What does Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends mean?

Fall Out Boy: Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends Meaning

Album cover for Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends album cover

Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends Lyrics


You are a getaway car, a rush of blood to the head
But me, I'm just the covers on top of your bed
You steer away in a rear view mirror, you make my head swim
I keep you warm and won't ask you where you've been

With your backless black...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    sharon_hate
    click a star to vote
    Jan 20th 2006 !⃝

    You are a getaway car, a rush of blood to the head. But me, I'm just the covers on top of your bed. You steer away in a rear view mirror, you make my head swim. I keep you warm and won't ask you where you've been .With your backless black dress soaked to the skin. When it's said and done they're all scrambling. And we're friends, we're friends. Just because we move units.

    There are really only a few parts of the song that never separate interpretation. Those verses refer to either being in a relationship (or wanting to be in one) with a person who generally gets around (socially, sexually, whatever.) The narrator wants to be with this person for the fact that they make them feel ‘special’, and either does or doesn’t realize that other person doesn’t care for them the same way, and only uses them for the simple fact that they will always be there (like a puppy).

    Strike us like matches, cause everyone deserves the flames. We only do it for the scars and stories, not the fame. At least everyone is trying, everyone is shining. Everyone deserves the flames but it's such a shame. Such a shame

    The chorus might refer to two things. The obvious being that everyone deserves a chance to be a star and have their voices heard, experience things. The other is that it’s a metaphor for love (as Fall Out Boy lyrics often are), and how everyone wants/deserves love, but some people just don’t have it. This interpretation fits in more with the rest of the song in the fact that the narrator wants this person to care for them the same way they do.

    The sounds of this small town make my ears hurt (make my ears hurt). Oh yeah, you caught me. But I caught you one worse. They say, "You want a war? You've got a war." But who are you fighting for? The tides out, the ship's run aground. We drown traitors in shallow water

    The first line makes me think of town gossip, and that maybe his puppy-dog syndrome is getting around and maybe is being challenged for said puppy-dog spot. And the line “who are you fighting for” suggests maybe he realizes the type of girl he’s been so in love with. The last two lines further indicate that by saying he’s finally run out of his patience, and he’s done with her drama.

    So, this is just what I got out of the song. Feel free to correct me, or add on to it.

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 2nd 2010 !⃝

    "Champagne for my real friends, Real pain for my sham friends" is a Francis Bacon quote made four decades before Fall Out Boy. So,they aren't that clever after all.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 10th 2009 !⃝

    i think the person above me has it right. although the top rated interpretation is excellent, it's hard to explain [strike us like matches, cuz everyone deserves the flame. . . everyone is shining everyone deserves the flames but it's such a shame.]

    everyone wants to be famous. we all want to play guitar and sing and have groupies. we all want to be friends with fob. everyone deserves that but it is such a shame.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 6th 2007 !⃝

    "You are a getaway car, a rush of blood to the head" indicates how he feels about a person.

    "But me Im just the covers on top of your bed" shows how he acknowledges how trivial he is to her.

    "You steer away in the rearview mirror, make my head swim" shows that she avoids him, and he feels high just looking at her.

    "I keep you warm and not ask you where you've been" The line speaks for itself.

    "With your backless black dress soaked to the skin" Shes been somewhere where that's happened to her.

    "When its said and done they're all scrambing" When the deed is done (whatever it is) everyone takes off like nothing happened.

    "And we're friends, yeah we're friends just because we move units" probably means that theyre only together because of a common aspect.

    "Strike us like matches cause everyone deserves the flames" I think means a group punishment, cause everyone was responsible.

    "We only do it for the stars and stories, not the fame." probably indicates that they feel that they are the only real people, not out to get attention and just there for the fun of it.

    "Cause everyone is trying, everyone is shining" I think means all people are in this and are succeeding in whatever it is.

    "Everyone deserves the flames cause its such a shame such a shame" everyone deserves some of the blame.

    "The sounds of this small town make my ears hurt" gossip is my best guess.

    "Oh yeah you caught me, but I caught you one worse" someone is blackmailing the other.

    "They say you want a war, you got a war but who are you fighting for?" to me says that they are making someone take sides who was talking about a fight.

    "The tides out ships run aground we drown traitors in shallow waters" he got tired of her and is giving her an ultimatum.

  5. peteinmypants
    click a star to vote
    Jun 20th 2007 !⃝

    This song is saying how people are doing stupid things. Not to become famous, but just so they can brag and have something to say. It's like they're willing to almost kill themselves just so they can have a cool story to tell. Like they're bragging to see who has things worse.

  6. DiSeNcHaNtEd_DrEaMeR
    click a star to vote
    Jun 10th 2007 !⃝

    The title of this song is a line said in 13 Going On 30!! I know it might not have any relevance and is completely unrelated to the song but I just felt like telling people! lol. I think the first few lines are saying that the girl is someone amazing and exciting, "a getaway car, rush of blood to the head", but the guy doesn't think he is anything special "I'm just the covers on top of your bed" I'm probably wrong, but FOB songs are so ambiguous that they can be interpreted in so many ways. xxx

  7. paniqluv
    click a star to vote
    Feb 24th 2007 !⃝

    it's a very clever title, and another this website messed up: "Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends"... The title basically gives the message to be yourself or someone'll catch you and it'll blow up in your face.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 22nd 2006 !⃝

    "Moving units" means selling records. The entire song is just about the guys not liking people who like them just because they're famous. It's talking about all the fake people they meet and how they play along with it because they know that these people are fake.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 6th 2006 !⃝

    ^ that's a really good interpretation^
    So to add on to it, Pete thought of cutting this and "sugar we're going down" off of the album because he thought they were cheesy and cliche'.

    The name of this song is really clever. "CHAMpagne for my real friends" is a toast to all his loyal friends and "REAL pain for my SHAM friends" is a witty way to say that people that use you aren't important and if you pronounce it right,
    you'll understand why I put those things in caps.


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