What do you think Everything You Want means?

Vertical Horizon: Everything You Want Meaning

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Album cover for Everything You Want album cover

Song Released: 1999


Everything You Want Lyrics

Somewhere there's speaking
It's already coming in
Oh and it's rising at the back of your mind
You never could get it
Unless you were fed it
Now you're here and you don't know why

But under skinned knees and the skid marks
Past the places...

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  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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     May 10th 2009 !⃝

    i think the girl is with the guy and can't find anything wrong with him but still doesn't believe she is in love. but she doesn't know why. if he is the perfect guy, why can't she love him? how come he means nothing? the whole time the singer is talking about himself because he's talking o his significant other and confesses that he tries to be the best and he loves her but can tell she appreciates him but doesn't love him, and he doesn't understand why.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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     Apr 25th 2009 !⃝

    This is a song i listen to quite often, because I feel like I am in this situation.

    Girl is either with a guy that she shouldn't be with, or is chasing after guys that are not good for her. Singer is her guy friend that is always there for her, whenever she cries or needs someone. Whenever she's in a relationship or looking for someone, its seems like the singer knows that she's going about it the wrong way. or at least the tone of the song makes it seem like the girl gets into a relationship and rides out the storm.

    when the singer refers to this "he" that is everything for the girl, it sounds like he is telling her that he knows a guy that is right for her, but he hasn't caught her eye yet... hoping that she'll either take a hint or something. At the end of the song, when the chorus changes "he" to "I" he isn't telling the girl that he is the one for her... it sounds as though, after consoling her, or spending time with her again, about a bad relationship, she leaves and he is disheartened that she did not realize that he was the guy for her. but he still isn't going to take a stand and tell her that he's the one for her.

    So overall, guy in the song is a good guy... looks out for her, and wants the best for her... he feels like he can be the best for her, but he would rather have her decide that, because he just cares for her happiness, in case she doesn't see him that way. my 2 cents

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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     Jan 13th 2009 !⃝

    I agree with most of the post for this song, but I always interpreted the song to include 3 people: the girl, the guy she loves, and the guy who loves her (ie the singer).
    I saw it as the singer wishing he was that other guy, wishing that he was everything she wanted. I haven't listened to it in awhile so I may just be deluded. :)

  4. anonymous
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     Jul 8th 2023 !⃝

    The song is obviously about Lucifer. Most songs in the music usually. The song deals with man, God and Lucifer. The music video helps reveal it with the usage of duality. Man influenced by God and man influenced by Lucifer... He's and I am are the give aways. Especially Echoes/Anger of Angels....

  5. anonymous
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     Apr 13th 2023 !⃝

    I think it’s a girl, in love with a broken man who can’t love her back, because he doesn’t love himself. She’s telling him that she can be all of those things that he’s looking for, if he would just let her in.

  6. anonymous
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     Jun 6th 2020 !⃝

    I think it's about GOD.
    She doesn't realize she needs Him. All the opportunities she had to turn to him, she missed.
    The last verse, of course,is GOD speaking.

  7. anonymous
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     Dec 8th 2017 !⃝

    I think it’s about a few gay boys that all fell in love w eachother and one of them was the main b I t c h that the 2 other men loved. The lead singer of this band or whomever wrote it was upset that the main b I t c h loved the other man more than he.

  8. anonymous
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     Jul 23rd 2017 !⃝

    I believe it's about 3 gay males, because it states "He is everything inside of you that you wish you could be." The "Friend" AKA the singer, has loved the guy who is unsure of the new relationship. The new guy is perfect, but so is the singer. "He means nothing to you, and you don't know why," speaks volumes! If only the guy would realize that his friend (the singer) is everything that the new boyfriend is, and truly loves him, he never would have gone out with the new guy!

  9. HikerNOhio
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     May 24th 2016 !⃝

    The original intent of this song is probably about a love triangle like everyone else voiced.

    But, I have applied to to my life personally and my searching for wholeness. So many times in the past I just wanted to be loved by someone. But I have finally figured out because of my brokeness and woundedness... No one was able to love me enough so that I could be made whole.

    This verse has been most of my existence:

    You're waiting for someone
    To put you together
    You're waiting for someone to push you away
    There's always another wound to discover
    There's always something more you wish he'd say

    My whole life I have been looking for that person.. that pill.. that counselor, that religion.. that philosophic to "put me together"
    It might work for a minute... But in my self analysis... I would always discover a "new wound" I would always wish that someone had "something more to say" that would heal the newest wound... or the festering old ones.

