What does Secrets mean?

OneRepublic: Secrets Meaning

Album cover for Secrets album cover

Song Released: 2009


Get "Secrets" on MP3: Get MP3 from iTunes

Secrets Lyrics

I need another story
Something to get off my chest
My life gets kinda boring
Need something that I can confess
'Til all my sleeves are stained red

From all the truth that I've said
Come by it honestly I swear
Thought you saw wink,...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 19th 2010 !⃝

    Here's the secret (pun intended)

    Sometimes life is hard for some of us and if you happen to be one of those people who keeps hitting hard times you eventually get tired of it all...of being fake, of being lied to, of being criticized, and most of all of being all those things to yourself. You hit a point in life when you realize all the hearts you broke, all the lies you told, all the pain you caused, all the broken promises…all of it catches up with you and eats away at your soul. The only way to fix that is to let it all go…to give all your secrets away.

    And once you start living life like that it feels so good it’s almost painful…the passion is that overwhelming. That passion comes out in this song in a way that makes it easy to relate to…and that just makes it all the better and enjoyable to listen to. Sing along with it…it’s good for the soul.

    --MRR

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 22nd 2016 !⃝

    the man loves the woman so much that he's "afraid" to show it to her. he lets her feel that his love for her was not really that strong/intense. the woman loves him too but got so sad because she feels that her man does not love her in return. they separated ways...now that the woman he loves got away. that's the time he realized that he wanted to make it up to her and wanted to tell her that he is deeply in love with her. the love for her that he is trying to keep is no longer a secret at all. he will give it all to her away...
    from: if u only knew that...

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    JohannaLynn
    click a star to vote
    Jan 1st 2011 !⃝

    THe lyricist of the band once stated in an interview that he would always use honest lyrics for his own band. So I guess this song is about the band's career instead of relationships and stuff
    "I need another story
    something to get off my chest
    my life gets kinda boring
    need something that I can confess"
    Probably shows how he insists on writing honest lyrics, and it's a hard job
    "Tell me what you want to hear
    something that'll light those ears
    we're sick of all the insincere
    so i'm gonna give all my secrets away.
    This time, don't need another perfect line
    don't care if critics ever jump in line
    I'm gonna give all my secrets away"
    This song revolved around the frustration they encounter in their career as a band. We can see they've put in lots of effort in their songs but they don't seem to achieve as much as other artists out there. He decides to give all his best and write sincere and personal songs, songs that can connect to the listeners, ignoring all the criticisms the band receives.
    "My God, amazing how we got this far
    It's like we're chasing all those stars who's driving shiny big black cars
    And every day I see the news all the problems bet we can solve them when a situation rises just write it into an album send it straight to gold, but I don't really like my flow"
    Thankful for their present situation
    And I think the whole song is highly personal about the lyricist's career and his persistence on being true in his songs. Love it

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 2nd 2022 !⃝

    This is one of my all time favourite songs. The tune is captivating and the lyrics are some of the best I have ever heard.

    To me this about someone who has their life figured out. They take ownership of their life and don't blame their family, and do their best to not do things that they will not regret down the road. (That is some of their big secrets. In other words they do their best not to air their dirty laundry.)

    Also, to really understand this song one must know a little information about Ryan Tedder's background. He went to school for marketing. Marketing done right listens to the consumer, tries to meet their wants and needs. So him asking, "tell me what you want to hear," is him basically asking the audience what they want. He will make a plan from there on what to give. He has a lot of secrets he is willing to give and share about life and experiences, however he will share only what the audience is open to listening to.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 14th 2021 !⃝

    I am in love with someone so much my heart hurts. I would give every single one of my secrets to them if it made them happy. I would lie to them if the truth hurt them. That's my interpretation.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 5th 2020 !⃝

    I believe this song was made from the heart and soul of one of the band members (or all of them) but for a specific group. A group that is constantly, rapidly torn down by everyone around them that don't believe in them or what they are. Most of you that are reading this also don't understand or believe in the wonderful society, group, family that I myself belong to, I'm talking about the LGBTQ+ group. I know that at some point this is going to be torn down and reported, but hear me out, every time you tear down someone from our group you are hurting down another person we are the same species as you we are only a little different. We don't mean bad, we are simply attracted to the same gender, both, aren't the right gender, or don't have a gander, we are all around, and most are afraid to speak out about who we are and what we like because of a lot of jerks are making it there mission to abuse us.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 16th 2016 !⃝

    it's about a guy who doesn't really want the world to know the truth and is making up all these stories, trying to get people to believe those stories; and then he meets someone who he's willing to give up everything for, and he will give all of his secrets away for that woman.

