What does Sick Boy mean?

The Chainsmokers: Sick Boy Meaning

Tagged:   No tags, suggest one.
Album cover for Sick Boy album cover

Sick Boy Lyrics

I'm from the East side of America
Where we choose pride over character
And we can pick sides but this is us, this is us, this is
I live on the West side of America
Where there's been lies and
And we can pick sides, but this is us, this is...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 25th 2020 !⃝

    Criticism and spreading awareness about the negative aspects of Social Media and Politics seem to the most important themes of this song, along with narcissism, hysteria, apathy and the 'brainwashing' mentality of society.

    I'm interpreting a lot of the song to be about how certain others can view him as a 'sick boy' because of his (political) views, perhaps specifically - he says he's "from the East side of America" which could be referring to the political 'right' and that he "lives in the West side of America" could be referring to the political 'left' as well.
    The song describes each 'side' in a similarly negative light which could denote the contrast but also similairty between the Left and the Right in America: "we're united under our indifference (gun click)".

    There is consistent mention and description of what others are sort of doing or what is going on in his society - "where they spread lies like fairydust", "where we choose pride over character" - shows the political, narcissistic and the'free-to-leave prison-like' conditions he experiences: "make no mistake, I live in a prison, that I built myself it is my religion", "and we can pick sides but this is us, this is us, this is...".

    There is mention and reptition of "how many likes is my life worth" (after "feed yourself with my life's work") which would be signifying social media and the waving craze over popularity and likability for many people on society and the importance that it has gathered for itself - with some cult-like following.

    So, in a word, society would very generically sum this song up, in my opinion.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 17th 2019 !⃝

    We are all narcissistic to a degree, and we tend to pity ourselves over our own pool of issues instead of looking at the bigger picture surrounding us. It is easy to call ourselves the "sick boy" when we are unaware of actual problems that take place outside of our own little world.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 7th 2018 !⃝

    We live in a wold revolving around social media. This song is a political song telling people that it’s time to wake up. There was a slave trade/ human trafficking going on in Libya, but people were more concerned with whether or not Kylie Jenner was pregnant. People care more about their status, and how much fame they have on the internet. Now people can make a living by sitting in front of a camera and dropping $500.00 every time they go to the mall, which is ridiculous, but I digress.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 18th 2023 !⃝

    I honestly kind of just think it’s Satire on overpatriotism. From the lyrics (“And they say I am the sick boy”), I think it means how a lot of people talk up how America is “so perfect”, and anyone who criticizes it is “sick”, as the song talks about various issues happening here. I dunno, it’s just what I heard in the song.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 21st 2022 !⃝

    Well you interpreted 'sick boy' right and most likely to you told all the right things people are really more conserned about others life issue they forget to solve their own and Jugde you by your nationality.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 14th 2021 !⃝

    I see it as that we are all narcissistic. We all have our own opinions and we can't change that. It also talks about social medias, and that I think most people are getting too enveloped in it( IDK if that was the right phrase). It also says that they call them " the sick boy" I think this means that the people are calling him wrong, bad, or something else. This is what I think, I should probably look deeper into it, I'm not sure.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 18th 2020 !⃝

    We all narcissist calling each other narcissist no one is perfect and a quote writer against narcissim isn't either coz at one point or another we all have used someone wrong maybe not extremely maybe not intentionally but whichever way, we have done a couple of narcissistic things...i think at the end there is strong and weak narcissim but since every one wants to be a victim without even a dot of a fault then i don't believe in narcissim,where everyone projects and expect us to listen to them (holier than thou)i don pick sides am indifferent,jus loving myself and if that's narcissim then am the sickboy coz it is either we all wrongful people or narcissim is a survival theorem to those who always wanna be victim as if with no evil tinny bit of themselves...i don believe in narcissim am jus the sickboy,you wanna fill yourself with my lifes worth and how many likes it is worth well, am jus a sickboy coz i focus on me and love myself not listening to what you all project i will spin your written lies into a fairy dust...i am the sickboy,simply indifferent.