    As a teen I had an experience with Jesus. I found at at that that He was "everything I want", "everything I need". He was "inside of me" and He was "everything I wish that I could be"

    After several years of walking with Christ.. My old wounds started raising their ugly heads. Instead of going to Christ and getting the answers from Him because He "didn't mean that much to me." I would rather get my needs met by other people and other sources. And I "didn't even know why" I didn't go back to Jesus for the answers.. I just didn't.

    I could go on and on about the analogies of this song and my life.. but I have stated my main thoughts on this.

    Now.. finally I get it. I have gotten back into a relationship withe Jesus... not church or religion.... but Jesus.
    When I have a need or an emptiness in my soul.. I go to Him and tell Him about it because "He's everything I need"

    I still enjoy friends, things, advice... etc.. but that is not my main source... Jesus is my main source.

    Then.... I see that last chorus as Jesus' response to me confirming.... yes... "I am everything you need"... etc

    Great song!!!

  10. anonymous
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     Aug 10th 2014 !⃝

    This song resonated with me in a more esoteric way as I heard the dialogue of fear and confusion that plays out between my brain and my locked emotions which leave me in an incomplete, inauthentic state of being. Essentially two voices of the same person in a battle between a protective head and an emerging heart.
    "Somewhere they're speaking, It's already coming in, and it's rising in the back of your mind"=mocking-relentless bullying-innuendo-
    "You never could get it unless you were fed it"=personal validation from without.
    "Now you're here and you don't know why"=confused about the meaning of this life.
    "Underbruised knees and the skid marks, past the places where you used to learn"=school was an exercise in survival.
    First chorus=a highly adaptable brain being sold as the protector to a naïve sensitive
    heart.
    Last chorus=emerging heart asserting its own capacity and necessity
    "He means nothing to you and you don't know why"=lifelong disconnect between head and heart...knowledge and feelings. Knowledge over feelings as feelings are messy and uncontrollable and open to exploitation so stay smart and stay safe so as to stay alive albeit[emotionally] dormant.
    There's other lyrics in there that support the struggle..."Waiting for someone to put you together" "You're waiting for someone to push you away"=confusion about peoples motives. "There's always another wound to discover"=bruised heart..."there's always something more you wish he'd say"= brain can make it all ok with enough analysis and spin.

  11. Gurt19
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     Sep 2nd 2012 !⃝

    This song to me, is about a guy perhaps the singer loving this girl and knows that she is the one for him, but she continues to go after guys too quickly or fast. She fails to make decisions slowly and so she goes after any guy that will give her anything. She constantly is going after guys she wants, but the guys don't really want her and she keeps getting herself hurt. There are guys or a guy that wants only her and understands her completely(feels right about her etc.) than just before he asks her or anything like that.. the girl goes for a guy who isn't someone she needs. She continues to find the wrong guys, when theirs a guy right in front of her who could give her everything.

    In the end of the song there's a great quote saying, "Everything you want, is not everything you need." It could go both ways for men and women. I believe this song is strictly about the guy telling the girl, "Everything you want from a guy, isn't everything you need." Men aren't perfect in this world, nor are women, however when you have a man right in front of you willing to do anything and everything for you, you should be happy with them, the same goes for men. Once you realize you had the best person in your sight, the best person has already found better. I think it's basically saying.. you can't get everything in this world. There's going to be ups and downs whether you like it or not. People will move on and you will feel alone, but hey sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

    In the end, just find who will accept you and whom you feel is right for you.

  12. anonymous
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     Jan 15th 2012 !⃝

    Its about finding the perfect guy, the perfect match and not sure about how you should be feeling. Logically he is ideal,but emotionally you not sure. Cause you're so used to the bad treatment that when you get someone to treat you right, its hard to receive.

  13. marysway
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     Oct 3rd 2011 !⃝

    To anonymous that says this is clearly not religious. I disagree. The church I belong to have sang this song for years. I can see where it can also be about a love triangle it also can be about your relationship with God. This is NOT a new song but Vertical does do an excellent job singing this.

