What does I'm not Okay (I Promise) mean?

My Chemical Romance: I'm not Okay (I Promise) Meaning

Album cover for I'm not Okay (I Promise) album cover

Song Released: 2004


I'm not Okay (I Promise) Lyrics

Well if you wanted honesty, that's all you had to say
I never want to let you down or have you go
It's better off this way
For all the dirty looks
The photographs your boyfriend took
Remember when you broke your foot
From jumping out the...

  1. anonymous
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    Aug 22nd 2006 !⃝

    This song is basically about when gerrard was in high school and had a crush on this girl and she took some "skimpy pics" with her boyfriend it shows how he was really broken afterwards.(as the song title suggests.) and as the song suggests ( " I never want to let you down or have you go its better off this way")he would never try to actually "love" her the way he did before. Also he seems kind of bitter.( "remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second floor?") and before that he sings("for all the dirty looks.") I excluded the "boyfriend photogragh" part cause it was already mentioned,and, remember when I said he was bitter well the line before says "for" well in other words he's saying. "for everything thing you've done, remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second floor?". If you didn't get that then it means that he wanted her to jump off a tall building.
    Also, in the next verse he sings."what will it take to show you that its not the life it seems?" in other words she had a better social life than him. Notice why I say social? In the next two lines he sings."I told you time and time again you sing the words but don't know what it means, to be a joke and look, another line without a hook." this is why I say "social", she's says she's a joke because she didn't really consider herself "worth it" whilst he only had one friend, and the girl of his dreams is giving out dirty pics.
    Also in "look another line without a hook" he sings that it is not really true which is what "another line without a hook means" I mean look at his situation at the time. Finally ( since this is my first comment on this website!) "I held you close as we both shook" is pretty straightforward. It means that he helped her through everything and she didn't care!

    Hope you know look for more interpretations with the name m.I.A under. Since this is my first it will be called m.I.A 1

  2. anonymous
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    Jul 27th 2006 !⃝

    This song's about being backstabbed by your own girlfriend(cheated on you,ec) and he's still hurting and probably never will recover from the pain...

  3. anonymous
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    May 5th 2006 !⃝

    Don't forget...

    Not all songs are interpreted by their video clips..

  4. anonymous
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    May 1st 2006 !⃝

    OMFG!! What the hell is wrong with some of you people!! How could you hate Gerard?? He is like sooo awesome!! I swear I am in love with him. I am way overly obsessed with him. So for all you people who think he's fucked up or gay or whatever: just shut the hell up, you don't even know!! You could be completely wrong for all you know! He could be one of the nicest people in the world, but no...you all have to be assholes. God DAMN! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

  5. anonymous
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    Mar 31st 2006 !⃝

    It's about a girl Gerard liked in highschool, as he said, she took sleazy pictures with her boyfriend, and it crushed him.

    No one in My Chemical Romance is bisexual or homosexual, just for the record. They've all got girlfriends.
    =]

  6. lyric_guy43
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    Mar 19th 2006 !⃝

    This is song about saying you are feeling fine but really deep inside you are hurting and feeling like ending your life. Also about people saying they know you but they don't because you are hiding your feelings deep inside.

  7. anonymous
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    Mar 12th 2006 !⃝

    Actually, relating to what someone said earlier, Kurt Cobain was not bi-polar. but yeah, I think your right with the whole song meaning.

  8. anonymous
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    Mar 3rd 2006 !⃝

    It's about suicide, idiots. Gerard even said it himself!

    He's saying how screwed up his life was in high school and thought about suicide! When Gerard says 'I'm okay now' he wants to get over this and tell people he's okay, but he is really hurting and depressed in the inside!

    Yes, it might have to do with a relationship, maybe that contributes to this song.

    'What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems'
    He's saying that his life isn't as easy as he tries to make it look, making him look happy on the outside but hurting on the inside.

    'From jumping out the second floor'
    Yes, he says 'Remember when you broke you foot'
    But maybe he also is meaning hiself, maybe he could be saying that's the way this suicide would take place, jumping out the second floor.

    'Take a good hard look'
    Sorta what I said before, he likes to act happy cheery around other people but if you take a good hard look, he's not okay...

    Mmkay?

    Hey, I could be completely wrong, I could be completely right, if not, oh well. I know there's at least something true I said in this.

  9. Whatshername
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    Jan 31st 2006 !⃝

    anonymous
    Added: 2005-11-26 18:29:22 I think this person is really close to the true meaning in my perspective.. also the person that said something about Kurt Cobain's lyrics for in bloom I think you are on the right track as well! Anyway, just thought I'd share my thoughts.. I love MCR!!
    out.. -xx-

  10. anonymous
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    Jan 22nd 2006 !⃝

    This is a teenage anthem.

  11. anonymous
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    Jan 7th 2006 !⃝

    Dudes. He said it from his own mouth that it's about high school, and about a girl who took slutty pictures with her boyfriend. I'm not going to go into defining all these, because tons of people already have. Geez. You all have to take a big deep breathe and get over your theories. I know your creative..but keep it in the Fiction section, ok? Okay.

  12. anonymous
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    Jan 6th 2006 !⃝

    Ok, I'm Not Ok (I Promise) Is about how we teens struggle though boyfriends/girlfriends, and feel pressure. I'm pretty confident that Gee did not start his drug addiction (if he had one, I don't know...) until his collage years along with his drinking problem. Ok? And also the song talks about how bugged people get when they keep asking you, "Are you ok?"

    Believe me, that would bug me...but I'm not pretty sure about the last thing I said...that's just how I feel! ^-^
    Again-Cemetary Driver ^^

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
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    Dec 20th 2005 !⃝

    I think Gerard's hot.

    But anyway it is about this chick that Gerard crush on. It's so sad with all the dirty pics of the boyfriend and her.

    lurve rosalie

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. IloveGERARDway
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    Dec 19th 2005 !⃝

    Babra was Gerard's girlfriend then she went to Greese so they broke up. I'm Not Ok is not about drug addictions, it's about a girl who he liked to look at slutty pictures with her boyfriend.

  15. anonymous
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    Dec 14th 2005 !⃝

    Dispite what the band says, the real meaning comes out in all the forms of the lyrics, and the video. It's about being Bi-polar, I'm assuming the drummer has it. The offical website has a thing where it lists their "injuries", most likely they are actually true to nature. The Drummer lists as, broken foot, broken heart, and brain damage(No Comment). Assuming that, examining the video, one has to look at the words. Ie. Ever feel..Alone, Reject, Confused, Lost, Anxious, Wrong, Wronged, unclean, angry, ashamed, curious, used....Then to prepare to feel revenge, feel the romance, brutal, beautiful, miserable, x-rated, harlequin, innocent, watercooler, chemical. All of these relate to bi-polar disorder. It generally effects your life making friends and school become overbearring etc.
    I'm not okay You wear me out <-> I'm okay!I'm okay, now switching between energenic happiness to a depressive fatique.
    I told you time and time again you sing the words but don't know what it means <-> Compare to Nirava's In Bloom. Where for thoses who are not fimilar, Kurt was bi-polar.
    He's the one
    Who likes all the pretty songs
    And he likes to sing along
    And he likes to shoot his gun
    But he knows not what it means
    And I say aahh




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