What does We Are Broken mean?

Paramore: We Are Broken Meaning

Album cover for We Are Broken album cover

We Are Broken Lyrics

I am outside
And I've been waiting for the sun
With my wide eyes
I've seen worlds that don't belong
My mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize
Tell me why we live like this

Keep me safe inside
Your arms like towers
Tower over...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 1st 2009 !⃝

    Although the members of Paramore are Christian and they're songs can be seen from a religious standpoint, they are not Christian band nor is this song a Christian song. I do think the interpretations involving religions put a completely different (but lovely) spin on the song. However, the fact remains that this song was written for an organization called To Write Love On Her Arms. Paramore is one of the biggest supporters of this organization (so big, the TWLOHA merchandise team created a "Paramore TWLOHA" t-shirt. It is undeniable that this song was written for that purpose. To Write Love On Her Arms is an organization geared toward helping teenagers dealing with depression, thoughts of suicide, and self-mutilation.
    With that said, I believe that this song is about being at odds with yourself. ("We're at war. We live like this"). It's about not wanting to be that way and wishing to feel like you used to. ("What can we do to restore our innocence ... Give us life again 'cause we just want to be home"). It's about wanting to see the good in life again, seeing the light. ("I am outside and I've been waiting for the sun.") It's about realizing how you've been living your life so poorly and detatched. ("Tell me why we live like this").
    I know from experience that lots of people who used to cut themselves and were depressed and/or suicidal found their way out of that lifestyle by one of two ways.
    1) Friendship. That could be the meaning behind "Keep me safe inside your arms" line. Just saying that you need that friend to help you through this.
    2) God. No doubts God can get you through anything if you just take Him into your heart. That could be the other meaning behind the "Keep me safe inside your arms like towers, tower over me" line." Add in every other religious interpretation to this interpretation.

    Personally, I think that Paramore may or may not have put religious meaning into this song purposefully, but we will never know. Like I said, it was written for TWLOHA. A lot of people with depression and suicidal tendencies lose their Faith in God. Paramore could be trying to tell those teens dealing with those problems that God can help you and that putting their Faith back where it was maybe things can get better. (One point for Religious interpretation). However, most people who have lost or never had a religion don't care to be preached to or told that God will help you. At that point, they believe that no one can help them (mostly because they won't help themselves) or that God abandoned them. So, God is usually the last person they want to hear about. Therefor, maybe this song was not written with a religious ideal in mind. (One point for non-religious intepretation).

    We'll never know for certain. But I think I've covered everything.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    Bleach
    click a star to vote
    Aug 6th 2008 !⃝

    I, personally, believe the lyrics in this song refer to the fact that we, as humans, make mistakes and we end up losing ourselves in lies and violence.
    We live lies to the point where reality is blurred and we begin to question or morals (values). This is what I think the lyrics are speaking of.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 3rd 2008 !⃝

    This song was written to To Write Love on Her Arms, an organization to help teenagers get over their emotional difficulties ( check them out for a better understanding of what they do ) If you know what To Write Love On Her Arms does, you automatically get a better understanding of what the song is about.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 27th 2013 !⃝

    I personally think that this song is what every body is trying to show as a Christian myself I believe that the 'arms like towers' are gods arms and when she sings about us being 'at war' she means we're at war with our demons. I also think that when she sings about 'our innocence and promise we adore' she's singing about our faithfulness and promises to god. I also feel that when when she sings about ' wait for the sun' she means waiting for the son of god rather then the actual sun. And by 'being home' she means that our actual home in heaven. 'I'd lie to capture this voice' Ithink she means god has busted her in her dreams and told her a message.

