My Chemical Romance: Teenagers Meaning

Song Released: 2007

Teenagers Lyrics

They're gonna clean up your looks
With all the lies in the books
To make a citizen out of you

Because they sleep with a gun
And keep an eye on you, son
So they can watch all the things you do

Because the drugs never work
They're gonna...

1. anonymous

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   Jul 15th 2010 !⃝

   I think this song is about teenagers going out and doing stupid shit(: maybe I'm wrong but that's my opinion
2. anonymous

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   Apr 14th 2010 !⃝

   I think this song is about how you're never going to fit in and how you have to act like a different person so you don't get bullied.
3. anonymous

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   Apr 7th 2010 !⃝

   Its about how that teenagers are made out to be like all teenagers everyone reads about in the news, newspapers Etc.
   
   " There going to clean up your looks, with all the lies in the books, to make a citizen out of you" - I personally think its about how there trying to put a front on teenagers and make the person out to be so called a 'perfect citizen' after drumming into there heads, loads about it.
4. anonymous

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   Jan 26th 2010 !⃝

   I think that, as a teen myself, its stating how the teenage population thinks, its their interpretations of the world.
   
   "they gonna clean up your looks with all the lies in the books, to make a citezen out of you"
   Its exactly that. They try to groom the teens into adults, but teens take it a lot as trying to push them into conformity. Therefor, the automatic reaction is REBEL!!(at least, it is with me)
   
   "Because they sleep with a gun, and keep an eye on you, son, so they can watch all the things you do" Well, hopefully, they arent sleeping with an actual gun, but its like saying, they *think* that they hold the last ace. They watch your every move. Derr.
   
   "Because the drugs never work, they gonna give you a smirk, because they got methods of keeping you clean" Meaning that the drugs really don't help, and the adults can just tighten the chain anywho, "methods of keeping you clean".
   
   "They gonna rip up your heads, your aspirations to shreds, another cog in the murder machine" Meaning that adults tend to micromanage your life so that you can't do the things you want to. "Cog in the murder machine" seems to refer to the fact that this is normal/it happens everywhere.
   
   Now, the chorus, because that comes next.
   "They say 'all teenagers scare..."
   Its saying that they really don't know how to handle these kids that seem to have a really random thought proccess. "They could care less..." Meaning, they really don't care as long as they get what they want out of you.
   "Darken your clothes or strike a violent pose" most likely refers to this little thing called REBELLING, mostly in retailiation.
   
   "The boys and girls in the clique, the awful names that they stick, your never gonna fit in much kid." A fairly good summary of being outcast from the popular kids.
   "But if your troubled and hurt, what you got under your shirt will make them pay for the things they did" Refers to the radical actions people can be pushed to when they feel they have no other choices.
   
   Well, there it is, then. I always thought that it was told from the actual teenager's point of view. YOu might not think that, idk. Whatever. Theres my two cents.
5. anonymous

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   Oct 11th 2009 !⃝

   I'm a teenager and I think that article in the daily mail is a bunch of crap - literal BS
   didn't even read the whole of it, but didn't need to!
   that psycho don't know what she's talking about - call herself a journalist? why don't she go TALK with these kids? if I was doing an article about self-harm, I'd try to get under the skin of it - pun not intended! TRY and find out what these kids are all about - research self-harm, seek help 4 the kids - let em know they 'aint on there own'
   because they aint - being a teen meself, I know how hard life can be sometimes - and don't kid me with all that 'but you don't have to pay bills, tax, you have more freedom' crap, cause that has nothing to do with it!
6. xoxtammixox

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   Jul 11th 2009 !⃝

   Okay, I am part of the Hot Topic / 'scene' era && would probably be labeled as one of those kids.
   
   Let's do a bit-by-bit interpretation.(:
   
   'They're gonna clean up your looks
   With all the lies in the books
   To make a citizen out of you'
   
   This is refering to all the adults who don't feel that we, the teenagers in black, are good enough to be the next generation of America. They're gonna 'clean up our looks', get us out of black, and lie to us to try to get us to be the definition of 'normal.' 'To make a citizen out of you' They are trying to get us to be more like them, to make us like they are && a citizen should be.
   
   
   'Because they sleep with a gun
   And keep an eye on you, son
   So they can watch all the things you do'
   
   'Because they sleep with a gun,' That is saying that they sleep with a gun for protection because they do not know what we may be capable of. 'And keep an eye on you, son, so they can watch all the things you do.' They try to watch us closely because, once again, they do not know our capabilities && are scared.
   
   'Because the drugs never work
   They're gonna give you a smirk
   'Cause they got methods of keeping you clean
   They're gonna rip up your heads
   Your aspirations to shreds
   Another cog in the murder machine'
   
   This is begining on how the adults view us teenagers. 'Because the drugs never work, they're gonna give you a smirk. Cause they got methods of keeping you clean' This is saying that they put us on pills, because they, adults, think we have problems && we smile and make them think that the problem has been fixed; they are saying that that fools them or 'keeps them clean.' They're gonna rip up your heads, your aspirations to shreds; another cog in the murder machine' They are saying that we are going to mess with their minds, ex. make them paranoid. 'Tear aspirations to shreads', we are going to ruin their dreams of what we could do with our lives and just kill people, or become 'another cog in the murder machine.'
   
