Fall Out Boy: Don't You Know Who I Think I Am? Meaning
Don't You Know Who I Think I Am? Lyrics
Whoa oh oh oh
Penny for your thoughts but a dollar for your insides
Or a fortune for your disaster
And I'm just painter and I'm drawing a blank
We only want to sing you to sleep in your bedroom speakers, whoa
We need...
-
1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:This song (written by Pete Wentz) is simple once you break it down
First Verse:
The song's lyrics start with "A penny for you thoughts but a dollar for you insights or a fortune for you disasters" this is the agreement for an interview, like lets say Pete's manager is planning an interview for People magazine. They are offering a "penny" for his "thoughts" and only a "dollar" for his "insights" but a "fortune" for his "disasters". basically they don't care what he thinks they just want embarrasing moments because that's what the media want to see. He then says "I'm just a painter and I'm drawing a blank" This is the interviewer trying to get pete to tell them his story because without it there's no interview "drawing a blank"
Bridge:
In the chorus he states we/the band "only want to sing you to sleep through your bedroom speakers" relating to the first verse it means pete didn't get into the music industry to become famous and he doesn't want to share his "disaters" all he wants to do is make music people love so much its there nightime melody. The Line "we need umbrellas on the inside," Umbrellas give cover, they are saying they need protection from the media even inside, because they trying to get one of his misfortunes "get me just right".
Chorus:
Theres a lot of different interpretations to the line
"They say quitters never win but we walk the plank of a sinking ship" I think this means the band didn't quit but even though there famous life not easy (likely because of the media). Imagine a sinking ship with quitters on and winners walking planks. They are both in trouble,so really they lose together(even though they won). He then says "There's a world outside of my front door,that gets off on being down" meaning the world thrives on others misfortunes, and his only safe behind his front door.
Second verse:
"I could learn to pity you fools as I'm the worst of all" showing he has only a little self confidence. I think this is relating to other celebs that have had there misfotunes on magazines front covers,he thinks there fools and he is one of them. "I can't stop feeling sorry for myself" << pretty obvious he feels sorry for himself.
second bridge:
is the same only last line is different
"give us light" = give us a break (because rain comes from clouds and when there's light there's no rain because no clouds)
last verse:
"walking down memory lane We're alone together, we're alone" his finally thinking of his disasters with the band because they're alone together. -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:This is a song about what society wants from celebrities and the dark nature of the media.
"Penny for your thoughts but a dollar for your insides
Or a fortune for your disaster" (one of my favourite lines)
This is saying on the road to fame you can write and create what you think and be fairly popular/successful, but if you can write and create what you feel and your deep passions and become stars, but if you breakdown and collapse you will be the most famous of all three"
this is evidently shown with kirk cobain, he was a genius and artistically beautiful mind, but he will reach beyond his generation and is renowned because of his untimely suicide while he was in the limelight.
"We only want to sing you to sleep"
This talks about how they really only want to be in the music business for the art.
"They say quitters never win
We walk the plank on a sinking ship"
This refers to the sad state that most of the music business is in and how it is very superficial and more about marketing. Yet they are known as the emo-rock leaders and are trying to get away from that type of false lifestyle.
"There's a world outside of my front door
That gets off on being down"
Reinforces on how the media craves and wants you to fail -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:Most of you are on the right track yet soo off.
its like this.
great ideas don't come to mind that fast.
THEY LOVE WHAT THEY DO.
We only want to sing you to sleep
In your bedroom speakers, whoa
We need umbrellas on the inside
Get me just right
THERE IS MORE TO LIFE AND NEVER GIVE UP
They say quitters never win
But we walk the plank on a sinking ship
There's a world outside of my front door
That gets off on being down
DON'T FEEL BAD FOR YOURSELF AND OTHER PEOPLE.
I could learn to pity fools as I'm the worst of all
And I can't stop feeling sorry for myself
Whoa
NEVER FORGET THE MEMORIES THAT YOU HAVE.
Broken down on memory lane
Alone together, we're alone (Woah)
We're broken down on memory lane
Alone together, we're alone -
A penny for your thoughts but a dollar for your insides
[people may pay for your mind, but they’ll pay more for material objects]
Or a fortune for your disaster
[Paparazzi making a fortune for something bad happening to you]
I'm just a painter and I'm drawing a blank
[he’s meant to be an artist, but he's got a creative block]
We only want to sing you to sleep
In your bedroom speakers, whoa
[talking to his fans, and how he wants to sing for them, not for money, or fame, through their bedroom speakers]
We need umbrellas on the inside
Get me just right
[Umbrellas are covers, from rain, and rain is usually associated with gloom, but sometimes people use umbrellas from the sun, and sun could be fame]
They say quitters never win
But we walk the plank on a sinking ship
[Quitters don't win, because they quit, but everyone is forced to "walk the plank" or exit the scene after a while]
There's a world outside of my front door
That gets off on being down
[there is a world outside his house, not that he goes outside, and the world mainly consists of people who put others down to make themselves feel better]
I could learn to pity fools as I'm the worst of all
And I can't stop feeling sorry for myself
[talking about, how he could pity others, but he’s the one they mostly pity, and he doesn’t want to be like them, so he just keeps feeling sorry for himself]
Broken down on memory lane
Alone together, we're alone
[he’s watching his life on rerun, seeing how he was, and is, so alone, and that in some way they are alone together]
the title is basically, someone famous being like "Don't you know who I am", but its someone who nobody really knows, so it becomes "Don't you know who I THINK I am?" -
"Penny for your thoughts but a dollar for your insight
Or a fortune for your disaster
And I'm just a painter and I'm drawing a blank"
He's saying that he cares more about her disasters cause he can learn from them in ways he couldnt by hearing her thoughts and opinions. You learn from your mistakes and he's trying to learn from hers. He's "drawing a blank" meaning he needs her help so he's going to gain wisdom from her mistakes.
