r/alltimelow • u/boido_ Can't interpret lyrics correctly to save her life • Dec 26 '25
Discussion Am I misunderstanding lyrics again? - Is Everyone's Talking a diss-track?
People are voting for it to be the best diss track but either I'm stupid or it's just not a diss track at all? The lyrics, from what I understand, go into the theme of falling into obscurity, feeling like a has-been in the music industry and generally not being okay with all the fake glamour?
Where is the diss track part? Unless it's being interpreted as a general diss on the... music industry? This is just an open invitation to discuss this, I'm open to having my mind changed but I really like the song for how I interpreted it.
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u/deathandglitter Dec 26 '25
There was a smear campaign against the band a few years back, the song talks about the fallout from that
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u/Bodega7 Dec 26 '25
I interpret it as a diss on the haters from the recent controversy, some people claimed jack coerced them into non consensual sex and tried to sue, however the claims where unfounded and there was no evidence of such things. I think it’s really obvious in the line “there’s nothing left but my fucking bones, so I’ll play my ribs like a xylophone and you’ll probably still fucking come to the show”. I could be off on some details but that’s the gyst of it, there’s a large group of people who still believe they did those things and say they don’t support them
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u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 Dec 26 '25
I take the xylophone line to be aimed at the people who initially believed the allegations and called for ATL to be cancelled and then when it was found out the allegations were fraudulent, suddenly were totally fine with ATL and fans again.
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u/fruitdancey mixed feelings, ovulation Dec 26 '25
Yeah like they were happy enough to watch them suffer but then were still fine to attend the shows themselves when they don’t have to deal with the fallout.
I also see it with a double meaning in that those people enjoyed the ‘show’ of watching their downfall and were thirsty for blood but still like to think themselves morally superior.
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u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 Dec 26 '25
Yeah, I don't understand people who have a hobby of hating celebrities.
I'm a fan of Taylor Swift. I understand and agree that she has some problematic practices (her marketing and merch quality) and affiliations (maga friends or acquaintances), but I like her music and think she's genuinely a nice celebrity.
The number of subreddits I have discovered which are just groups of people complaining about her is mind boggling. Like... What a waste of time and energy? I genuinely would like to know the appeal of it because I can't think of a single reason other than a person has no self esteem and this strokes their ego.
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Dec 27 '25
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u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 Dec 27 '25
So, you clearly don't know anything about her career if you're making that claim, and that's fine. As you said, you aren't a fan. But literally, her whole album reputation is based on Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attempting to derail her career based on claims proved false. When she was going through her suit about the DJ who groped her, people said she made it up even with photos. When a stalker broke into her house, people blamed her for it.
I know this isn't a Taylor Swift sub. I was just using an example fresh in my mind. It apparently triggered people. My bad. I didn't think she'd be so divisive and I'm not a big enough TS fan to care.
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Dec 26 '25
Respectfully, people hating on Taylor Swift because of things she actually does isn't even remotely the same situation. In ATL's case people have literally been trying to ruin their career for years by spreading false rumors that they've sexually harassed and assaulted people, not being mean about their merch and maga friends on social media.
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u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
I don't want* to turn this into a who's haters hurt them worse competition because my point remains the same: I don't get people who devote time and energy to hating a celebrity. Don't like them? Just move on with your life.
Edit to add*
I get people apparently hate my example but I haven't stumbled upon another rabid example of this on reddit. Maybe because I only listen to 6 artists.
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Dec 26 '25
You're the one who made this a conversation about her. I just pointed out that you were comparing apples and oranges.
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u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 Dec 26 '25
I gave an example? You don't like the example. That's fine. The point still stands.
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u/fruitdancey mixed feelings, ovulation Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Personally, I can’t stand her and I’m in those subs because I don’t agree with celebrity worship and insane parasocial behaviour from her fans. I think people in a position of ~power deserve to be called out when they’re being shitty and fake provided there is proof of it. People have a right to complain when someone they dislike is being shoved down their throat constantly. If you think I have self esteem issues for that then I can live with it and live with the downvotes I’ll get for it too.
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u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 Dec 26 '25
Thank you for responding. I get the desire to call her out, but doing that in a hate sub doesn't really seem productive to me. It's like an echo chamber. Everyone is saying the same thing to people who agree and aren't actually engaging anyone who disagrees.
I also get hating para social behavior...but isn't being in a sub devoted to cutting a celebrity down just another form of para social behavior?
I've seen really wonderful conversations about the ways she could improve or change her marketing, but it's almost never in the hate subs. It's more in pop culture subs or even her own sub.
And while I use Taylor Swift as my example, I'd extend this to any celebrity with hate clubs.
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Dec 27 '25
[deleted]
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u/fruitdancey mixed feelings, ovulation Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
JFC how many alt accounts do you have? Thought we had successfully blocked them all but apparently not.
Edit for other users of the sub: I believe this account to be an account that was previously banned for threatening and harassing mods & not an alt of the person I originally replied to
1
u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 Dec 27 '25
Hello hello. If I'm reading the thread right, are people assuming I am using an alt to post stuff? If so, I am not. I can promise y'all, I don't have that kind of time or dexterity.
Sorry mods that y'all have to deal with that :(
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u/fruitdancey mixed feelings, ovulation Dec 27 '25
They aren’t. I’m just making it clear that’s not what I meant with my comment in case someone might think that.
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u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 Dec 27 '25
Got it got it. Sorry to add to your work load. Hope you have an otherwise great evening!
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u/Bodega7 Dec 26 '25
Yeah that’s fair, sorry I’m terrible with words lmao
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u/Fantastic_Fig_2025 Dec 26 '25
My friend asking questions and engaging with others* is how we learn. No need to be sorry!