    -SMC

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 6th 2015 !⃝

    When I listen to this song, I hear a man who is weary of life and needs something to boost him; he's exhausted from the lies and everything that he has kept within, whether the secrets are dark or not, he just wants to give it away so that he can feel the weight of the secrets lifted off of him and also to make him feel as if he has some story that needs hearing and is special so that he can be ridded of the boredom in life that wears down his soul. He also goes on to say that everyday there are problems in the world that we deal with by simply writing songs so that others may be touched by them and help out, but that the one singing doesn't like the flow of it, as he isn't doing enough. I guess this might be one of the first secrets he tells. I relate to some of the things he is saying because I feel at times that I am bored of life and would rather not be living it, so to keep me going and to get the hardship off of my chest, I tell people close to me about my troubles. Just an example. In the song, the man talks about being amazed that he and his friends had gotten this far with fame and glory, but that leads into the fact that his glory is not helping others in the world by just writing albums. In another part, he says he's got no reason, shame or family to blame; this could mean that he hasn't a reason to feel so down and depressed about the world, that he isn't ashamed of anything and therefore shame is not causing him to feel in such a way, and that his family has not done anything during his life to cause him to be like this either. He adds that plea of "don't let me disappear". At first, I thought that he didn't want to fade from the fame and be forgotten, but then I realized that he was worried that he was losing himself and that- in accordance to thoughts I've previously had- almost wanted to die, or kill himself ( bluntness ), and he is crying out for help here because he wants help to fight back at this feeling which makes him want to "disappear", or die. It could also just be a lesser extreme of that he doesn't want to lose himself and the man that he was/is. So in conclusion, this song is him pleaing for help and telling all of his secrets so that he may not lose himself, no matter what people say, because it won't matter in the end if his happiness and general self has disappeared.
    -K.E.L.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 20th 2014 !⃝

    This is a love song of a man who always played around at love until one day he found someone that made him change, his feelings for her made him realized what he done. He surrendered everything for her, he changed, he wanted to be honest, sincere, he wanted to keep her for the rest of his life that he is willing to... "... give all my secrets away!..."

  10. Happ
    click a star to vote
    Oct 29th 2014 !⃝

    I think he is a guy who has lied a lot. He meets someone and he lies to them. But when his lies unravel and are revealed, he realizes he cares about that person and he wants to show the real person he truly is/

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 24th 2014 !⃝

    The person is tired of how the world likes to make a big deal out of everything and his life is boring. So he's going to tell everyone his secrets. Pretty obvious. (This my thoughts and opinions)

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 16th 2014 !⃝

    This is a love song, the video reflects the lyrical content. It is about a man who has lived his life in the socially accepted/expected masculine patriarchy. The woman whom he is in love with does not align with the superficial life he has built around himself. In pain and sorrow they have turned away from each other. Her to seek solace in the arms of a man that does not love her. Him to seek gratification in a superficial existence void of passion. True Love however never dies. In the same moment she sits alone waiting in vain on unrequited live he finally comes to the realization that life without your true love is an empty existence. So in the throes of passion and surrender to his hearts sorrow he sings "Tell me what you want to hear something that will light those ears sick of all the insincere I'm gonna give all my secrets away". He is ready to confess to her and all the rest of the world he is in love. As he finds the courage to tell her "everything" she finds the courage to also turn away from all that is false. Now a new Aeon can begin. This song is simply deep. The lyrics and video confirm its meaning.


    Sincerely,
    Bellara Sothis

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 11th 2014 !⃝

    It means that you are trying to let all your hopes and dreams out. You are telling your life to somebody. And you can't help but feel your life is twisted, boring, and sad. But the person is listening intently, or in my case God (I'm a Christian!!). And the weaves of life are showing now, and you are telling them yourself.

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 10th 2013 !⃝

    I think this songs about a man who's bored with his life. He wants to get out, and break free. Break free of all the normal and white picket fence of his life and go a bit wild. Forget his fear, give away his secrets, and just burst out.

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 28th 2013 !⃝

    I recall that the song “Secrets” is about someone who has too many secrets and is tired of keeping them and wants to let them out. I realized this when I read the line “some-thin to get off my chest”. This shows that the person needs to tell someone his secret(s) because when most people say this they mean trying to let go of a heavy weight, burden or secret that they may have been carrying around for a long time. The author of this song (Ryan Tedder) may have had a secret and wrote this song based on his experience. I think this because the song’s name is secrets and the word “secrets” is repeatedly being used in his song. Therefore that is what I think the song “secrets” by One Republic is about,someone who does not want to keep his secrets hidden away in himself anymore but to finally set himself free.(from keeping the secret(s)).

  16. Eze
    click a star to vote
    Jul 22nd 2013 !⃝

    I think it's about someone who is sick of be who he really is. He's saying "do you want the truth o what you want to hear?". He can't pretend to be someone else.

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 10th 2013 !⃝

    He is tired of all of the lies he's had to tell. He's tired of always having to pretend to be some perfect person to fit in with society. He's finally realized that he doesn't need to do that. He is just going to be open and honest. He's just going to show everyone who he really is, not who he's pretended to be. He doesn't care what everyone else thinks. He just wants to be himself now.

  18. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 14th 2011 !⃝

    I think it's about him being done with judgement. He just doesn't want to live in fear of being judged by society and all the lies they've made. He's getting bored and fed up. Anytime he has wanted to speak the truth, he's gotten depressed (and has cut his wrists. The blood would make his sleeves red) and critics, including his family (got no family I can blame) have tossed him aside and laughed at him. And to make it all worse, society isn't very welcome to him. All the problems we have as a society, how we haven't killed ourselves by now (amazing how we got this far). He's been labeled an outcast and has had to give perfect lies to society to not make things worse, which has only made him more depressed.

    To me though, this song is amazing because it makes you think about how messed up our society is and how we can fix it by giving out our secrets and stop all the lies/fakes/sellouts. It has such a great meaning, great lyrics, and amazing music. One time I put it on loop and listened to it all night, and it was one of the best nights I've had. I just love this song. Always will be a favorite. Thanks OneRepublic for composing a song that means so much to me.

    Because the one thing we can agree on is that it's an amazing song.

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