What do you think Fences means?

Paramore: Fences Meaning

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Album cover for Fences album cover

Fences Lyrics

I'm sitting in a room
Made up of only big white walls
And in the halls there're people looking through
The window in the door
They know exactly what we're here for

Don't look up, just let them think
There's no place else you'd rather...

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  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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     May 4th 2010 !⃝

    I'm sitting in a room
    Made up of only big white walls
    And in the halls
    There are people looking through
    The win.. The window
    Though they know exactly what we're here for
    Don't look up just let them think
    There's no place else you'd rather be (they locked her up all because she was "crazy" but reality she's the only sane one and they don't want anyone to realize that)

    You're always on display
    For everyone to watch and learn from
    Don't you know by now
    You can't turn back
    Because this road is all you'll ever have (but they let her out (on a stage, chained up and cameras are on her. To put her on display...to show how "not" to be)

    It's obvious that you're dying, dying
    Just living proof that the camera's lying
    And oh oh open wide
    Cause this is your night so smile
    Cause you'll go out in style
    You'll go out in style (the camera is trying to make it seem like she is ok with being on display...but in reality she's dying from the lonliness)

    If you let me I could
    I'd show you how to build your fences
    Set restrictions
    Separate from the world
    The constant battle that you hate to fight
    Just blame the limelight (she hates the world but knows that it will be time for her to leave eventually)

    Don't look up just let them think
    There's no place else you'd rather be in now
    You can't turn back
    Because this road is all you'll ever have (telling the "normal" losers that theyll always be a**holes)

    It's obvious that you're dying, dying
    Just living proof that the camera's lying
    And oh oh open wide
    This is your night so smile

    Yeah yeah you're asking for it
    With every breath that you breathe in
    Just breathe it in
    Yeah yeah well you're just a mess
    You do all this big talking
    So now let's see you walk in
    I said let's see you walk in (telling the "normal people" that theyre not as cool as what they think they are)

    Yeah yeah well you're just a mess
    You do all this big talking
    So now let's see you walk in
    I said let's see you walk in ("normal people" are so cool until theyre called out)

    It's obvious that you're dying, dying
    Just living proof that the camera's lying
    And oh oh open wide
    You're oh oh open wide
    You're oh oh open wide
    Cause you'll go out in style
    You'll go out in style (shes dying from annoyance now...and is now use to bein "alone")

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    paramorelover
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     Apr 11th 2010 !⃝

    I think it describes just how media wont leave you alone when your famous. Famous people never have privacy and the media is always in their business in the line "your always on display for everyone to watch and learn from". They just want to be left alone and keep some things personal but its hard to do when everything you do is talked about and spreads like a wild fair. But thatsonly my interpretation

  3. anonymous
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     Jun 12th 2023 !⃝

    I think this song is about suffering from trying to play it perfect in front of everyone. And in reality everyone knows you’re suffering but just kinds of gloss over it. This song is like pleading to be noticed while also being an fu to everyone who stood by letting this person suffer.

  4. anonymous
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     Nov 28th 2013 !⃝

    I think this song is about being in a mental hospital. The qhite walls are your room and thhe pwople looking in are the nurses and doctors checking on you constantly. I think the rest of it is about how whack the system is. And you pretend you want to be there cause you have to act like everything is fine in order to get out. This is coming from someone who has been in a hospital like this and the song describes it exactly.

  5. anonymous
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     Oct 16th 2011 !⃝

    I'm sitting in a room
    Made up of only big white walls
    And in the halls there're people looking through
    The window in the door
    They know exactly what we're here for
    (the white room is a metaphor. The first line in the song should be "i feel like... " In reality, she's just living her life, with people watching her every move. Everything she does strikes some new kind of light, even though a normal person might do it every day.)

    Don't look up, just let them think
    There's no place else you'd rather be
    (maybe, if we just sit here, they'll go away!)