   'They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me
   They could care less as long as someone'll bleed
   So darken your clothes
   Or strike a violent pose
   Maybe they'll leave you alone
   But not me'
   
   This is mostly adult's view of teenagers. 'They could care less as long as someone'll bleed.', meaning that we are happy as long as someone is dead, hurt, or cutting themselves. 'So darken your clothes or srike a violent pose, maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me.' This is MCR saying adults are trying to fit in with them, or standing up against him, and that maybe we'll just leave them alone because of that, but MCR's just staying neutral.
   
   'The boys and girls in the cliques,
   The awful names that they stick
   Your never gonna fit in much, kid
   But if you're troubled and hurt
   What you got under your shirt
   Will make them pay for the things that they did'
   
   This is MCR talking to teenagers in black now. 'The boys and girls in the cliques, the awful names that will stick; you're never gonna fit in much, kid.' This is saying that the 'prep', popular && sporty teenagers are going to make fun of us and pick on us && that we will never fit in with them. 'But when you're troubled and hurt, what you've got under your shirt will make them pay for the things that they did.' This is saying that when you are feeling depressed, hurt && alone. Bringing a gun to school, or hiding a weapon 'under your shirt', can make them pay for the things that they did, by shooting, killing or at the very least scaring them into respecting you.
   
   Then in goes to repeat the chourus that I already explained.
   
   I know that you may have some different views upon a few minor meanings, but, ultimately, it all adds up to the same thing. I hope that this cleared some blank spots up for you![:

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. erhitfm

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   May 30th 2009 !⃝

   when i listen to the song teenager's i think it's about how teenager's are always rebiling aguinst the people in charge of them. it also has many refrences to school shooting's. the line that says "because the drugs never work, there gonna give you a smerk because they've got methads to keeping you cleen" that is saying all the things the older people are doing to the teen. it's also about being an outcast and using that as a refrence to school shootings.
   "The boys and girls in the clique
   The awful names that they stick
   You're never gonna fit in much, kid"
   talking about how the "popuilar" kids make fun of this one kid
   
   "But if you're troubled and hurt
   What you got under your shirt
   We'll make them pay for the things that they did"
   the teen has had enough, gone mad, and brought a gun to school
   
   sorry about all the spelling error's. :D
8. Pandora_Darkness

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   May 16th 2009 !⃝

   This song is so good because it's so understandable. In Australia we have more smudged and faded versions of the Cliques, but that doesn't mean people don't get pushed around. I know that when I was in grade 6 I felt like murdering them all, becaus ehtey all preyed on me because I had none of my friends in that class. I know a guy who also has a death list who's in my high school class.
   
   Basically, the song is mostly about Emos and depressed people scaring the shit out of them, because they know how it feels, and they know that they might lash out at any moment and start a massacre to get back at the people who made their lives hell. But they only know this because they've felt this (Especially Gerard) all before and this is why they are in the most perfect position to sing this song. Because they've been through the same thing, it makes you feel they understand you. I never felt offended, because the song isn't about any teenager, it's the ones who've been bullied and are actually likely to go on a blood and gore spree. And it's true that they do feel like murdering them. I've felt it before, and my friends have felt it, too. It couldn't be any less of a stereotype.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
9. anonymous

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   Feb 11th 2009 !⃝

   This song really tells us what our elders really think of us they are scared basically also I think it shows how people who maybe dont fit in that good (like myself) can be forced to do acts to protect themselves like for instance when Gerard sings 'When your troubled and hurt what you got under your shirt will make them pay for the things that they did' I beleive that he is referring to many of the resent shootings in high schools across the states and what forced then to do what they did in some cases.
10. anonymous

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    Feb 1st 2009 !⃝

    It's pretty much self explanitory. Teenagers alway scare their elders. This is totally off topic but I saw a vid on youtube of mcr singing teenagers, And I'm posotive gerard was either drunk, or stoned. A the begining he was talking like he was, And telling the audience to keep throwing confetti. I think he was about to fall off stage too.
11. anonymous

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    Jan 18th 2009 !⃝

    First off, anyone who is afraid of teenagers is a coward. Second off, this song sorta explains itself. Parents are afraid of current teen fashions and trends.
12. anonymous

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    Oct 26th 2008 !⃝

    I don't think the song is about teenagers trying to fit into society, rather they're trying not to, but it's forcing them, together, and forcing them into things they wouldn't do otherwise. Also talking about how you can't rely on the people and adults of school to get your dreams, you're all alone in that department.
    And, for my final two cents, I always thought the passage:
    "But if you’re troubled and hurt
    What you got under your shirt
    Will make them pay for the things that they did"
    I thought that always was talking about self-inflicted injuries that the injured kids hide under their shirt. But that someday, those injurys will make the popular and bullies pay for what they did.
13. anonymous

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    Oct 15th 2008 !⃝

    I actually used this song on an English project last year.
    
    It's all about school violence, and how the underdog takes it upon themselves to even the playing field.
    
    It's absolutely oozing with violent references, it's not even worth rewriting them here, just read through the lyrics once, and you'll agree
14. anonymous

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    Aug 28th 2008 !⃝

    Has any1 seen this video? it reminds me of pink floyds The Wall during one of the first scenes.
15. anonymous

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    Aug 16th 2008 !⃝

    It's a song about how teenagers want to fit in. Everyone gets teased or talked of behind their backs. This song shows how they just want to stop being made fun of for what they are. There's no point in pretending to be what you're not - wear what you want, listen to what you want, and live how you want. If others don't like it, then that's their problem.

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