A ranking of the most emo lyrics and what they mean
Ahh, emo music: dramatic, poetic and just the right amount of whiny. The often harsh and descriptive lyrics are all too relatable, loved by emo fans everywhere. We rounded up some of the most memorable and heartfelt lyrics from 10 different bands for you and deciphered their meanings. Get ready to sing your heart out!
10. Senses Fail — “Calling All Cars”
“So, will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?/I kept my word when I swore that I would let you down.”
Here, Buddy Nielsen is singing about guilt after a breakup. “Buddy wants his ashes scattered somewhere remote, so no one will bother him and he can be at peace and never hurt anyone again. The ashes could also symbolize the death of the relationship or that Buddy is dead to her so she should get rid of the ashes far away so she can forget about him,” Genius user Mattyboo22 says.
9. Motion City Soundtrack — “L.G. FUAD”
“Yeah, so I'm already dead/On the inside, but I can still pretend/With my memories and photographs/I have learned to love the lie”
This song is about mental illness, something that Justin Pierre does not shy away from singing about. Genius user pbc711 interprets the lyric, saying, “He tries to look past his depression. He has used this coping method so much it’s almost become real to him. He lives off of his memories and nostalgia.”
8. Saves The Day — “Rocks Tonic Juice Magic”
“I'll carry this piece of you with me/'Cause all I can say tonight is ‘I hate you.’/But it would be all right/If we could see each other sometime”
The song begins with Chris Conley sawing off a piece of his lover’s flesh—beautiful! “The song is in reference to possession. It starts off violent suggesting to cut away part of their skin/body to keep them (the girl) forever. It shows continuing conflict when it references hatred with wanting to see that person again,” Genius user Hillyer clarifies.
7. Fall Out Boy — “Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner”
“So wear me like a locket around your throat/I’ll weigh you down, I’ll watch you choke/You look so good in blue”
Before Fall Out Boy went more mainstream pop, the band had some dark lyrics. The metaphor is explained by Genius user viawentztop, stating, “The ‘locket’ refers to the secret of the affair and her wearing it around her throat is her underestimating he’d ever actually ‘choke’ or hurt her back. Though he’s telling her that she’s wrong, and if she keeps carrying the secret, he’ll ‘weigh’ her down in the past and not let her forget.”
6. Thursday — “Signals Over The Air”
“Is this how it feels/When you don't even fit into your own skin?/And it’s getting tighter/Every day I'm getting smaller”
This song by one of the emo pioneers is about sexuality and a feeling of not belonging. In an interview, Geoff Rickly explained, “It’s about a lot of gender-related things, but especially sort of trying to come to terms with sexuality as not being a terrible thing, and trying to find my own sexual identity. I think that’s a hard thing for anybody.”
5. Hawthorne Heights — “Ohio Is For Lovers”
“You know you do, you kill me well/You like it too, and I can tell/You'll never stop until my final breath is gone”
Everyone knows this song for the “so cut my wrists and black my eyes” lyric, but this one’s a bit more poetic. On Genius, Esa0705 says, “She’s playing hard to get or toying with his emotions. She doesn’t stop, either, sadistically revelling in the pain she causes him, stopping only until his heart’s broken.”
4. Dashboard Confessional — “Hands Down”
“My hopes are so high/That your kiss might kill me/So won't you kill me/So I die happy.”
Hands down, this is one of the most iconic lyrics (and songs) to come out of the genre. A Genius user Wild Rose Chance: “The sheer emotion of the situation, mostly the anticipation, is too much to bear, but in a weird way: It’s all that’s holding him together. The wordplay on ‘kiss’ and ‘kill’ is pretty cool: Chris sets it up by saying her kiss might kill him, and then asks her to kill him: in other words, to kiss him.”
3. My Chemical Romance — “Helena”
“Can you hear me?/Are you near me?/Can we pretend to leave and then/We’ll meet again/When both our cars collide”
This heart-wrenching song about the death of a loved one is one of the band’s most popular for a reason. “These lyrics reflect Way’s feelings for his late grandmother, Elena Lee Rush,” says Genius user Obscured. “He wonders about the afterlife and the possible nature of an astral plane. How close are the souls of the living to those of the dead?”
2. Brand New — “Seventy Times 7”
“Have another drink and drive yourself home/I hope there's ice on all the roads/And you can think of me when you forget your seatbelt/And again when your head goes through the windshield”
This song is the famous emo diss track targeting Taking Back Sunday’s John Nolan. Jesse Lacey lists off insults, including that he’s “seen more spine in jellyfish,” and clearly, he’s got a death wish for Nolan. The lyric is pretty straightforward, as Genius user ClutchCityCowboy explains, “He wants to be the last thing on your mind before you die.”
1. Taking Back Sunday — “You’re So Last Summer”
“The truth is you could slit my throat/And with my one last gasping breath/I'd apologize for bleeding on your shirt”
This overly dramatic lyric is so characteristic of the genre and why we love it so much. Genius user ActionBronsonStan states, “He’s very unselfish and this line proves it. She could kill him and he would still worry about her (shirt) more than himself.” Attend any Taking Back Sunday concert and you’ll be blown away by the way the crowd screams this line.
Which lyrics would you want added to the list?
