Lyrics for No Such Thing as interpreted by Ice

No Such Thing Lyrics
"welcome to the real world"
she said to me condescendingly
"take a seat, take your life
plot it out in black and white"

well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings
and the drama queens
I'd like to think the best of me
is still hiding up my sleeve

they love to tell you "stay inside the lines"
but something's better on the other side

I want to run through the halls of my high school
I want to scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
just a lie you've got to rise above

so the good boys and girls take the so-called right track
faded white hats grabbing credits, maybe transfers
they read all the books but they can't find the answers
all of our parents, they're getting older
I wonder if they've wished for anything better
while in their memories, tiny tragedies

they love to tell you "stay inside the lines"
but something's better on the other side

I want to run through the halls of my high school
I want to scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
just a lie you've got to rise above

I am invincible
I am invincible
I am invincible
as long as I'm alive

I want to run through the halls of my high school
I want to scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
just a lie you've got to rise above

I just can't wait for my ten year reunion
I'm gonna bust down the double doors
and when I stand on these tables before you
you will know what all this time was for

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  • 132 Comments
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plasmaHD
05-29-2006

Rated 0 
this song is so good. it says how the jocks and washouts will really get their comeuppance. it shows how people like john mayer can really succeed

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UsedAllTearz1
10-11-2006

Rated 0 
i love this song a hella lot. I understand it completely. Kinda brings tears to my eyes, although...ironic part? I'm only 13 D: I'm not even in high school..yet. John Mayer is a great song writer/singer, I love his uniqueness

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UsedAllTearz1
10-11-2006

Rated 0 
i love this song a hella lot. I understand it completely. Kinda brings tears to my eyes, although...ironic part? I'm only 13 D: I'm not even in high school..yet. John Mayer is a great song writer/singer, I love his uniqueness

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Blackmofasa9
12-04-2006

Rated 0 
This song is special to me.

I never really got into doing work at school or stressing over anything. I just kinda got by in my high school life.

I'm the kid who draws in chalk around the school, jumps on tables, sits by himself outside on the ground humming a Thelonius Monk song and crossdresses. I'm hoping that one day 10 years from now I'll go to my reunion in a position higher than the others and insanely happy with the way things turned out.

But that ain't gunna happen (:

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jalouse
02-02-2007

Rated 0 
what does 'faded white hats' mean?

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2muchnerd4u
02-20-2007

Rated 0 
probably graduation hats

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RememberToForget
02-20-2007

Rated 0 
This song isn't about differences between "jocks" and "geeks" and what have you. Not at all. This is about wondering if, or rather realizing that, life isn't about pursuing money, those great jobs, that special college, or anything like that.

This is a social critique in my opinion. From the day we are born, no matter what social class you hail from, your entire life is "plotted out in black and white". For me, I come from a middle-class family, and although I've "made decisions" they've really amounted to nothing. From the day I was born I was GOING to elementary school through college. I was GOING to follow the rules, be that good little boy who blended in with the status quo and did was society expected from me.

This song is about realizing that all that cheese that you've been chasing is an illusion. In America, society "guarantees" us happiness if we go to college, get a high paying job, and follow the rules that they have laid before us. But, this is a statement that those things aren't what you need to be doing. It's a call out to stop walking the line just because you are afraid of the consequences of stepping outside of your predetermined boundaries, and instead doing what you want regardless of societies opinions of it.

Society tends to not have a high respect for musicians because it is not a lucrative business for most who pursue it. Society would have us believe that it's a fools errand to forgo high paying jobs for a crap shoot like the music business. But, he took that chance and his world didn't fall apart. Are you surprised?

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wild_thaing
03-03-2007

Rated 0 
If this song existed when I was graduating from high school I would make it our theme song - that or "I hope you dance".

People whose lives began AFTER high school will totally get this song.

People who felt they could not break out of their shell while in high school will totally get this song.

People who felt pigeon-holed during high school will totally get this song.

