What does Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year mean?

Fall Out Boy: Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year Meaning

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Album cover for Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year album cover

Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year Lyrics

Are we growing up or just going down?
It's just a matter of time until we're all found out
Take our tears and put them on ice
Cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the light

We're the therapists pumping through your...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    Driver69eryaz
    click a star to vote
    Jun 16th 2006 !⃝

    This song is about fallout boy as a band...its not about a girl...

    The title refers to their record....the second record that a band puts out is called a sophmore record. So he is asking is this album gonna suck or is it gonna be the biggest album of the year??

    "Are we growing up, or just going down?"
    -he's asking if the band is getting better are they just making the same music.

    "It's just a matter of time until we're all found out
    Take our tears, put 'em on ice.
    'Cause I swear I'd burn the city down to show you the light"
    -he is thinking that their fans won't like and that they will get old. He wants to freeze the moments and remember them. The last line is about where their from..all these songs are written from petes life in chicago and how all these songs were written about events that all happened during his life in this city.


    "We're the therapists pumping through your speakers,
    Delivering just what you need.
    We're well-read and poised,
    We're the best boys.
    We're the chemists who've found the formula,
    To make your heart swell and burst.
    No matter what they say, don't believe a word."
    -this part is about their songs and how their band has gotten bigger and ppl read their lyrics and it helps them with their life. They've found the formula for writing good music.

    "'Cause I'll keep singing this lie if you'll keep believing it.
    I'll keep singing this lie, I'll keep singing this lie."
    -its about their songs...


    "We traveled like gypsie,
    Only with worse luck and far less gold."
    -before they were big they toured and didn't have much and were poor.

    "We're the kids you used to love,
    But then we grew old."
    -this isn't about age. It's about their music..they could be big one day but they could also get old.

    "We're the lifers here 'til the bitter end,
    Condemned from the start.
    Ashamed of the way,
    The songs and the words own the beating of our hearts."
    -they don't have a choice but to keep making music...

    "There’s a drug in the thermostat to warm the room up.
    And there's another around to help us bend your trust.
    I’ve got a sunset in my veins.
    And I need to take a pill to make this town feel okay."
    -this is about the pills(atavin) that petes takes for his anxiety

    "The best part of "believe" is the "lie".
    I hope you sing along and steal a line.
    I need to keep you like this in my mind.
    So give in or just give up."
    -he's saying just listen to the music...he's hoping you'll get something from the music.

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 29th 2020 !⃝

    I think this is about Fall Out Boy themselves growing up and becoming more popular”are we growing up or just going down” I think “We’re the therapist pumping through your speakers“ means that they help people with their music. That their music is “Therapy” to the fans. I believe “no matter what they say don’t believe a word” is about them not believing what fake people say to them. “I’ll keep singing this lie if you’ll keep believing it” is about them writing things that may not be all true but the fans like it so they keep doing it. “We traveled like Gypsies only with worse luck and far less gold” is about how they would drive around in a van during EOWYG and TTTYG era. “We’re the kids you used to love but them we grew old” is about how they are growing up. “We’re the lifers here till the bitter end” is them saying they’re going to be here forever. “Ashamed of the way the songs and words own the beating of our hearts” is about being consumed by the popularity. “I need a pill to make this town feel okay” I think is about depression, and taking anti-depression pills to feel okay. “I hope you sing along and steal a line” is about them wanting the fans to enjoy the music. “Take our tears put them in ice” is probably about getting drunk when you’re sad. “Cause I swear I’d burn this city down to show you the light” is about doing anything to show someone the ‘light’ in life, showing them they should enjoy life.

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 14th 2019 !⃝

    listen..i specifically searched this because when this song came out this was when people misinterpreted a lot of songs because its just a fun thing to do. im just gonna throw out that there's a double entendre that none of ya'll would figure out. YEAH the "sarcastic overtones" YEAH the "highschool criticism" yeah all that is there...sssure, but

    i guarantee. Patrick is much more clever than y'all give him credit for.. and he knew that. so he threw out obvious clues he knew fans would never get. ANNNNNd...im not gonna spoil it :) but i'll tell you this: the title has little to do with the song. and less to do with fn highschool haha. oh boy.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 3rd 2017 !⃝

    I don't have an interpretation to actually share because a song can mean a lot of different things from the artist/lyricist themselves. But this song became a personal influence in my life and has personal meaning for me. Let's just say that this song saved my life during and after my Sophomore year of Highschool. Hence the song Title - it influenced my preserverence and determination to strive and accomplish what seamed incredibly out of reach. Love this song. It is my favorite of all time.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 3rd 2017 !⃝