  5. anonymous
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    Jan 12th 2013 !⃝

    This song has helped me cope with my Fathers death beyond belief and helped me find hope and keep my faith. My Father is gone, but he'll always be around me protecting me and watching over me. I'll be safe in his arms. Such an emotional, inspiring song. Love Paramore. There's so much depth and meaning in their songs.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 6th 2012 !⃝

    We Are Broken Lyrics/Entire Song by Paramore

    I am outside
    And I've been waiting for the sun
    With my wide eyes
    I've seen worlds that don't belong
    My mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize
    Tell me why we live like this

    She is now on terra firma screaming that she has discovered how evil and twisted people can be on the inside. She adores sunshine. She hates the world to which she was exploited. Her tongue has disintegrated into a dust like film which covers the the roof of her mouth. She can't explain what EXCAYLT she saw, because most wouldn't believe her. She saw Satan and his gnarly horny hornules. She is asking anyone else who might have seen what she saw, WHY we have to live in an atmosphere permeated with wicked bitchy mean stingy fuched up greedy stuck up lying knobs,,,,, WHY?

    Keep me safe inside
    Your arms like towers
    Tower over me

    She wants someone to protect her from the sneaky pervasive ambient terror she feels because of the devil's work > exposing her to the elements. She is singing for someone to protect her soul from the ishy grubby sluggish dirty worms & maggots posing as people who surround us incognito on a daily basisss.

    Yeah
    Cause we are broken
    What must we do to restore
    Our innocence
    And oh, the promise we adored
    Give us life again cause we just wanna be whole

    YEah! She is saying Come On! Some of us in the know, know how rude & monsterish sooo many humans are! There are hordes & throngs of despicable, vile and grotesque creatures passing on the street as regular folk. We must slap the crappy frauds! Knock them down! She is saying that! What can we do to restore innocence when it has been ripped from my soul? Huh? She is asking that! The promise of a decent life has been shattered by these underworld bozos. She wants to live among the gentler, friendlier beings and not the heinous tribe o ne'erdowellers.

    Lock the doors
    Cause I like to capture this voice
    it came to me tonight
    So everyone will have a choice
    And under red lights
    I'll show myself it wasn't forged
    We're at war
    We live like this

    Lock the doors to the world and don't allow any more people on this planet. She means it. She is crying out for more birth control cuz WAAAY too many yucky babies are born each and every single day! She speaks in a voice not unlike James Earl Jones because he represents god to all of the people who want JUSTICE done on this EARTH. She is saying Tonight we will all have a choice and that is to STOP the maddening harm being done to innocent people because it steals their innocence! Don't screw with mortal people's psyches in a traumatizing fashion. Just don't! She is saying that she isn't being fake when she says this. She is not forging a signature she wants to forge ahead in order to help people open their eyes & create peace in our world. She says, No more war you hairy creepy sinister menacing bastard people! We do not need to live like this anymore. She wants that!

    Keep me safe inside
    Your arms like towers
    Tower over me

    She adores saftey. Towers are wonderful too. To her! She wants her boyfriend who might be out there listening to her to stop ignoring this grody universe she sees!

    Cause we are broken
    What must we do to restore
    Our innocence
    And oh, the promise we adored
    Give us life again cause we just wanna be whole

    She wants to be whole again and she says that. How can that happen now? She wonders just that. She says that she is broken and she means it very much. Busted!

    Tower over me
    Tower over me

    And I'll take the truth at any cost

    Truth is divine. It is! And she thinks that. She will take the truth and she will pay quite a large sum of money for it. No. That is not what she is saying! She is saying that she doesn't care if the truth of the highly terrorizing plots and motives of the scummy imposter herdish body politic KILSS HER. She wants truth! ANd why not!

    Cause we are broken
    What must we do to restore
    Our innocence
    And oh, the promise we adored
    Give us life again cause we just wanna be whole

    SOOO SICK OF NEVER GETTING THE TRUTH. Is what she is singing. She wants the truth because then she can feel whole again and maybe curl up and DIE. But maybe live! She'd like to live.

    That's what this song is about.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 22nd 2011 !⃝

    I would like to make a correction that some people have said. To Write Love On Her Arms is an organization to help everyone, not just teenagers.

  8. anonymous
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    Oct 14th 2011 !⃝

    I believe that it is about an abusive couple because of the:

    Tower over me your arms like towers part

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 26th 2011 !⃝

    It's her leg singing to her other leg.

