My Chemical Romance - Teenagers Meaning
Song Released: 2007
Teenagers Lyrics
With all the lies in the books
To make a citizen out of you
Because they sleep with a gun
And keep an eye on you, son
So they can watch all the things you do
Because the drugs never work
They're gonna...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:"They're gonna clean up your looks with all the lies in the books to make a citizen out of you"
Parents/Adults perspective. They are going to try and make you look 'normal' like all the cliche normal jocks, preppy's. To make you what society wants you to be.
"Because they sleep with a gun and keep an eye on you son so they can watch all things you do"
Parent/Adult perspective. They sleep with a gun because they may be partially scared knowing you (teenagers) could do something at anytime. And they're going to watch you to make sure you're turning into the 'perfect' teenager.
"Because the drugs never work they're gonna give you a smirk because they have methods of keeping you clean"
Teens may take drugs to try to ignore their parents/take away the pain that they won't be accepted but it doesn't always work. Parents know ways to 'keep you clean' keep you away from drugs which is why they smirk.
"They're gonna rip up your heads, your aspirations to shreds another cog in the murder machine"
Adults are trying to control them which is ripping their aspirations to shreds and causing them to become murder machines or possibly emo.
"They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me, they could careless as long as someone'll bleed. So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose maybe they'll leave you alone but not me."
Adults perspective. Teenagers don't care until the bullies that bullied them bleed or are killed. So wear black and stuff to try to get people to leave you alone but adults/parents still may not.
"The boys and girls in the clique, the awful names that they stick. You're never gonna fit in much kid."
Jocks and preppys/cheerleaders or 'the popular' crowd will make fun of you if you're not like them. They have high expectations.
"But if you're troubled and hurt what you got under your shirt will make them pay for the things that they did"
What you have under your shirt refers to hiding a weapon like a gun and you want to kill the person that put you through all that trouble. Kinda like the whole karma's a 'bitch' thing. It also refers a bit to school shootings. -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:It's not about how teenagers are scary, it's about how adults/society want everybody to be exactly the same and how that's bad and we should rebel. Here's how:
They're gonna clean up your looks
With all the lies in the books
To make a citizen out of you
The adults are going to try to make you into what they think is a "good person" by forcing you to look "normal" and forcing you to do things that are "normal"
Because they sleep with a gun
And keep an eye on you, son
So they can watch all the things you do
The adults sleep with guns and keep an eye on you because they want you to stay in line. It also is assuming the "you" or "son" is alternative and the adult thinks that means youre a bad person and stuff because they're brainwashed into not accepting anything other than what is "normal"
Because the drugs never work
They're gonna give you a smirk
'Cause they got methods of keeping you clean
They're gonna rip up your heads
Your aspirations to shreds
Another cog in the murder machine
This could mean a few things. Either the adults are giving you pills because they think you're crazy and then they smile because they have ways of making you like everybody else or the teenagers take drugs to try to forget about the pressure from adults to be like everyone else but they never quite work and the adults are smirking because they have ways to keep you from doing drugs. Then they are going to hurt you and not let you follow your dreams because the adults go around non stop hurting kids and killing their dreams.
They said now teenagers scare the living shit out of me
They could care less as long as someone'll bleed
So darken your clothes
Or strike a violent pose
Maybe they'll leave you alone
But not me
The grown ups say that teenagers scare them which is ironic because they are worse. They just want to hurt people. So rebel against them by being alternative (emo, goth, etc.) or fight against it. Mabe the adults will leave you alone. But they won't leave me alone.
The boys and girls in the clique
The awful names that they stick
You're never gonna fit in much, kid
But if you're troubled and hurt
What you got under your shirt
Will make them pay for the things that they did
The adults saying that other teenagers that are "normal" are making fun of you and you will never fit in if you're alternative. This next part could mean a few things. Either the adult is still talking and they are saying that if you're troubled and hurt what you got under your shirt (either a weapon or self harm) will help you get revenge on the other teens. Which is basically saying that the adults would rather have you kill people than have you be alternative. Or that school shootings and murders are seen as more normal than alternative people. OR the verse is the people singing/writing the song saying that if you're troubled and hurt that you could always use the thing under your shirt (weapons or self harm) will make the teenagers and/ or adults regret hurting you.