    I don't have an interpretatoin to share because a song can mean a lot of different things from the artist/lyricist themselves. But this song became a personal influence my life and a personal meaning for me. Let's just say thay this song saved my life during and after my Sophomore year of Highschool. Hence the Title influenced my preserverence and determination to strive and accomplish what seamed incredibly out of reach. Love this song. It is my favorite of all time.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 3rd 2017 !⃝

    I don't have an interpretatoin to share because a song can mean a lot different things from the artist/lyricist themselves. But this song became a personal influence my life and a personal meaning for me. Let's just say thay this song saved my life during and after my Sophomore year of Highschool. Hence the Title influenced my preserverence and determination to strive and accomplish what seamed incredibly out of reach. Love this song. It is my favorite of all time.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 3rd 2015 !⃝

    I know many of the interpretations on here are pretty similar, but I want to share mine anyways:

    So I believe this amazing song is about them as musicians and the impact they (can) have on their fans or the people who listen to their music.

    "Are we growing up or just going down?
    It's just a matter of time until we're all found out"

    -On the one hand they could be questioning whether we are getting better in our minds or just worse.
    On the other hand about them, as a band- is their musicgetting better or will the fans be disappointed in them because the don't improve or even get worse?

    "Take our tears, put them on ice
    'Cause I swear I'd burn the city down to show you the light"

    -They don't want to cry and weep or worry.
    They make the music for us, to make people happy or help them.

    "We're therapists pumping through your speakers
    Delivering just what you need"

    -It's about the effect their music has on people and how people get through hard times listening to it, so they're their "therapists"

    "We're well read and poised
    We're the best boys"

    -This could be meant in a sarcastic way? To be honest, I don't really get this part :D

    "We're the chemists who found the formula
    to make your heart swell and burst"

    -They found the formula to make people happy and to make them feel understood when they listen to their songs.

    "No matter what they say,
    don't believe a word"

    -Maybe it is meant that you shouldn't listen to the "haters" and should not believe them.
    It could also be a foreshadowing to the "lie"

    "'Cause I'll keep singing this lie if you keep believing it.
    I'll keep singing this lie,
    I'll keep singing this lie"

    -It's again about them making the music for us, the fans, and they will keep doing it if we keep listening.

    (Chorus)

    "We're traveled like gypsies
    Only with worse luck and far less gold"

    -This kind of descibes the beginning of their band,and the way to the musicians they are now.
    They started small and with "nothing" ("less gold")

    "The kids you used to love
    But then we grew old"

    -They are wondering if they will become better and more popular or just end up "old" and forgotten.

    "We're the lifers here til the bitter end,
    condemned from the start
    ashamed of the way
    the songs and the words own the beating of our hearts"

    - They can't just stop half-way. They can't just stop making music.

    (Chorus)

    "There's adrug in the thermostat to warm the room up
    and there's another around to help us bend your trust
    I've got a sunset in my veins
    And I need to take a pill to make this town feel okay."

    -The drug could be antidepressants or something against anxiety (as Pete also took Ativan)
    They are buried under stress and high expectations, so they need to take something to make it better
    But there is still a good, happy or lucky side in them as they got a "sunset in their veins"

    "The best part of 'believe' is the 'lie'"

    -The say that there is aleays a lie in believe.
    They even might lie in their songs

    "I hope you sing along and steal a line
    I need o keep you like this in my mind"

    -You should simply listen to their songs and enjoy them, even though they "lie"
    Maybe you could öearn something from them.

    "So give in or just give up"

    -This can be, in my opinion, seen in two ways,
    They could refer to the lines above and mean that you either can give them a chance, listen to them and trying to understand, or give up (on them)
    On the other hand they could mean that there are two possibilities: Give in to live or just give up on it. -- grow up or go down

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 10th 2009 !⃝

    Ok so i could write an interpretation for the whole song but i won't. it's basically just talking about what everyone here has said before, how being a teenager in high school can either really suck or be really great.
    The lyric "We're the chemists who've found the formula to make your heart swell and burst. no matter what they say, don't believe a word." caught my attention
    I think they're talking to girls from a guy's point of view. There saying guys have somehow figured out how to make girls fall in love, like it's a natural born talent they all possess. They're warning girls that no matter what the guys say, don't always believe them because they may just as well be lying. it relates to to the next lines "I'll keep singing this lie if you'll keep believing it."