"We only want to sing you to sleep in your bedroom speakers, whoa
We need umbrellas on the inside
Give me a sign"
This means that he's using her and he's "singing her to sleep" but he mentions speakers meaning he's being indirect and only doing it to get what he wants.
"They say quitters never win
We walk the plank on a sinking ship
There's a world outside of my front door
That gets off on being down"
He saying he knows quitters never win but that he's getting forced to quit because the people get off on him being down. By people he means the fans get off on his depression because depression causes him to write songs.
"I could learn to pity fools as I'm the worst of all
And I can't stop feeling sorry for myself"
He's saying the he realized he was being a fool because maybe he fell for her while using her and he feels sorry for himself when he was using her. He's whole system of using her has a hint of arrogance hence the name of the song "Do you know who I think I am?"
Broken down on memory lane
We're alone together, we're alone (Woah)
Broken down on memory lane
We're alone together, we're alone
This means that he can't help but to think about her all the time
and that the only person he wants to remember is her.
This is all my opinion I have no proof that this is correct its just what I think. -
"Penny for your thoughts but a dollar for your insight
Or a fortune for your disaster
And I'm just a painter and I'm drawing a blank"
He's saying that he cares more about her disasters cause he can learn from them in ways he couldnt by hearing her thoughts and opinions. You learn from your mistakes and he's trying to learn from hers. He's "drawing a blank" meaning he needs her help so he's going to gain wisdom from her mistakes.
"We only want to sing you to sleep in your bedroom speakers, whoa
We need umbrellas on the inside
Give me a sign"
This means that he's using her and he's "singing her to sleep" but he mentions speakers meaning he's being indirect and only doing it to get what he wants.
"They say quitters never win
We walk the plank on a sinking ship
There's a world outside of my front door
That gets off on being down"
He saying he knows quitters never win but that he's getting forced to quit because the people get off on him being down. By people he means the fans get off on his depression because depression causes him to write songs.
"I could learn to pity fools as I'm the worst of all
And I can't stop feeling sorry for myself"
He's saying the he realized he was being a fool because maybe he fell for her while using her and he feels sorry for himself when he was using her. He's whole system of using her has a hint of arrogance hence the name of the song "Do you know who I think I am?"
Broken down on memory lane
We're alone together, we're alone (Woah)
Broken down on memory lane
We're alone together, we're alone
This means that he can't help but to think about her all the time
and that the only person he wants to remember is her.
This is all my opinion I have no proof that this is correct its just what I think. -
i think the line "we walk the plank on a sinking ship" is about saving the pain.
i think it's saying this person is going to drown when the ship sinks but they walk the plank so that they're not waiting for death, they're not suffering at th prospect of death. -
"Penny for your thoughts but a dollar for your insides
Or a fortune for your disaster" - I think this means they'd pay more for real feelings than formed thoughts, and a whole lot more for bad experiances... Inspiration? to make themselves feel better?
"And I'm just a painter and I'm drawing a blank" - they're artists lacking inspiration.. also AWESOME LYRICS.
"We only want to sing you to sleep in your bedroom speakers, whoa
We need umbrellas on the inside
Get me just right" - they love what they do, and want to write songs for people that really enjoy them. 'get me just right' is probably written about people like us guessing inspiration, meaning etc of song lyrics and getting it so wrong/people reading too much into things they say in interviews etc.
"They say quitters never win
We walk the plank on a sinking ship
There's a world outside of my front door
That gets off on being down" - people say you should never quit on things, but walking the plank on a sinking ship is like quitting on something that's already failed, and it probably not helping much. 'there's a world...' digging at people suddenly labelling them emo?
"I could learn to pity fools as I'm the worst of all
And I can't stop feeling sorry for myself" - realising that he feels sorry for himself, whilst not having the same pity for other people he veiws as 'foolish'.
"broken down on memory lane
We're alone together, we're alone (Woah)
broken down on memory lane
We're alone together, we're alone" - rememering things without meaning to or having any choice in the matter 'broken down'. -
All this stuff is so right.
The one part I like to look at is the "a fortune for your disaster"
Along the lines about fame and getting more money for certain things-- well, today, people LOVE to here about the bad, disasters. They find it more interesting to here the bad side of things instead of the good. So what get's you the most would be all those upsetting things. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
-
Wow, you're so right! They totally need to edit the songs! Anyway, before I start rambling, when it comes to "penny for your thoughts..." what they're trying to say is that they are an artist. They need to find something to write/paint, and they are desperate.
-
You right, its "But a dollar for your /insides/" not" But a dollar for your /insights/"
-
Hm, I don't know but the lyrics are wrong. Give me a sign, is supposed to be Get me just right.
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