What do you think Turn It Off means?

Paramore: Turn It Off Meaning

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Album cover for Turn It Off album cover

Turn It Off Lyrics

I scraped my knees while I was praying and found a demon in my safest haven
Seems like it's getting harder to believe in anything than just to get lost in all my selfish thoughts
I wanna know what it'd be like to find perfection in my...

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  1. anonymous
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     Jul 26th 2012 !⃝

    I just hate it when people don't seem to get out of the simplicity of textual interpretation. There's a further reason why the song was written, loads of metaphorical expressions were used so that we can be able to make our own interpretations, that's the aim of writing good songs. Go deeper, all Paramore members are very devoted to God and I don't think at all that they would write such lyrics in some kind of rebel behavior against God, it's a complete nonsense. So pleeeeeeease don't stick to the "blasphemy" argument, there's more out there than people trying to insult God, don't go on the defensive.

    I believe it's about someone thinking about his own personality and finding out that what he shows to other people it's not him but some kind of charachter he has created to show off. This person wonders about what would it be like to finally be able to be himself completely and accepting himself just like the way he is. But then he finds out that he's into some kind of mean cicle because he doesn't know what would be people's reaction towards this radical change he's looking for, and fears way too much not to be accepted. That makes him go stuck always in this kind of unreal character he shows to everyone.

    At least that's what comes to my mind everytime I listen to it.

    Parawhore for life <3

  2. anonymous
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     Jan 29th 2012 !⃝

    For me I never thought of it as a religious song... But then it maybe because I'm not Christian. But here is what the song means to me
    I scraped my knees while I was praying- she got hurt doing something she really believed in
    And found a demon in my safest haven-  she found evil or a big flaw in a place that she thought as perfect
    Seems like, it's getting harder to believe in anything/ then just to get lost in all my selfish thoughts- it seems it's easier to think about being selfish then to be good and to the right things, like trusting others.
    I wanna know what it'd be like/ to find perfection in my pride/ to see nothing in the light/ to turn it off, in all my spite I'll turn it off- she wonders what it would be like just to stop doing what is right, to "turn off" her conscience in her anger or recklessness to something that have happened, to be arrogant(to find perfection in my pride) to not see anything right or beautiful or good in the world(to see nothing in the light) 
    And the worst part is- no need to explain that line
    Before it gets any better/ we are heading for a cliff- before life gets any better, we are going to head for the worst, the biggest problem, or maybe a confrontation?
    And in the free fall I'll realize/I'll be better off when I hit the bottom- and during the events of the terrible tragedy (from the lyrics "free fall" suggesting that she have no control over them) hit the bottom, may it be death, or the end of a relationship, etc, meaning that instead of being saved from the destruction, it may be better or easier if it is destroyed or broken.
    The tragedy it seems unending/I'm watching everyone I look up to bending and breaking- all the terrible and destructive things she see happening seems to never end, and she sees the people who she believe are stronger or better becoming hopeless or heartbroken.
    We're taking shortcuts and false solutions/Just to come out the hero- we (here likely meaning the leaders in the human race here), taking shortcuts, meaning taking the easy way out, and making people think them to be the hero.
    Well I can see behind the curtain/The wheels are cranking, turning- she is saying she can see past the elaborate disguise of the scheme, the plot is working and falling in to place.
    Toward a goal, that is nonexistent/ it's nonexistent, but we just keep believing- we are working to get to a goal, perhaps the schemers doesn't realize it's not real neither, but the goal she suppose to e working towards, she says it does not exist but everyone still think it's there, and they just keep going, maybe this is a reference to church? Saying that god isn't real?
    The rest is repeated, there isn't much to repeating it

  3. anonymous
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     Nov 26th 2011 !⃝

    I really do think it is about not being Christian or fake.

    "And the worst part is before it gets any better we're headed for a cliff
    And in the free fall I will realize I'm better off when I hit the bottom."

    I think this is talking about a fall from grace or a falling out with god, and then realizing that it's better this way.


    "We're taking shortcuts and false solutions just to come out the hero."

    People are just putting their faith in god instead of doing anything productive themselves. And then they act "holier than thou" because they're the "better" Christian.

    "Well I can see behind the curtain
    The wheels are cranking turning"

    This is the realization that their religion turned out to be something very fake.

    "It's all wrong the way we're working towards a goal that's nonexistent
    It's nonexistent but we just keep believing"

    This one was the killer. Heaven is nonexistent but people just keep believing. It's wrong that people are working their entire lives toward that nonexistent goal.

    This is all my interpretation of course, and is probably the opposite of the band's interpretation haha. But that's just what I personally got from it.

  4. anonymous
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     Jun 9th 2011 !⃝

    I scraped my knees while I was praying and found a demon in my safest haven

    [providing a contrast, saying that things are not right]

    Seems like it's getting harder to believe in anything than just to get lost in all my selfish thoughts

    [The things that are wrong are the only things that are being accepted]

    I wanna know what it'd be like to find perfection in my pride
    To see nothing in the light

    [She's trying all of the things out, falling into the idea of perfection]

    Or turn it off in all my spite
    In all my spite I'll turn it off

    [even though she's trying to be perfect, she knows she can't and when no one is around she turns herself off.]


