The Pretender lyrics by Foo Fighters, 10 meanings. The Pretender explained, official 2024 song lyrics | LyricsMode.com
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Foo Fighters – The Pretender lyrics

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Foo Fighters – The Pretender lyrics
Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
Keep you in the dark
And so it all began

Send in your skeletons
Sing as their bones come marching in... Again
They need you buried deep
The secrets that you keep are at the ready
Are you ready?
I'm finished making sense
Done pleading ignorance
That whole... Defense

Spinning infinity, boy
The wheel is spinning me
It's never-ending, never-ending
Same old story

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?

In time or so I'm told
I'm just another soul for sale... Oh, well
The page is out of print
We are not permanent
We're temporary, temporary
Same old story

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

I'm the voice inside your head
You refuse to hear
I'm the face that you have to face
Mirrored in your stare
I'm what's left, I'm what's right
I'm the enemy
I'm the hand that will take you down
Bring you to your knees

So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?

Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
(You know they all... Pretend)
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
(You know they all... Pretend)
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
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Songwriters: Christopher A. Shiflett, David Eric Grohl, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins
The Pretender lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Corrected by PTVfan

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The Pretender meanings Post my meaning

  • U
    + 8
    Unregistered 2012-03-24 16:39:11
    I perceive this song as a song about inner struggle, not outward struggle. The struggle between who you really are and all the masks you create to be able to deal with the world. It is provoking you to lay off the masks, all the pretending. What if I am not one of your plays, what if this is really me, the confrontation with your essence. Spinning infinity/the wheel is spinning me could be a reference to the buddhist karmic wheel. You're taken for a ride by your own illusion, now you are fighting to get back in charge. This time I will not surrender. Gurdjieff/ouspensky taught about essence, and claimed that we are all in a state of sleep, fully identified with illusionary personae. It takes a lot of struggle and will to break free from that state. The skeletons (trauma/artificial convictions about the self and the world that help shape the personae) will attack immediately, because they feel the threat to their existence. Send in the skeletons, sing as their bones come marching in. In the end they are weak, they collapse when you stop identifying with them.
    Add your reply
  • k
    + 8
    kerelious 2008-07-16 19:16:26
    I think this is song is to 2 people: The Government and The Listeners. It is his way of telling the "shadow forces" that he is not sheep (as he hopes his listeners arent sheep either) and that he (we) will never surrender. We are not souls for sale and our physical bodies arent permanent. He is saying (in my opinion) that their secrets are coming out and he will(nor should we) never stand down and allow lies and fear to run our lives. Tim Robbins is a good friend of both Dave (lead singer) and Jack Black, Tim stated in a press meeting that a rock friend of his would love to speak out against the government but is worried about retaliation from the radio corps. And his record label. I know this may sound far fetched for some, but if you take a look around you'll find this is not the only band speaking of this, in fact, offspring has spoke on the issue of our society for years. Open your eyes, mind, and heart. One is All and All is One. Science of Peace, Conciousness, and Love (real branches of science!). Love to all.
    Add your reply
  • t
    + 6
    Tilt-Chicken 2008-11-24 02:39:42
    Whoever is listening to this song and think it is peer pressure, no. Go listen to the song, absorb it some more, pay attention to what the meaning is, then come back.
    In my opinion, this song, as vaguely hinted by Waischu, is about the government and the military. "Send your skeletons marching in" translates to something around "send in your walking dead". That could also be thought to be meaning soldiers. "The secrets that you keep are at the ready" is the military and the government knowing everything about you. "Are you ready?", are you ready to go to war? "Done pleading ignorance" is just what someone who is drafted tries to do to not go in as a soldier. "Spinning infinity boy... Same old story", History repeats itself, and war is inevitable, and keeps happening. People keep getting drafted, people keep getting controlled, people keep dieing for worthless causes.
    Chorus: States "What will you do if I don't listen to you? I don't want to be another one of your dead soldiers, you are making everyone the same."
    "Im the voice inside your head...knees" The idea of resistance, or the government, I couldn't figure it out.
    Additionally, the music video of this shows him resisting against a horde of riot soldiers, and each one of those riot soldiers is him.
    Add your reply
  • s
    + 5
    ssmusic 2008-07-08 15:30:28
    I half agree with witbee, bar the "what if i say YOURE" - it is correct as "what if i say IM not like the others.", hes saying hes not like the other people who were taken in by the lies, secrets ect. ("what if i say ill never surrender?") is like hes not going to give up and just let it go, hes the one the other person has to face up to. ("im whats left, im whats right, im the enemy") Well that's just my opinion, people will probs disagree lol.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 3