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wild_thaing
03-03-2007

Rated +1 
I should say that people who lived life on their own terms AFTER high school will totally get this song.

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nolimit24
04-03-2007

Rated 0 
John Mayer is a god

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wish.for.wings_x
04-06-2007

Rated 0 
I saw him last night. He is amzaing.Very good live. He is such a good lyricsist. like i mean FANASTIC!. lol.

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bella___muerte
04-29-2007

Rated 0 
"I want to run through the halls of my high school
I want to scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
just a lie you've got to rise above"

I do, I really do, although I didn't just, I know it is. Did that make any sense?

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NixiVonGrimm
04-30-2007

Rated 0 
This song never ever bores me, it always gets me in a good mood... what more could you want from a song?!?!

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ethteck
04-30-2007

Rated 0 
This is truly a great song. I remember hearing it as a little kid and not knowing what it was called. It was my favorite song but I never knew the name and barely heard it. Now I do...

I heard it in a video at school that was a yearbook slideshow thing. I instanly recognised the song as my favorite song, my "soul song". I know the idea seems a bit weird, but still.

It starts out very mellow and quiet with the guitar and bass and instantly he starts singing and you hear the drums. This symbolizes the quick, overwhelming start of highschool and the adulthood of your life. "take a seat, take your life
plot it out in black and white" It then says that you need to plan your life in high school.

"well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings
and the drama queens
I'd like to think the best of me
is still hiding up my sleeve"
He is complaning that he wasn't the most popular kid at the school but he still had a good life looking back on it.

"so the good boys and girls take the so-called right track
faded white hats grabbing credits, maybe transfers
they read all the books but they can't find the answers
all of our parents, they're getting older
I wonder if they've wished for anything better
while in their memories, tiny tragedies"

The other kids were following the croud with fashions and trends that everyone else was doing. The part about the parents makes me sad to hear for some reason, but I think it's my favorite part of the song.


Artists > John Mayer > No Such Thing
Submitted by Ice on December 21, 2001

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"welcome to the real world"
she said to me condescendingly
"take a seat, take your life
plot it out in black and white"

well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings
and the drama queens
I'd like to think the best of me
is still hiding up my sleeve

they love to tell you "stay inside the lines"
but something's better on the other side

I want to run through the halls of my high school
I want to scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
just a lie you've got to rise above

so the good boys and girls take the so-called right track
faded white hats grabbing credits, maybe transfers
they read all the books but they can't find the answers
all of our parents, they're getting older
I wonder if they've wished for anything better
while in their memories, tiny tragedies

they love to tell you "stay inside the lines"
but something's better on the other side

I want to run through the halls of my high school
I want to scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
just a lie you've got to rise above

"I am invincible
I am invincible
I am invincible
as long as I'm alive"

This clearly shows what kids think in their teens. Nothing can hurt them and they are invincible. This is sadly not the truth stated ironically in the last line.

That's MY perception of the song for you. I may be extremely wrong on some parts of it. I just wanted to tell what I thought it was to me.

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stinaribena
05-14-2007

Rated 0 
Like nearly everyone commenting on this song, I'm sure... I can relate to this song. I ran through the halls of my high school declaring that there is NO SUCH THING as the real world... and it was bloody amazing!

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jewelzr4eva
11-13-2007

Rated 0 
I think his voice is sexy,not to mention what an amazing song this is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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openyourheart
12-18-2007

Rated 0 
john found his spiritual side

"i am invincible as long as im alive"
birth-rebirth.
what humans go through.
you will be born into another life once you die,
unless you rise above. let go of what you're fed through media and meet the real you.
experience enlightenment and let go of all your old beliefs.
take advantage while your human.
then you dont have to live off other peoples songs and worrying about people who like the songs ("preps") and actually appreciate the music and those people for sharing an interest.

when he says "i just found out theres no such thing as the real world" means, the real world, what we think is the real world, what were born into - its not actually real.
everything were told is pretty much a lie, and its very decieving, all these thigns get in your way and try and blind you from teh truth.
so you've got to rise above.
again, let go.

the rest is pretty straight forward :)
this is a very amazing song
and my faovurite line is
"so the good boys and girls take the so-called right track
faded white hats grabbing credits, maybe transfers
they read all the books but they can't find the answers"

ENJOY :D

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Eilla008
01-17-2008

Rated 0 
he's talking about my high school!!! yayayy!!!! he went to the same high school as i go to now!!!