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 19th 2009 !⃝

    I know some people may not agree with me, but this song just left an impact on me I can't ignore. In my eyes, it seems that the song is about the "slump" that someone goes through, and the emotional support that someone who cares for the person is and is willing to provide for him or her.
    I have identified with the lyrics as follows:
    "Are we growing up, or just going down
    It's just a matter of time until we're all found out"
    -are we maturing and becoming emotionally stable adults, or are we just losing it more and more. Are we becoming so miserable we'll never be able to rise from the ashes? Despite the fact that we do our best to hide out feelings, people will find out about it soon enough.
    "take your tears;put them on ice.
    'Cause I swear, I'd burn the city down to show you the light."
    -The second person is telling the one in the "slump" to stop crying and to please stop with his or her misery, because the second person will do anything to make the first person be happy.
    "We're the therapists pumping through your speakers
    delivering just what you need"
    -The second person is saying he or she is and will listen to person A and help him or her through his or her problems
    "We're well read and poised. We're the best boys"
    -I'm the one you want to talk to.
    "We're the chemists who found the formula to make your heart swell and burst. No matter what they say, don't believe a word."
    -I know you and know how to help you. But the people that make you unhappy- don't listen to them. They don't know anything.
    " 'cause I'll keep singing this lie if you'll keep believing it. I'll keep singing this lie. I'll keep singing this lie."
    -I'll say whatever you need to make you happy no matter what. Just trust me.
    " We're traveled like gypsies only with worse luck and far less gold"
    -We have been through a lot, and I know we have been unlucky, and that it has left you weak and weary.
    "We're the kids you used to love, but then we grew old."
    -We used to be so close, but we've gotten older and lost our childlike innocence.
    " We're the lifers until the bitter end- condemned from the start"
    -I know we're stuck a crappy and miserable situation.
    "ashamed of the way the songs and the words own the beating of our hearts"
    -we're ashamed of how other people have control of our emotions so much.
    " there's a drug in a thermostat to warm the room up and there's another around to help us bend your trust. I got a sunset in my veins and I need to take a pill to make this town feel okay "
    -We both have to dillude ourselves to feel some kind of happiness here.
    "The best part of "believe" is the "lie". I hope you sing along and you steal a line. I need to keep you like this in my mind.
    - The best part of believing in something, is the lie I'm telling you that you are believing. I hope you catch on and can do the same for me.
    "So give in or just give up"
    -We are stuck here in this horrible situation, so just believe the lies I tell you for your own good, or finally give up on life. No matter what, it's your final decision.

  10. Wildwest814
    click a star to vote
    Jan 28th 2008 !⃝

    Yeah I think it's about growing up, being a teenager and wishing you could be youth again, but they also reassure you by saying that their music can help you through it all

    sophomore slump = sophomore year of high school
    well...thats what I think anyway

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 10th 2007 !⃝

    Agree with t9im2m3y, but also, when I was at a concert, he said this before they played this song: "You know, when we were all kids in high school, people made fun of us. They called us losers, faggots, homos, and emos. But now, they're coming to our f*king shows, buying our f*cking CDs, and singing our F*cking music. This song goes out to you." so maybe, it's about how they were underdogs in their high school but now its a comeback.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 7th 2007 !⃝

    This song has a lot of sarcastic undertones that I think a lot of people just don't get. For instance, when Patrick is singing about them being "well read and poised... The best boys", its a sarcastic line. They go on to say "I'll keep singing this lie if you keep believing it" I think this song goes way over most peoples heads.

  13. peteinmypants
    click a star to vote
    Jul 2nd 2007 !⃝

    I think the song kind of goes with the title. I finally figured the title out though. See, From Under The Cork Tree was their second real album they hoped would be big. But they feared they wouldn't do so well, also know as a sophomore slump. They are saying they are either going to hit it big, or not at all.

  14. DiSeNcHaNtEd_DrEaMeR
    click a star to vote
    Jun 10th 2007 !⃝

    I think the 6th interpretation is very good because it's so detailed. I love the line "we're the therapists pumping through your speakers, delivering just what you need" because to me, their music is a therapy and a way of chilling out if I'm feeling down. whatever, it rocks!

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 9th 2007 !⃝

    my opinion of this song would have to be that in any persons life they go through a period that's not so good better known as a slump , and like in high school during your sophomore year you start to worry about growing up and how life will turn out , so you kind of get depressed because your not shure what life has in store for you .
    the lyrics clearly state are we growing up or just going down , [ are we becoming anything or not ]
    which ties into the whole thing about if there album will be good or will it just suck

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 29th 2006 !⃝

    Wow you guys I've looked at so many song meanings for every other songs, and this is the only song that ppl actually gave a good meaning for. I swear ya'll did a good job. Thanks for clearing things up.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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