  10. anonymous
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    Mar 11th 2011 !⃝

    I have the Final Riot DVD Live from Chicago. Before this song, Hayley speaks about child sex slavery and sex trafficking. She tries to bring awareness to the many issues surrounding the unfair treatment of children all over the world, promoting the organization Love146... check out their website love146.org to see all the details. So she dedicates this song to all those children. I agree with many that the members of Paramore are christians; there is evidence all over the DVD that I mentioned. However, I would disagree that they are a Christian band. I've seen it several times throughout this website for many bands/artists, people agreeing that different songs can have more than one meaning for different people. I think the same goes for even the people that write the songs. For instance, I believe the song was originally written as a worship song, but later progressed into just an inspirational song promoting hope.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 12th 2011 !⃝

    The song is about looking at the world and seeing all the wrong and corrupt in it, but if you let Jesus in your hearthe will tower over you all evil and when the time comes take you to heaven where you will finally be home.. thats my interpertation.

  12. endlessrayne
    click a star to vote
    Oct 31st 2010 !⃝

    you can't even imagine, about what is it, if you haven't live through this. I know that feel. when every day, every day a year, year after year, you can't live normally anymore, and it's not your fault. somebody broke up your innocence. blaming, or forgiving. sharing experience and then frustration, that people don't care, how much you suffer... trying anything to get better, but you can't change the past. you have to accept, that your life isn't what you wanted. sad, but true. just ask yourselves: who's responsible for this world? maybe we all are, maybe none.

  13. anonymous
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    Jan 26th 2010 !⃝

    the song is about people who have been taken out of thier homes and are caught up in human trafficing, hayley explained this on "the final riot" ... they are big supporters of a charity fot this cause, i cant remember the name, she is a genius , her writing is very imaginative- paramore are awesome!

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 24th 2010 !⃝

    its not for a cause called t write love on her arms, its for the cause Love 146, the cause is to help stop sex trafficking, we are broken is about these kids trying and wanting to restore there lies, there innocence, why do things like this happen in the world, they need someone to tower over them and protect them. For all of you who don't know what sex trafficking is, its where horrible people abduct children, and take them to other countries and sell them for sex, chirldren as young as 3 and 4 are forced to have sex with men, hence the line "what must we do to restore... our innocence" its a sad song which tells us the hard truth about whats going on in this world, and i admire paramore for doing that.

  15. JazzyD599
    click a star to vote
    Dec 30th 2009 !⃝

    In an article in Kerrang magazine Hayley said, 'There's also a song called 'We Are Broken' which is about looking at the world and seeing so many people reaching out for anything to save them and feeling like we just need to surrender because right now we're just so done and so broken. So it's a sort of sad song but it has a veil of hope.'

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 6th 2009 !⃝

    Us connecting it to God is not offensive, its our interpretation. and i agree, it can go either way. I interpreted it as God, but thats from my personal experiences. From another persons background, it maybe a break-up or something else. And a rock group can do whatever they want. Maybe she feels bad for the things she's done. You don't know. Its paramore's song, they know what it means and we just make our interpretations. Why would a girl be asking how to restore her innocence after a breakup? what does innocence have to do with it? And what promise we adored?? How do we restore the promise we adored? What could that mean in a breakup? See there are standpoints from both sides. If you don't believe in someone else's interpretation, thats ok. Make the song whatever you want it to be.

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 2nd 2009 !⃝

    I see it as you were broke up with someone and you really want them back and your asking them what must we do to restore how can we fix this

  18. anonymous
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    Sep 2nd 2009 !⃝

    When i hear this song i listened to it after a bad break up so i say she was broken up with by a guy and there was another guy that was her friend {like best friend} to comfort her and make her feel better true story here so its like my personal interpretation btw i dont like how you guys keep saying stuff towards god cuz it can be offensive and it kinda makes me mad how you guys think that a rock group would make a religous song im sure the girl isnt begging god for forgivnes cuz she got broken up with like really.. and dont ya think a religous rock group do that kinda thing..?

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