    Unregistered 2012-03-14 19:36:56
    Some one who pretended to be someone who was falling in love and the person they pretended to love is telling them that they are aware they are a pretender and they refuse to be just another one of the conartists plays (mark)! That the pretender wont turn them evil because of the hurt from the con (not another soul for sale)who are you? This means they were so good at the con that the other person who was conned into thinking the person was for real then realized that they never even knew the real person just the pretender!
    Add your reply
  • j
    + 3
    JASP01 2011-04-09 03:57:24
    "This song is about someone who is refusing to 'just go along' with someone else who really could be anyone that is corrupt. The 'send in your skeletons' line is telling them to let out their dirty little secrets, not what jasp01 said before about them being soldiers, that's just dumb and he hasn't heard the term 'he has a skeleton in his closet. '
    The person singing also might be trying to stop something from happening, sort of like if their was a Jewish commander in the Holocaust sending other jewish people away to save his own a*, and their were many that knew and they all disagreed but this song could be one person who's speaking out against what is going on. "
    Not dumb. I see both points; it could have a double meaning. I mean, it could mean going against the government, or anything corrupt in general. Like you said, skeletons in your closet/secrets-- you think the government doesn't have any? *Not to mention, the video has. Riot Guards. In it. Just a point* Anyhow, I think my previous point is what it specifically talks about, and in a broader sense encompasses what you said. Don't be so short-minded, who said it was limited? And, I put quotes before what I said earlier-- it was someone else's interpretation, I was merely agreeing. But, I agree with both-- there's an immediate meaning to the song, and a more broad and general meaning.
    Add your reply
  • o
    + 3
    OhHello 2011-03-11 22:01:34
    From a womans point of view (that's me) and I know Dave isn't (he is hot) but it could be either I think it means that he/she been shat on by someone who is a player and they are not going to take it like the others who have been played, they are going to give it back in spades. They are going to give pay back even if under duress, because they are angry this person has distrespected them. Throw all you have at me because I'm going nowhene I'm not breaking, you are not going to break me. They are asking who they think they are? Meaning they are nothing, we all have skeletons but its the integrity of the person that counts and the person they are facing up has none. The video alludes to law and societies rules, and it can be related to the collective and the individual. If we look at American history we can see this theme running all the way through it, individuality at the price of the collective, reganite republican one up man ship. And I'm English!
    Add your reply
  • w
    + 3
    witbee 2008-07-03 15:28:26
    This song is about two people. All the "What if I say I'm not like the others" should be "What if I say YOU'RE not like the others." The way it starts, the first verse is setting up the idea of the song. Really what's happening is the person who's singing it has been completely taken advantage of. This person is asking the other to "send in the skeletons" meaning, start talking about what you're hiding. It's a sort of a question. What does it take for me to help you understand how much it would mean to me if you would just communicate effectively? So "who are you?" you've been hiding so much. It's a song about two people in a relationship where one of them lies and the other one wants to know the truth.
    Add your reply
  • n
    + 2
    notapretender 2012-03-14 19:51:42
    (what if I say I'm not like the others /what if I say I will never surrender) >that they are aware they are a pretender and they refuse to be just another one of the con artists plays (mark) (your a pretender)> some one who pretended to be someone who was falling in love or befriending someone and the person they pretended to love/like is telling them they know it was fake! (not another soul for sale) >that the pretender wont turn them evil because of the hurt from the con their soul is not up for grabs! (who are you?) this means they were so good at the con that the other person who was conned never really even knew the true self of person-- just the pretender!
    Add your reply
  • n
    + 1
    NukaColaBear 2010-10-05 19:42:53
    This song is about someone who is refusing to 'just go along' with someone else who really could be anyone that is corrupt. The 'send in your skeletons' line is telling them to let out their dirty little secrets, not what jasp01 said before about them being soldiers, that's just dumb and he hasn't heard the term 'he has a skeleton in his closet. '
    The person singing also might be trying to stop something from happening, sort of like if their was a Jewish commander in the Holocaust sending other jewish people away to save his own a*, and their were many that knew and they all disagreed but this song could be one person who's speaking out against what is going on.
    Add your reply
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    Top meanings Post my meaning

    • U
      + 8
      Unregistered
      I perceive this song as a song about inner struggle, not outward struggle. The struggle between who... Read more →
    • k
      + 8
      kerelious
      I think this is song is to 2 people: The Government and The Listeners. It is his way of telling the... Read more →
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    [Intro][Verse][Pre-Chorus][Chorus][Hook][Bridge][Outro]