    You're always on display
    For everyone to watch and learn from
    Don't you know by now? You can't turn back
    Because this road is all you'll ever have
    (Basically stating that we are their guinea pigs, and that you're stuck here, good luck.)

    And it's obvious that you're dying, dying
    Just living proof that the camera's lying
    And oh, oh, open wide, cause this is your night
    So smile. Cause you'll go out in style.
    You'll go out in style
    (not sure. Maybe they can see that you're suffering and they don't care. If somebody saw the real you, not just what the man what's them to see, you know that it's all a lie.)

    If you let me, I could
    I'd show you how to build your fences,
    Set restrictions separate from the world
    The constant battle that you hate to fight
    Just blame the limelight
    (just let me show you how this is done. You have to be in control of what the public knows. It's easy, blame the cameras.)

    Don't look up, just let them think
    There's no place else you'd rather be
    And now you can't turn back
    Because this road is all you'll ever have
    (and, again)

    And it's obvious that you're dying, dying
    Just living proof that the camera's lying
    And oh, oh, open wide, cause this is your night
    So smile

    Yeah, yeah you're asking for it
    With every breath that you breathe in
    Just breathe it in
    (now you're just feeding it to them, giving them what they want. Nice going, hotshot.)

    Yeah, yeah, well, you're just a mess
    You do all this big talking
    So now let's see you walk it
    I said let's see you walk it
    (now the student is rebelling against the teacher, saying "you can talk the talk, let's see you walk the walk.")

    Yeah, yeah, well, you're just a mess
    You do all this big talking
    So now let's see you walk it
    I said let's see you walk it

    And it's obvious that you're dying, dying
    Just living proof that the camera's lying
    And oh, oh, open wide, yeah, oh, oh, open wide
    Yeah, oh, oh open wide, 'cause you'll go out in style.
    You'll go out in style.

    Just another way of seeing it, hope it's helpful =)

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Oct 9th 2011 !⃝

    I'm sitting in a room
    Made up of only big white walls
    And in the halls there're people looking through
    The window in the door
    They know exactly what we're here for
    (shes trying to be left alone)
    Don't look up, just let them think
    There's no place else you'd rather be
    (shes saying that dont let the press of the paparazzi tell you were to go if you want to be here stay here)
    You're always on display
    For everyone to watch and learn from
    Don't you know by now? You can't turn back
    Because this road is all you'll ever have
    (ses saying you need to understand that your always wanting to be in the limelight and now you are and you dont like it )
    And it's obvious that you're dying, dying
    Just living proof that the camera's lying
    And oh, oh, open wide, cause this is your night
    (saying its ovios that you hate the lime light and you cant take it and all the photos that people are taking you smiling but you know your dying and hate it and those are fake smiles)

    So smile. Cause you'll go out in style.
    You'll go out in style
    (make a fake smile they dont care how you really feel just fake it)

    If you let me, I could
    I'd show you how to build your fences,
    Set restrictions separate from the world
    The constant battle that you hate to fight
    Just blame the limelight
    (shes saying she can show him/her how to get away from all that and just let it go)

    Don't look up, just let them think
    There's no place else you'd rather be
    And now you can't turn back
    Because this road is all you'll ever have

    And it's obvious that you're dying, dying
    Just living proof that the camera's lying
    And oh, oh, open wide, cause this is your night
    So smile

    Yeah, yeah you're asking for it
    With every breath that you breathe in
    Just breathe it in
    (you just asking for attention everytime you feed into talking to the press and lying to the camras giv up the act)

    Yeah, yeah, well, you're just a mess
    You do all this big talking
    So now let's see you walk it
    I said let's see you walk it
    (shes saying the person is a mess and oviously cant take all the fame and they always say there all fine and ok but there not)
    Yeah, yeah, well, you're just a mess
    You do all this big talking
    So now let's see you walk it
    I said let's see you walk it

    And it's obvious that you're dying, dying
    Just living proof that the camera's lying
    And oh, oh, open wide, yeah, oh, oh, open wide
    Yeah, oh, oh open wide, 'cause you'll go out in style.
    You'll go out in style.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Jul 11th 2011 !⃝