    And the worst part is before it gets any better we're headed for a cliff
    And in the free fall I will realize I'm better off when I hit the bottom

    [before she can touch perfection she will fall but when she does she will realize that this is better than trying for something that she will never acheive.]


    The tragedy it seems unending
    I'm watching everyone I looked up to breaking, bending
    Taking shortcuts and false solutions just to come out the hero
    Well I can see behind the curtain
    The wheels are cranking turning
    It's all wrong the way we're working towards a goal that's nonexistent
    It's nonexistent but we just keep believing

    [it kills her to see the people that she thought were "real" go off and pretty scam their way through life. Gives her the drive to keep up her own apperences]


    The worst part is before it gets any better we're headed for a cliff
    And in the free fall I will realize I'm better off when I hit the bottom

    [Already explained]


    I wanna know what it'd be like to find perfection in my pride
    To see nothing in the light
    And turn it off in all my spite
    In all my spite I'll turn it off
    Just turn it off
    Again

    [saying that it's a cycle that she will continue with everyone else and fall with them as well.]

  5. anonymous
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     May 22nd 2011 !⃝

    I think this song is about being fake and not being your true self just so you can impress others. The narrorator is questioning themself, "Why am I being like the others? Why am I lying?" Even this person know everyone is lying about themselves, but she doesn't do anything about it. She wants to stop being fake. This person's friends used to be real, but as they grew they became fake. Now being fake is making these people tumble and fall. And when they fall their true selves will be shown. Now this person is showing who they really are. The part "To see nothing in the light" I think means that in the dark you can be yourself because no one can see you, but this peson just wants everyone to be themslf either way. But as she tries to be herself she finds that she can't stop lying to everyone and herself ("In all my spite I'll turn it off. Just turn it off. Again")

  6. anonymous
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     Apr 24th 2011 !⃝

    This song isn't against God at all. It is about a time when the band was going through a hard time and they were having trouble with their Faith, (like any Christian goes through some point in their life,) but in the end they eventually were able to overcome it with God's help.

    VERSE 1:
    "I scraped my knees while I was praying and found a demon in my safest haven"
    All the bad things were happening to them when they felt safest.

    "Seems like it's getting harder to believe in anything than just to get lost in all my selfish thoughts"
    They got to a state of doubt in their Faith because of all the bad things that were happening and felt like it would just be easier to just forget about everything they believe in.


    "I wanna know what it'd be like to find perfection in my pride
    To see nothing in the light
    Or turn it off in all my spite
    In all my spite I'll turn it off"
    Basically this just says that maybe it'll just be easier to just forget about their Faith and 'turn it off'. It says that they are kind of feeling like nothing is really worth believing in.

    VERSE 2:
    "The tragedy it seems unending"
    Bad things keep happening and doesn't seem to stop, and when this is happening faith is questioned at times because people think 'Why is God letting all these bad things happen?'and are blaming Him in a way.

    "I'm watching everyone I looked up to breaking, bending."
    The people that they looked up to are falling apart, physically and/or emotionally.

    "We're taking shortcuts and false solutions just to come out the hero."
    They are making up reasons for things and just trying to forget about their problems(taking shortcuts) instead of trying to deal with them and looking to God to help them with it.

    "Well I can see behind the curtain
    The wheels are cranking turning"
    Faith isn't based off of what is seen. And sometimes people believe that since they can't see something it must not exist.

    "It's all wrong the way we're working towards a goal that's nonexistent
    It's nonexistent but we just keep believing"
    I had a little trouble trying to figure this one out. But I think it's about trying to believe in something that others don't think is real but you believe in it anyways.

    BRIDGE:
    "I wanna know what it'd be like to find perfection in my pride
    To see nothing in the light
    And turn it off in all my spite
    In all my spite I'll turn it off
    Just turn it off
    Again"
    Like in the first verse, it is saying that sometimes it seems easier to just not believe in anything and to just give everything up and 'turn it off'.

    CHORUS:
    "And the worst part is before it gets any better we're headed for a cliff
    And in the free fall I will realize I'm better off when I hit the bottom."
    Before anything in a problem gets better, things will usually get worse. So therefore before they are able to find their faith in Jesus again they will struggle a lot but things will get better. Once you've hit the bottom, things can't get any worse so things will get better.

    NOTE: This is my opinion. I am not saying it is the correct interpretation, this is just what I think the interpretation is about.

  7. anonymous
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     Apr 8th 2011 !⃝

    This song, is to me Hailey watching life falling apart around her & wondering if it'd be better if she couldn't sse faults. And, therefore, see nothing in the light & turn it off.

  8. anonymous
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     Apr 25th 2010 !⃝

    I think it's plainly opposing God. Read the lyrics again.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  9. anonymous
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     Jan 29th 2010 !⃝

    Hayley states that this song is about the band and how they are all very devoted to their own religions and some believe they are more religious than others and its causing an internal struggle which she believes that is stopping the group from reaching there full potential so she just wants to stop before they ruin themselves


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