  14. mhycangel
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     Sep 14th 2011 !⃝

    The song is all about unrequited love. Though the singer is male, I think that this is a female point of view as to the lines "he's everything you want, he's everything you need....". The girl maybe was hiding her feelings or denying everything all along as stated in "but he means nothing to you and you don't know why". It summarizes up to the thing on how a girl feels towards an object of her desire (the boy) who pretended to feel nothing for her. The lines also shows that they had a thing at a young age or maybe known each other since they were kids,possibly they were also classmates "under skinned knees and skid marks"..."places where you use to learn"...
    The conclusion come at the end of the song "I am everything you want"...."but i mean nothing to you"...This refers to the confession of the boy. So it's like they feel the same, and love each other all along but wasn't able to show their feelings to each other.

  15. anonymous
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     Jun 15th 2011 !⃝

    I think it's about a girl with a guy best friend who really thinks she's found the perfect guy(not the best friend) and well she dates him cause who wouldn't but she starts to see not everything about him is perfect and that her best friend is really the perfect one because he's been there all along

  16. anonymous
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     May 29th 2011 !⃝

    Girl in relationship that is one sided. She wants him, he uses her. Singer is in love with her and she doesn't realize it.

  17. anonymous
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     Apr 6th 2011 !⃝

    Wow, never knew there's quite a discussion on this song over the years... well I think there are many ways to interpret this, but here's what i understand when i first heard this song (which is not too long ago, unfortunately for me :P)

    I think the song arrangement is pretty meaningful that the hook of the song is played backwards in the background throughout the song (esp in the stanzas) as though he singer wishes to turn back time.

    Well back to the lyrics, I think it's about the closure of a guy whose ex-girlfriend used to take him for granted, and finally left him entirely.

    So the bulk of the song is written in 3rd person as a form of escapism as the guy reflects on their relationship.

    In summary, i think it's about a guy reflecting and lamenting about his break-up. He tried to be the perfect guy but he can never understand why the girl is leaving him, and why is he never good enough, and why does she treat him as though he's dispensable.

    1st stanza talks about the motivation at the back of the girl's mind that drives her actions, which the guy can never understand ("you could never get it unless you were fed it").

    2nd stanza is about the guy knowing the girl is hurt and regretting the damages done to their lives ("skinned knees and skid lines") and she needs someone but he can't be there for her anymore ("echoes of angels who won't return")

    chorus is the guy lamenting "he's the one for you, so why do you treat him as though he doesn't mean anything to you??"

    3rd stanza shows the guy is confused with what does the girl want in a relationship ("waiting someone to put you together" vs "waiting someone to push you away") In the end, nobody can ever match up because there's so much insecurities and she'd always need more than whatever the guy can give.

    Then chorus... and the feelings in 3rd stanza gets amplified in the bridge.

    In the bridge, as the song builds up, i think guy's emotion gets stronger, and starts to blame the girl for not putting in enough in the relationship. I think he's trying to express that "if you just sit tight and wait for something to happen (i.e. not putting in enough in this relationship), then this break-up is exactly what you want."

    then we come to 4th stanza, where it paints an imagery where the girl is leaving the 'island', which i believe is the concept of a world where the guy and the girl used to live in... a kind of common space where their lives overlap during their time together.. and she's going out of this 'island' and out of his life entirely.. He feels that they could've worked it out but she chose not to ("past the places where you might have turned"). She's trying to avoid him because she knows very well that even though the guy may not show it, he is very angry with her ("never did notice but still hide away (from) the anger of angels who won't return").

    The song ends with the chorus as per normal and then turned into 1st person, as his raw emotions crumble the escapism. The guy still feels that he's the right person for the girl but he can never understand how things turned out the way they did...

  18. anonymous
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     Dec 19th 2010 !⃝

    Guy and girl meet. Guy and girl become best friends. Guy always liked the girl (if you get the drift) but overtime fell in love. He always took care of her and theyve been through a lot. Something happens, he sees her with someone who treats her like dirt compared to him. Guy cant figure his best friend out. The songs written at the point where guy (the singer) is heartbroken, he can no longer be friends with her, he is too in love. They are distancing, they are no longer friends, she knows how he really feels and knows the reall reasons they are not best friends anymore. Guy also knows that she knows. (haha get it?) this song is guys closure in this relationship, neither of them ever talked about it, nothing was ever said. Guy has finally spoken his mind, he makes her look like the fool to cover up the fact that he really feels like the fool. BOOM NAILED IT! I DARE SOMEONE TO ARGUE THAT!

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