    I think it's about someone who's ill.
    The white room could be a hospital room where doctors are watching the person. And the "let them think..." Part is them pretending it's all okay.
    "You're always on display
    For everyone to watch and learn from" is maybe doctors always testing things on them and letting other doctors test too.
    "Don't you know by now
    You can't turn back
    Because this road is all you'll ever have." Could mean that the person has dealt with the illness for a while and things aren't improving.
    The chorus is maybe the person is dying but is pretending to be okay and that they're smiling even though they know things may not get any better.
    "If you let me I could
    I'd show you how to build your fences
    Set restrictions
    Separate from the world" might mean that someone is trying to help the person and take their mind off things.
    "The constant battle that you hate to fight" is the illness itself.
    "Just blame the limelight" is that it feels worse when everyone is always focused on it.
    .Yeah yeah you're asking for it
    With every breath that you breathe in
    Just breathe it in" is getting results back from a test about the illness.
    "Yeah yeah well you're just a mess" is dealing with the results.
    "You do all this big talking
    So now let's see you walking
    I said let's see you walking" is the person saying they're okay but not quite being able to act it.
    "this is your night so smile
    Cause you'll go out in style" maybe means that it's their last night and they should enjoy it and let people remember them in a good way.

    That's what I think anyway :P

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Jun 28th 2011 !⃝

    Hayley wrote it while taking her SAT's

  9. anonymous
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     Jun 27th 2011 !⃝

    Um. Well yeah, it COULD apply to hollywood stars. But think a bit more outside the box...

    Anyone who's popular with people in general.

    Someone who makes tons of friends more than likely isn't close to all of them, cuz majorities of people are fake, or ask a lot of a person.

    Popular people sometimes get stressed out from all the attention in general, similar to that of a hollywood star, but really, she's probably referring to a boy or something in her life who has a ton of fake friends, and is probably implying that the guy is fake himself.

    "I can teach you how to build your fences, set restrictions"
    Basically, how "not to let so many people come in and milk you for what you're worth"

    I didn't write the song, so yeah, I don't know for sure,
    But considering she's talking about helping someone "build fences," its more than likely someone close to her, not just some celebrity.
    But A celebrity would fit my above mentioned stereotype, so it very well COULD be a celebrity she knows, as well.

    OR. Could just be some guy with a ton of friends, whose life isn't as "picture-perfect" as it seems to be.
    ("It's obvious that you're dying, dying;
    Just living proof that the camera's lying")

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Mar 12th 2011 !⃝

    Hayley said she wrote this song while taking a test or something in school...
    once you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.
    I'm sitting in a room
    Made up of only big white walls (her classroom)
    And in the halls
    There are people (students) looking through
    The window in the door (that little window on classroom doors)
    Though they know exactly what we're here for (the TEST)
    Don't look up just let them think
    There's no place else you'd rather be

    it goes a lot deeper than that and im sure it means WAAAAY more than taking a test...
    but thats what the beginning means.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Oct 25th 2010 !⃝

    I got the idea that this was about people in an asylum. Like, Alice from Twilight. Everyone else's description makes better sense though.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. INTELLECTUALDIARRHEA
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     Jul 25th 2010 !⃝

    Fences - The first verse is about the lifestyle of a famous person and how every move he/she makes is constantly being watched and considered by the media. The chorus demonstrates that the public's positive perception of this particular celebrity is getting destroyed or "dying". The second verse Hayley is directly speaking to the celebrity figure and saying that she can help them create boundaries or "fences" that separate their personal life from what the public is entitled to see. The third verse demonstrates the celebrity figure rebelling against what Hayley is preaching to them - "yeah yeah well you're just a mess".

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Apr 7th 2010 !⃝

    basically this song tells us that the media is a lie. but others may interperate this into something to do with a popular crowd-- Don't look up
    Just let them think
    There's no place else
    You'd rather be.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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