What does The (After) Life Of The Party mean?

Fall Out Boy: The (After) Life Of The Party Meaning

Album cover for The (After) Life Of The Party album cover

The (After) Life Of The Party Lyrics

I'm a stitch away from making it
And a scar away from falling apart, apart
Blood cells pixelate
And the eyes dialate
And the full moon pill's got me out on the street at night

Cut it loose
Watch you work the room
Cut it loose
Watch you...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    katmolburke
    click a star to vote
    Oct 2nd 2009 !⃝

    I love this song and when I noticed there were no interpratations on her for it, I decided to submit one myself. So here goes:

    "I'm a stitch away from making it
    And a scar away from falling apart, apart"
    [Well that lines pretty self-explanatory]

    "Blood cells pixelate
    And the eyes dialate
    And the full moon pill's got me out on the street at night"
    [In this part there are multiple references to things - first, the lines about the blood cells and eyes are physical effects that are caused by taking drugs. Then, the "full moon pills" are referencing a drug such as Adderall or cocaine that can keep you up partying all night, and high.]

    "Cut it loose
    Watch you work the room
    Cut it loose
    Watch you work the room
    Cut it loose
    Watch you work the room
    Cut it loose
    Watch you work the room"
    [Now the chorus is interesting, and a perfect example of Pete's amazing lyrics. To 'cut loose' means to relax and enjoy yourself, and 'working the room' can mean mingling at a party. But the double meaning here is that 'cut it loose' can also mean cutting drugs into loose powder, and if the girl is 'working the room' she could be distributing the drugs around.]

    "Oh, put love on hold
    Young Hollywood is on the other line"
    [I think that this is another double meaning. 'On the other line' might mean on the phone, or line as in drug running line.]

    "Her nose runs ruby red"
    [When you 'snort' excessive amounts of cocaine or pills, your nose turns red.]

    "Deaths in a double bed
    Singing songs that could only catch the ear of the desperate"
    [Now, is it 'Deaths' in a double bed, or 'Death's' in a double bed - if Death was in a double bed, his 'song' would be suicide, which would only catch the ears of the desperate. Makes you think, doesn't it?

    The next part is the chorus and first verse repeated, so I can leave that part]

    "Kiss away young thrills and
    Kills on the mouths of all my friends"
    [Here, I think that the person whose story we are following has 'kissed away his young thrills' (ie. Stopped doing drugs) and is watching all his friends die from taking them.]

    The rest is repeated again, so I guess all that is left is the title. Now, for those who don't know already, brackets, ( ), are used to add in extra info that the context would make sense without. So here, "The (After) Life Of The Party" is "The Life Of The Party". But as it talks about serious issues that cause deaths, they put After in the title too, making it Afterlife. Its hard to explain,so I hope you get what I meant.

    Anyways, that is all I've got. Hope you enjoyed my interpretation of the lyrics (and title).

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 28th 2022 !⃝

    I remember when they performed this he told a story about how it was about his leaked dick pick and how it almost ruined his life

  3. anonymous
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    Jul 10th 2016 !⃝

    I think the "Deaths in double beds" is referring to sex, because 'orgasm' translates to 'little death' in French. Also, in a Panic! At The Disco song, it says "Little deaths in musical beds" which obviously refers to sex.

  4. anonymous
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    Jun 15th 2016 !⃝

    "Cut it loose... watch you work the room," might more likely be a reference to working the crowd at a show. I think you're right about the song's drug references. Snorting cocaine can cause nosebleeds... so "her nose runs ruby red" would make sense in reference to that.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 30th 2015 !⃝

    What I love about music is the subjectivity. It's like any art form; each piece of art means something different to to each and every person enjoying it. To me, this song is all about SSRI (or almost any class of antidepressant)- induced suicidal ideation. "Full moon pill's got me out on the street at night". People relate full moons to "crazy" (awful stereotype I know) or mentally I'll patients. Well depression is a mental illness and trust me those antidepressants do keep you up at night and can make you do out of the ordinary things. They, like other drugs, can also make your pupils dilate.
    In the beginning weeks of therapy, they can make you suicidal too (trust me). The opening line is about him deciding whether or not to allow his suicide attempt to be successful/complete. "Singing songs that can only catch the ears of the desperate"- really only people who have been through this recognize what he's taking about and can relate.
    Again I'm not in the minds of the writer but this is what it means to me. It's beautiful, pensive, morose and deep in all the right ways. I freaking love this song so much.

  6. anonymous
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    Dec 8th 2012 !⃝

    I think the first ones right just "young hollywood is on the other line" means its going to end up a crime scene (with being on the news and such)

  7. anonymous
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    Jun 5th 2012 !⃝

    I believe the drug references are totally right, but at the part where is says

    "Kiss away young thrills, and it kills on the mouths of all my friends."

    I really thought that he was talking about making out with a friend of his (a girl), or a one night stand.

  8. anonymous
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    Dec 4th 2011 !⃝

    Adding on to the post because I just thought of something.

    The part "her nose runs ruby red, deaths in a double bed that could only catch the ear of the desperate, the girl is not living a good life and can always hear "Death" and does not feel the need to live anymore.

    The part about the full moon pills applies to both characters. He takes drugs in order to not think about her because thinking about her would mean pure agony because he truly believes that she would want nothing to do with him. She takes pills in order to make herself numb and not think about what is happening to her at the moment.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 4th 2011 !⃝

    I absolutely love this song!!!!

    So, I didn't get the drug reference but that makes sense. I always thought this was about a romantic relationship.
    The part "blood cells pixelate and eyes dilate", it could either mean that he is falling in love with her all over again or he realizes that he was always in love with her.
    The part " Cut it loose, watch you work the room", he sees her from a distance and knows what she's been through and how she's living her life. He loves her deeply and wants to help. It means to not hide everything and lay everything on the table.
    The part "put love on hold, young Hollywood is on the other side. It means he is in pure agony that she doesn't exactly reciprocate his feelings for her and tries to occupy himself by dating other people,etc.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 7th 2011 !⃝


    I actually think this song has to do with Pete's attempted suicide...

    "Blood cells pixelate
    And the eyes dialate
    And the full moon pill's got me out on the street at night"
    Pete tried to kill himself at night, in his car, at a Best Buy parking lot by overdose.


    "Singing songs that could only catch the ear of the desperate" He was obviously desperate to well.. die. And he was listening to the song Hallelujah.

    That's just my opinion, and what i think of when i hear this song...



  11. anonymous
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    May 24th 2011 !⃝

    I agree with the drugs interpretation and I also found the chorus made me think of a hooker, especially with the line "the full moon pill's got me out on the streets at night" - I think this references to the fact that the person is having to "walk the streets" aka sell themselves for money to buy these drugs.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 29th 2011 !⃝

    i definitely agree with you guys with the drug interpretations, it makes a lot of sense to me now. the lyrics are amazing. but for some reason the chorus makes me think a little bit of a hooker or something?

  13. Bratna96
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    Apr 10th 2010 !⃝

    I think you are both wrong. I think it ais about Love. Falling in love with someone, but they don't love you back. Just my opinion, though.

  14. Rustoid
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    Jan 6th 2010 !⃝

    I think the other person pretty well got it except for a few parts.

    Put love on hold
    Young hollywood is on the other line

    This is talking about phone calls and such, but if you look at it a different way

    Young hollywood is on the other line, her nose runs ruby red

    This is talking about the party and drug seen, being on the other line meaning the other side of the room with a different line of cocain or something.

    And it is death's not deaths. Death is singing the song that could only catch the ears of the desperate, aka suicide


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