Fall Out Boy: The Kids Aren't Alright Meaning

Song Released: 2014

The Kids Aren't Alright Lyrics

Stuck in the jet wash
Bad trip I couldn’t get off
And maybe I bit off more than I could chew
And overhead of the aqua blue

Fall to your knees, bring on the rapture
Blessed be the boys time can’t capture
On film or between the sheets
I...

1. anonymous

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   Oct 24th 2023 !⃝

   I think maybe it is about reflecting on their past self and the past self of people they know, "the people in all the old photographs i've seen are dead"
2. anonymous

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   Oct 21st 2019 !⃝

   I feel it is describing depression after loosing someone they loved “all the people in the old photographs I’ve seen are dead” and they are asking why? Why did you leave me?I loved you and you still left. I still love you and you’re still gone. The line “and don’t you know that the kids aren’t alright” is really don’t you know that I’m not alright without you? Are friends aren’t alright without you. Your family isn’t alright without you. None of us are alright without you. “Stuck in the jet wash bad trip I couldn’t get off” that’s depression the speaker is apologizing for most likely not being all their and that they couldn’t snap out of it. I also believe this song is also a bit of a cry for help wanting to be pulled out of the drowning waters of depression but knowing how to do it. “And with black banners raised as the crooked smiles fade” all those who lost their lives to depression and whom are glossed over and not talked about Even though they should be even though it’s painful. “Former hero’s who quit to late” those who were once on top of the world but lost to depression those who gave up in hopes for things to not get worse but in reality things were already as bad as they could get. No escape. “Who just wanna fill up the trophy care again.” The speaker is now talking about themselves again and the trophy case they are referring to is memories of the person they loved they want more time with them more memories made more time to even possibly apologize. “And in the end I do it all again” they would go through all the hardships again just to see this person. “I think your my best friend” despite the fact of them being dead and this persons knowing this they still are in somewhat denial and consider this person to still be their bestie. Anyway yeah that got pretty heavy and deep and thats what i think ya.
3. anonymous

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   Oct 21st 2019 !⃝

   I feel it is describing depression after loosing someone they loved “all the people in the old photographs I’ve seen are dead” and they are asking why? Why did you leave me?I loved you and you still left. I still love you and you’re still gone. The line “and don’t you know that the kids aren’t alright” is really don’t you know that I’m not alright without you? Are friends aren’t alright without you. Your family isn’t alright without you. None of us are alright without you. “Stuck in the jet wash bad trip I couldn’t get off” that’s depression the speaker is apologizing for most likely not being all their and that they couldn’t snap out of it. I also believe this song is also a bit of a cry for help wanting to be pulled out of the drowning waters of depression but knowing how to do it. “And with black banners raised as the crooked smiles fade” all those who lost their lives to depression and whom are glossed over and not talked about Even though they should be even though it’s painful. “Former hero’s who quit to late” those who were once on top of the world but lost to depression those who gave up in hopes for things to not get worse but in reality things were already as bad as they could get. No escape. “Who just wanna fill up the trophy care again.” The speaker is now talking about themselves again and the trophy case they are referring to is memories of the person they loved they want more time with them more memories made more time to even possibly apologize. “And in the end I do it all again” they would go through all the hardships again just to see this person. “I think your my best friend” despite the fact of them being dead and this persons knowing this they still are in somewhat and consider this person to still be their bestie. Anyway yeah that got pretty heavy and deep and thats what i think ya.
4. anonymous

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   Oct 9th 2019 !⃝

   I think it could be about a tragedy like a school shooting or something along those lines, and the result ing survivors guilt/grief. It seems like maybe he's talking about the good memories like playing sports and partying with each other, and how now some of those kids are dead and how nothing was ever the same again. And how the kids who survived all grew up and grew apart and how this tragedy left them scarred for life.
5. anonymous

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   Nov 14th 2017 !⃝

   I think that this song is about someone (probably in their 20's) reflecting back on their teenage years. "I always fall from your window to the pitch black streets" He feels like they were on top of the world but now he has to deal with the "real world". "As crooked smiles fade, former heroes who quit too late, who just want to fill up the trophy case again" He was popular and cocky, and wishes he could go back to that time. "blessed be the boys time can't capture" could be him ruefully thinking how he and his friends believed they could escape time.
   The chorus: "I'd do it all again" is pretty self explanatory. "I think you're my best friend" could be him talking to the only person who stuck with him after he stopped being "cool", or it be him thinking about how this person, who he doesn't know that well, is his best friend because all his other friends faded away. "don't you know that the kids aren't alright" could be him saying that he and other 20 something year olds "aren't alright".
6. anonymous

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   May 27th 2016 !⃝

   the kids aren't alright is about kids who don't have many friends. the line "stuck in the jet walk" means they cant fit in and the "I think your my best friend" is talking about there closest friend the "and in the end I'd do it all again" means that the person did something with his friend and it went wrong but he would be happy to do it again.
7. anonymous

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   Jul 16th 2015 !⃝

   I think Fall Out Boy wrote this song for all the kids who have problems of their own.
   
   "I think you're my best friend"
   This could be the one friend who cares enough about the person to help them.
   
   This could also be looked at as the person turning to other means of feeling better like music or drugs, since people sometimes feel like they have no one to turn to and call the coping mechanism they find a friend.
   
   "Don't you know that the kids aren't alright"
   This could be them telling others that in our society so many kids end up doing things to harm themselves, and the thought I brushed over. They are trying to let people know that no matter how happy someone may seem, they may not be alright.
   
   "We put your curse in reverse"
   This could be the friend trying to help the person. They feel like this is happening to them because they are "cursed" with some sort of bad luck. The friend is trying to help reverse it and show them that things will be okay.

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