    That's my take

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 13th 2020 !⃝

    I think that he is trying to defend himself from what other people say. Judging by the lines, "Don't believe in narcissism, when everyone projects and expects you to listen to them" He is most likely to be informing the audience about narcissism. And in the next line. "That, I build myself, it is my religion." The singer tries to defend himself from what he can and can't do.

  9. Aveox
    click a star to vote
    Nov 7th 2019 !⃝

    I think they are talking about the real political situation in the United States, maybe when they say on the east and west side, they are talking about the political spectra of right and left, so they were born in a family that has ideologies of the right, but now they have left ideologies

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 13th 2018 !⃝

    (I'm not a native english speaker so sorry if my english isn't perfect) I think it's about how people demonize other people only for having a different political view even if they don't know them personally, and they are narcissist because they think that they have the absolute truth and are not able to even listen to the other side because it disrupts their belief system or ideology... And suppress other people through social media to dictate what's morally accepted or not. I believe the chaisnmokers were raised in a very conservative environment (the east) so they have some of those conservative values that liberals hate (the west coast), so they struggled with that to be able to have succeed in the music industry. That's why I think he saids he lives in a "prision" because he has a very competitive mentality and had to suppress his inner conservative (his true identity) in order to enter the music industry which is extremely liberal dominated. He kinda lost himself and I'm glad they letting that side of them come out with this song.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 11th 2018 !⃝

    This is how illuminati sprade in America we all are sick boy. Today's society

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 6th 2018 !⃝

    I feel like this involves politics while it does bring up some social media. People from both parties have so much pride thinking that they are right. We all need to learn we have to deal with stuff for example our current President Trump. Liberals hate him and are super angry. But republicans weren't making a huge deal with a Democratic president. We had to deal with it because we had no choice. I think its about how we have so much pride in what we are saying and putting out there and thinking we are always right about everything. This easily fits for me as politics and social media meaning.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 6th 2018 !⃝

    It's definitely about social media. It could be about something he posted, and someone calling him a sick boy (or someone giving a negative comment) after he posted something. It seems like he's talking about how he had the courage to post it and it's easy to criticize someone when he took the risk to post it.

    I think it's saying that both East and West coast post lies to prove their point and deep down they know it's wrong or at least not fully true (a point that will not change anyone's mind).

    It's also describing the state of our society now that social media is so prominent.. how people care so much now about getting attention though social media.

    IMO it's bad for our society. It used to be great before it came. We could be ourselves and not worry about keeping up face so that we didn't get tagged in a weird post, etc.

    It used to be where you could make a mistake and it wouldn't be known by everyone in your high school, etc. Anyway, it's different now. I feel bad for today's generation because of it.

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 5th 2018 !⃝

    I think it's about people needing to stop being so self centered and look around at what's happening to the world around them.

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 5th 2018 !⃝

    I think it means that people need to stop worrying about themselves and actually start considering problems with America that affect everyone in the country. We need to stop being selfish and one-sided and start being open to change and be caring for one another

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 4th 2018 !⃝

    Society today in America is not as it should be. We need to spend less time on social media likes are not worth our lives

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 1st 2018 !⃝

    Its a song for a society where judging a narcissist people unfairly. Where in fact this kind of a personalities help this world to become a great place to live in. There's only two of this kind either its successful or not in their lives. Successful ones are the maybe your boss or head of yours in your companies. They have godly gift to elevate the current system but struggling to companionship to others that why most people call them jerk.

  18. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 27th 2018 !⃝

    Shows that America is a "sick boy" or messed up and confused and that we are blind and one-sided. It shows that society in today's world and that we need to open up and progress.


More The Chainsmokers songs »


 


Latest Articles

 


Submit Your Interpretation

[ want a different song? ]




Just Posted

Taking Over Me anonymous
All The Good Girls Go To Hell anonymous
Wingriddenangel anonymous
I Spoke to The Devil in Miami anonymous
This Woman's Work anonymous
Action! Not Words anonymous
Everybody Loves Me, Baby anonymous
Fall in to Sleep anonymous
Lemon Boy anonymous
Drama Club anonymous
Gravity anonymous
Our First Time anonymous
Nymphetamine anonymous
Liquid Smooth anonymous
Teddy Bear anonymous

(We won't give out your email)