There. Now please stop saying its about how teens are scary. >_< -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:For me, the "So darken your clothes, or strike a violent pose / Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me!" part is different than what others said.
I think it's in the perspective of the teenagers. They think if they dress manly or punkish, they'll scare off adults. They keep to themselves, because "Adults don't understand."
Gerard is saying, most adults will leave you alone, but not him. He's reaching out to teenagers with his songs, wanting them to open up. -
I think this song is about The Patient's earlier years and how adults were scared of teenagers like him. I feel like Gerard was hinting that he was a very rough and violent teenager: "Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me"
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This song reminded me of how the people who came from the generation before us thinks they can have authority over us and how we can’t be accepted for what we wear or think because it’s “not normal nor appropriate” but in reality those people are upset, they couldn’t do what we teenagers do today, oppose authority. Or they just want to protect us from spiraling out of control but not in a healthy way as they think.
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So darken your clothes,
Or struck a violent pose,
Maybe they’ll leave you alone,
But not me!
My thoughts on those few lines is that he made the first one reference how society has forced us teens into being self conscious and that if we aren’t perfect, then there’s a chance we’ll get bullied for it. So if we become emo/goth/etc. then our chances of being noticed and bullied are lower. As far as the second line goes, I’m thinking that he wrote that one to show that sometimes, even tho you dress to fit in behind the scenes, there’s still a chance you’ll get noticed so if you attempt to fight back then maybe people will back down and try to stay away from you instead attempting to bully you around all the time. However in his case, it might not have worked out so easily. Anyway, that’s just my opinion. You don’t have to take my word or anything. -
Does he mean they may leave you alone but I won't?
Or they may leave you alone but won't leave me alone? -
I feel that this is about the perspective of a young teen who feels like no one understands them and who is bullied. This can also represent the struggle of someone who is trying to figure out who they are. And also how adult try there best to keep their kids in line but it seems like the harder they try the worse the kids get. But not everyone needs to be helicoptered, especially at that age when teens are figuring out life and becoming more independent. This can be hard and they need support, but they want to figure things out on there own. Sorry if this is bad.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I think that 'Teenagers' is a song about how gay/lesbian/bi/pan/trans kids are being bullied, discriminated and cast out. The lyric 'but if you're troubled and hurt, what you got under your shirt' could refer to either trans people feeling uncomfortable about their body, or potential self-harm or suicide attempts.
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i saw some one saying that pepole are hating on this song by reading the interpretations, but we are not and every ones interpretations are diffrent we all relate it to different things .
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This song was started on a subway around a bunch of people dresses in hot topic stuff. That part is true. But the reason the song was published was actually for a violence awareness event. It shows this in the lyrics too. This song also is actually about a young teens life.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I agree with a lot of what is being said here but would like to address the line "Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me" I personally believe this is a window into the message of the song it is a warning and some advice created from the perspective of someone trying to spare others the same pain he experienced as a teenager and that while it is to late for the person giving this warning it isn't too late for others and this is a message I can really understand it isn't fear of the kids like others are saying it's compassion and empathy for these kids and I think that these intentions are very very powerful and relatable
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There talking about how teenagers scare most of society because of how troubled and uncontrollable the vast majority of teenagers are.
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I think he means that all the teenagers are forced to look though and violent, because of all the others. If you are a teenagers and act softie or different you are likely to be bullied.
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"Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not
me" My interpretation: People of authority/ other older folks may disreguard them if they filter into the 'dark clothes, violent pose' category, but he's not going to leave them alone because his band, songs, and style of music is part of who they are categorizing themselves as. -
I actually think the "Darken your clothes and strike a violent pose/ Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me" means that you can be violent or scene all you like to scare adults and authorities off, but he's been there so he gets it. And he's not gonna be fooled by that stuff, he knows what we go through and he's gonna want to help. He won't 'leave you alone'. Idk, that's probably just my more positive, feelsy romantic spin on it I suppose haha. But I like my version.
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