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ka09
02-05-2008

Rated 0 
anna, what is a "true nonconformist"? a purposeful nonconformist is simply conforming to the value that our society places on uniqueness. how do you become unaware of how you are perceived when you are already acutely so?

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skimthefat
04-30-2008

Rated 0 
RememberToForget that was great! completely agree with you.

this song is so me. relates to me so much, i'm in year 12 as we speak, under a year until i finish high school. I know what I want in life, i want to make skateboarding my life (which it already is). i'm no i'm not ready yet but its the only thing that makes me happy, its what i do, its who i am. my life. anyway, i'm gonna keep pursuing it until i get it, cause i know i'm gonna be miserable if i never make it.

just like the music industry as RememberToForget pointed out, it doesnt get the respect its deserves from society. skateboarding is like that, too. as i go through life i have people telling me "to get a life" and disproving of what i do. well, fuck them! its my life, i'm going to do what i want with it, i want ot be happy. don't we all?

wow, really deep but i had to let that all out.

i love you john mayer. very talent artist! kudos to you my friend.

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skimthefat
04-30-2008

Rated 0 
crap, * i know i'm not ready

was what i meant to say =]

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nat leehunni4667
05-14-2008

Rated 0 
people who like john mayer should listen to jesse ruben.

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abashhox
06-29-2008

Rated 0 
my sister and i play this song with her on guitar singing the normal melody and me on harmony part. this song played acoustically is simply beautiful

the bridge is without a doubt the most meaningful part to this song..i hope it speaks to everyone the way it speaks to me:
"I am invincible, as long as I'm alive.."

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quitejaded
07-28-2008

Rated 0 
Reading the first comments made in 2002, I understand. Its a bitter sweet feeling when your underground idol becomes popular. You're happy for their success but you miss when they were "all yours" and you're scared that they might change.

FIRST STANZA:
He's meeting his high school counselour and she's telling him he must do this and that in order to be successful. You know the deal. You have to have SAT of XXX and you should have been president of such and such and John probably doesn't meet these requirements (never having been the prom king, etc.).

He thinks he can make it, regardless of the fact that he doesn't fit the mold. He realizes that outside the lines of that mold, there can be so much more (and in fact, he is right. The richest and most successful people step outside the line).

He notices that the good children are following the advice of the counselour. Now, the verse about parents... I THINK its about how the parents are getting older and they have experience and by now they've probably realized that staying inside the lines wasn't always the best thing and John wonders if they would go back and change it and if they feel bad that they did what they did (or rather, didn't do).

John realizes that he can't be defeated as long as he's alive. That is, he will never be unsuccessful as long as he's trying his best.

The Real World is a myth. That is, the way that people tell us students how the "real world" is is a myth. The real world is what you make it and if you stay within the status quo, it will become the myth that it doesn't have to be.

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SimpleFaith
10-22-2008

Rated 0 
You know, when this song first came out, I just thought it was catchy.
But during my junior/senior year of high school, I finally listened to it and realized that I could totally relate.
I know where I live, the majority was working towards being doctors, business men/women, accountants, etc (and quite a few of them had their careers picked out from birth). Not that there's anything wrong with those professions, but they're certainly not my thing! And so I'd tell people "I'm going to be an art major" and they'd be like "...Oh."

So I think it's just about doing what you want to do, despite the "...ohs" you get from people. xD

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