February 11, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:It's about being a flavorless 20something right out of college with high hopes for the world. Unfortunately, the singer gets a wind of reality and sinks all the way to rock bottom in a bar. It's about how after a crushing defeat, you still have someone to carry you home from the bar.
    Flagged averagejoey2000on February 11, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I'm still new to this song. So I'm just gonna comment on what I think about my favorite part:

    Tonight, we are young
    So let's set the world on fire
    We can burn brighter than the sun

    They're young and at their age, can't get in much trouble (wit the law) for causing trouble so they set the world on fire. I'm trying to figure out what the last two lines in the portion of the lyrics I posted here mean to me.

    But I thing I believe is that it's a dream where they were dreaming that they're at that age where they can't be in trouble with the law for setting the world on fire.

    Alternatively, it could mean either in a dram or real life, they plan to set the world on fire and burn brighter. In other words, getting attention for doing something people will remember. Kinda like going out in a blaze of fire.glory. Except they won't go out as they're young unless they decided on going out in blaze of fire.
    Flag deathvalleyon February 02, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I'm also wondering if
    "The angels never arrived
    But I can hear the choir" is that from the movie Dries van Zandt or Ned van Zandt is a way of saying he knows time is limited. Not necessarily in reference to death, just this lifestyle, or time with this girl, and he wants to make the most of it while he can.


    Anyway its an amazing song about being young and having fun
    Flagged supra123on December 08, 2012   Link

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