What does Gives You Hell mean?

The All-American Rejects: Gives You Hell Meaning

Album cover for Gives You Hell album cover

Song Released: 2008


Gives You Hell Lyrics

I wake up every evening,
With a big smile on my face
And it never feels out of place

And your still probably working at a 9 to 5 pace
I wonder how bad that tastes

When you see my face
Hope it gives you hell
Hope it gives you hell
When...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 18th 2011 !⃝

    I believe this song is meant for an ex. Perhaps she left him for a regular guy, working "9-5", living in a house with a "picket fence". Now he's a rock star, living the life, waking up "every evening" while her life is boring and she envys him and perhaps regrets ever leaving him. He hopes it "gives her hell" to think about what she gave up.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 10th 2011 !⃝

    The boys of The All-American Rejects said that this song is about a girl who left the guy because he was not serious enough about growing up and becoming a business man. This part can be seen in the first few lines of "I wake up every evening,With a big smile on my face And it never feels out of place
    And your still probably working at a 9 to 5 pace. I wonder how bad that tastes"

    It can be seen that he has not changed his ways and is glad to not be with someone who is trying to change him. It then goes to state that he is truly happy with his fun carefree life but questions her money driven lifestyle. "Now where's that picket fence, love. And where's that shiny car,
    And did it ever get you far?"

    The main point of the song is to say that he is now successful but still living his life the way he wants too. She left him because she saw him as being immature. He is hoping that this fact drives her crazy and "gives you hell."

  3. anonymous
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    Dec 6th 2020 !⃝

    GIVES YOU HELL TNE ALL AMERICAN REJECTS 28
    VON TYSON

  4. anonymous
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    Oct 8th 2019 !⃝

    This song is really about a guy who is struggling with his past and the woman who has two sides, he finds out what she was really like and wishes to go back to the man that he was and who he really is and wishes hell upon her

  5. anonymous
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    Jul 3rd 2018 !⃝

    I interpret it this way: a guy who felt relieved and saved after breaking up with his girl and then contemplating painfully about his ex gf who was a bad lover to the point that she seemed bad for any other guy. If ever another guy dated her next time, that guy would be an idiot for choosing the girl who didn't even have time for her dear ones at the least.

  6. anonymous
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    May 23rd 2014 !⃝

    What the heck does the video have to do with the song lyrics. Is he having an internal conflict and it isn't about a girl?

  7. anonymous
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    Dec 5th 2013 !⃝

    NO this song is literally the about a girl breaking off with a guy. She thought that he would be all depressed on begging her to come back. While she is off with all these rich guys that dont give a crap about her. And she's showing off to everybody and he doesnt give a crap. He smiles when he sees here just to piss her off. She has obivouslys fucked up majorly and wonders what the hell. And the guy doesnt give a shit and he hopes that everytime that she sees him happy she feel like shit as all the memories come rushing back

  8. anonymous
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    May 16th 2012 !⃝

    The song is about a man. I promise. Tyson has talked about that. He just made it sound like it was about an ex to make it more relatable to the listeners.

  9. anonymous
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    Dec 4th 2011 !⃝

    The depiction of the song revolving around the ex and stories that go on around that, are all good and well. But has anyone thought about it in a commercial point of view?
    The perfect 50's style suburbian setting, 'picket fence' 'shiney car' and the perfect couple and 9-5 job are all part of what used to make an idealistic life.
    Most neighbours would infact conform to all of these 'essential' commodities to fit in, but from the video we can see these neighbours do not.
    The fact that they are slightly rock makes this clearer, they don't want to conform to a society like that and being in a relationship with the girl was stopping him from having fun,in other words: being a non-conformist.
    Maybe the relationship and the ex was a metaphor for the old commercial, conformist life he used to live and has now broke free from and left it behind.
    Towards the end however, we see the couple joining in,acting rebeliously and thinking they're cool, this is a whole other ballgame. Just one question arises: Does the blame for commercialisation stand with 'the joneses' or those non-conformists?
    Just from a differnt point of view :) i'm doing my dissertation at the minute about commercialisation and conformity and how they relate to eachother in different cultures, whilst looking at visual design- e.g. This music video :)

  10. anonymous
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    Jun 21st 2011 !⃝

    I really DON'T know. However, by listening to the SONG (which I used to LOATHE but now LOVE AND RARELY HEAR!), seems there was a break up and his ex girlfriend took advantage of and or betrayed and or deceived him and he hopes and wishes for her to endure Hell if and whenever she SEES him. And, isn't that REALLY what we ALL want when we're taken advantage of, betrayed and deceived and when the relationship's OVER?

  11. GuitarGhost
    click a star to vote
    Jan 31st 2011 !⃝

    I think the song is about the bands haters. Like most haters, they are just jealous. I interpreted this from the lyric "when you hear this song and sing along, you'll never tell". Most people would say it is about his girlfriend, but that would probably only be based on the music video. and usually the music video would have nothing to do with the actaul meaning

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. anonymous
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    Jun 1st 2010 !⃝

    Personally, I like to think that this song is about a guy that got dumped by his girlfriend. However, afterwards, he realizes how abusive that she was to him, and now that he's free, he becomes angry and "In your face" to her, rather than being sorrowful.


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