back to school angsty lyrics
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10 angsty lyrics that capture how we feel about going back to school

It’s pretty safe to say that once August comes around, no one is excited to head back to school and hit the books. When the homework or teachers become too much, we often turn to music to try to relax us and cope with the daily stress of getting an education.

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Jamming out to your favorite songs is the best way to do that. We selected 10 songs that really convey the message of hating going back to school. They’re full of angst and rage, so turn the volume up and start studying your schedule, because school is back in session.

1. “Outlaws” – Green Day

“Outlaws/When we were forever young/When we were outlaws/We’re outlaws of redemption, baby/Hooligans/We destroyed suburbia”

This track really captures the essence of feeling like school tends to keep people way too in the box. When you’re stuck following your parents’ rules all the time, you tend to want to rebel and wreak havoc in your neighborhood. This song is all about never growing up and fitting in and being absolutely OK with that.

2. “Going Away To College” – blink-182

I’ll think about the times/She kissed me after class/And she put up with my friends/I acted like an ass/I’d ditch my lecture to watch the girls play soccer/Is my picture still hanging in her locker?”

The lyrics of this song really just describe a stereotypical high school experience. When we start to think our lives are mundane and need

3. “High School Never Ends” – Bowling For Soup

Nothing changes but the faces, the names and the trends/High school never ends” 

This song describes how boring school can be and how it can feel long after you graduate. It’s the only appropriate song to blast through your car radio with your windows down when you pull in on the first day.

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4. “My Last Semester” – The Wonder Years

“And I don’t make sense to anyone but my best friends/And I don’t fit in anywhere but the back of the van”

It can be exhausting always trying to fit in at school, and the people who know us best tend to be those we can bond over our love of music with. These lyrics get us in that way and prove that being popular isn’t always everything.

5. “High School Low” – Say Anything

“Stress and hard duress replace the hope I had every day/All these high school days/Take that away, take myself away/If only I could skip forward or back/The best years of my life oh, my God I hope not” 

This track gets that high school definitely isn’t always the best years of your life. It might suck for now, but you can blast this song while you wait for it to be over.

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6. “Four Years” – The Story So Far

“For the best four years and the promise of pay/But they don’t even know what they’re chasing” 

It can be frustrating when you go to school and everyone expects you to have the rest of your life figured out. Even when four years come and go, you might still feel lost at the end of it, and this song conveys that.

7. “The Anthem” – Good Charlotte

“At my high school, it felt more to me/Like a jail cell, a penitentiary” 

This is pretty self-explanatory because high school really just feels that bad sometimes.

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8. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana

Our little group has always been/And always will until the end” 

Sometimes, your close group of friends who you’ve known for years is the only way you won’t completely lose your mind when you return to school. So when you’re dreading heading back this year, remember you have your friends till the end.

9. “Teenagers” – My Chemical Romance

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

Teachers and parents want kids to go to school to follow the rules and blend into society. However, all we really ever feel like doing is rebelling. Blasting this song before you head back will remind you that even when people try to get you to conform, stay true to your angsty self.

10. “The Middle” – Jimmy Eat World

Hey, you know they’re all the same/You know you’re doin’ better on your own/So don’t buy in”

“The Middle” is all about embracing being an outcast. So if you’re dreading starting classes because you don’t fit in, remember that going solo and doing your own thing is better than being a sellout.