anonymous November 2nd, 2006 05:55PM  
The song is set-up like a conversation, the girl speaks first then the guy responds, then it goes to the chorus and repeats the cycle

the girl feels that every other relationship she's been in was loveless, and that made her feel that she was doing something wrong

the guy tells her that even though she treats him poorly, he's not giving up on her or their relationship, and that she doesn't have to do anything different

the girl then tries to blame her abuse on him, saying he wasnt there for her, or was treating her poorly etc.

The guy says, she needs to be nicer, and that he doesn't deserve what he's getting from her, and he says he won't change for her abuse

The last non-chorus lyrics go "oh but don't bowl me over
just wait a minute well it kinda fell apart, things get so crazy, crazy don't rush this baby, don't rush this baby, baby" I think this means that they need some time to fix their relationship, and that they should go slow, and not rush through it

- ian

newyorkloveaffair March 10th, 2007 12:07PM  
Great song, no matter what the meaning. I've heard many times that this was simply about emotional, verbal abuse, though the lyrics do suggest otherwise to some people.

anonymous December 16th, 2007 03:11AM  
I think the song is about a toxic relationship (not an abusive one), I think they're addicted to each other, and my interpretation is that he gets so frustrated with the her and the situation that he WANTS to push her, and take her for granted..

anonymous May 2nd, 2008 03:43PM  
First, Love the song, and not may of the people who hear Matchbox 20's new song have heard it. (From my experience.)

I think that:

This song is about two friends, a guy and a girl, who have developed feelings for each other. It is from the guy's perspective, hearing how the girl feels under-appreciated in her current state, in a relationship or life, and how unstable things are, "somethings gonna break."
The guy is thinking that he doesn't want her to break, "this ain't over, no not here," because she is so important to him. How they "might change" and it "just might feel good."

The chorus is how he wants to have a closer relationship, the "push you around" is like playing, "push you down" is the more intimate (sex) aspect, and how he wants to be so close to her heart that he doesn't know life without her there and he is able to "take you for granted."

The second verse is her questioning why he would lie to her, and he is thinking about how he only does that to keep her happy and protect her. He then becomes worried about why she goes out with other guys.
She has always been friends with him and he wants more. He feels "cheated" and "wronged" by not being able to know her.

He is afraid in the third verse of changing what they have and losing everything that they have. And he will keep the situation the same to keep her as close as he can.

kgirl May 16th, 2008 07:13PM  
I think this song is about a couple that has recently split up. The guy is thinking back on the relationship and is angry at how he was treated and would like to show her how it felt to be verbally put down and taken for granted.

Danielle December 13th, 2008 03:06PM  
This song means a lot to me. And it reminds me of someone who has been used a lot, and when she finally meets someone that she actually really wants to be with, she is used and hurt by them to. But instead of walking away and forgetting about it, she wants to show him how it feels. Like, when it says, "I wanna take you for granted" Taking people for granted is not a good thing, and I think she wants to show him how it feels to be taken advantage of.

cynderbuster May 27th, 2009 01:15AM  
This song is man talking about a rocky relationship he's in with a woman. She's never had a good relationship and wont give up on him. She wants him to change but he's saying he cant and he will continue to push her around not physically but as far as taking advatage and being selfish cuz that's just the way he is. She keeps pushing him to make her happy but he cant so he lies to her like he's a "little untrusting" (of her) when he thinks the truth will hurt her (cuz she'll get mad). He loves her, knows he's been wrong and even wishes he could be better but it's so hard that he's saying she should give up on him changing. All the fighting is getting crazy and he stays cuz she pulls his strings right with her accusations but all the ways she tries to make him better make him want to pull away at the same time.

anonymous October 19th, 2009 09:03PM  
This is a direct quotation from an interview conducted by NY Rock with Rob Thomas. First is the question. Second, is Rob's recorded answer. Q: In America and Europe, the single "Push" has caused quite an uproar. A lot of feminists seem to be offended. A: I don't understand how people who claim to have a brain can misunderstand [the song] so much. It's not about physical violence. It's about emotions and how somebody can push you around without even lifting a finger. It's all emotional. It's all far more subtle. Anyway, in that song it's the guy who gets pushed around by a girl he's having a relationship with. I had a relationship like that where I was emotionally pushed around, and you know what? I grew almost comfortable with it. I got used to it. Almost enjoyed it because I thought that's how relationships work. I thought it's about getting manipulated and controlled. It's a bit crazy that people claim that I'm a chauvinist and have a violent attitude towards women.

anonymous February 10th, 2010 07:58PM  
The whole song is a conversation. the girl thinks she needs something better and wants to leave the relationship. She tries to blame her problems on Rob and says hes not treating her rite. rob responds to that with the corus (being sarcastic) saying he pushes her around all the time. by the end of the song the girl realizes its not so bad and they make up. :)