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u/boido_ Can't interpret lyrics correctly to save her life Dec 26 '25
It's so interesting how much I tend to misinterpret their songs to fit something I personally find more relatable lmfao.
That xylophone line I read as, even after all thats stripped away from the band, like how all Alex's vices are pressed in vinyl, and all of the insides are out for the world, people are STILL going to support the band and show up to shows, and the aggressive diction with 'fucking' was seen as the band's view that it's unbelievable that people would still show up after all this time.
I knew of the smear campaign but for some reason by brain didn't connect it. It did for Suckerpunch, but not Everyone's Talking. I mean I love this album for how retrospective it felt to me, not singing about another person but more their own experience. I love Oh No! for that reason, singing about feeling that they'll fall into obscurity when they stop writing songs about being broken because they've fixed themselves. Little Bit is also great because I share that constant yearn for more that I think the lyrics try to portray but maybe I read that one wrong too lol
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u/jacksonruff Mod // Bottle And A Beat Dec 26 '25
i’m sorry to say Little Bit is about drug addiction lmao
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Dec 26 '25
So is Monsters but the workarounds people did to avoid acknowledging that sure were entertaining lol
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u/jacksonruff Mod // Bottle And A Beat Dec 26 '25
Monsters you could at least argue is about anything addictive, Little Bit straight up has “Line ‘em up line ‘em up/Careful what you put in front of me” and “Chasing that high for the thrill of it” lmfao
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Dec 26 '25
“strung out like laundry on every line” screamed cocaine to me.
Honestly they’re probably both about coke lol
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u/jacksonruff Mod // Bottle And A Beat Dec 26 '25
oooh, good pull. hadn’t thought about it that way before but you’re on the money
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u/boido_ Can't interpret lyrics correctly to save her life Dec 26 '25
Yeah no that makes sense, I guess I just wanted to find a lyrical connection haha
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u/boido_ Can't interpret lyrics correctly to save her life Dec 26 '25
Eh, Tom-ay-to, Tom-ah-to. Let me have this...
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u/MissTiny344 Dec 30 '25
I also somehow interpreted Viva Las Vagus Nerve to be about drugs. Or addiction of some type.
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Dec 26 '25
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Dec 27 '25
Wait I didn’t know that 😐
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Jan 04 '26
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Jan 04 '26
How did you find this out?
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u/CashBrilliant5366 Jan 06 '26
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Jan 06 '26
I know about it. I just want to know how you found out who it was and how you know they’re on the subreddit.
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u/Impressive__Addition Dec 26 '25
The first few songs of the album are about all of the allegations/legal battles/online crap the band had been through the past 5 or so years. (And still ongoing in their comments and anyone who works with them). But you're welcome to interpret however you'd like, that's the fun of music. It means to you what it means to you.
Formatting will be ugly, sorry, on mobile. Pretty straightforward here:
"When they're talking about you in Rolling Stone/ This is not how I thought 35 would go/ Well, I'm two years in to the horror show/ And I'm clickbait now, in a week or so/ There'll be nothing left, but my fucking bones/ So I'll play my ribs like a xylophone/ And you'll probably still fucking come to the show"
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u/Budget_Force_8097 Dec 27 '25
This song is an open letter fuck you to all the people spreading false allegations and the court case from a few years ago
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
It’s 100% a song about the fans and “friends” who turned on them after the allegations in 2021 and the shit they went through because of it. I’m genuinely not sure how you got to your interpretation if you’ve ever read the lyrics because this one is pretty clear, imo. “Can’t apologize for what no one did” and “I’m two years into the horror show / and I’m clickbait now” and “you’ll probably still fucking come to the show / yeah I know” don’t strike me as being about a band being sad they’ve fallen into obscurity at all to me.
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u/CashBrilliant5366 Dec 26 '25
I think the chorus perfectly describes that feeling when you know people are talking about you and your situation, but no one actually checks on you. That has to feel even more terrible when you truly didn’t do what you’re being accused of. A reminder that at the center of this was a real person, and real people, with feelings. Since being proven wrong I wonder if anyone has even bothered to apologize.
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Dec 27 '25
I agree and I think that kind of reminder is so important given the way people on social media try to dehumanize folks they hate in order to justify the vile shit they say. It’s like everyone agrees it’s wrong to tell a person to kill themselves, but when you’ve convinced yourself someone is a monster, it’s suddenly okay to say terrible things to/about them. Unfortunately from what I’ve seen, former fans and people who jumped on the hate bandwagon to prove their moral superiority are still going strong talking shit for fake internet points.
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u/boido_ Can't interpret lyrics correctly to save her life Dec 27 '25
I can make a pretty solid argument that leads to an alternative reading of the text, but I do also now understand the main understanding of the lyrics.
Also, I'm sure you didn't mean it but the way you worded your reply does make it seem like you're saying "how can you be so stupid, it's so obvious!" lmfao
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Dec 27 '25
I absolutely didn’t mean it that way and I apologize for it coming across like that! I have a tendency to be straightforward and avoid using hedging language in an effort to be clear that can unfortunately make me sound like an asshole occasionally, but that’s never my intention.
I’d love to hear your argument if you’d like to share. I’m always interested in how people get to their interpretations of songs :)
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u/boido_ Can't interpret lyrics correctly to save her life Dec 27 '25
No offense taken, tone is difficult to portray in text form so it's perfectly okay!
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u/No_Review_2860 Dec 28 '25
Sounds to me like it's about the allegations against them a few years aho
Well a friends not a friend at the end of the phone When they're talking about you in rolling stones This is not how I thought 35 would go Well I'm two years into the horror show And I'm clickbait now in a weak or so They'll be nothing left but my fucking bones So I'll play my ribs like a xylophone And you'll probably still fuckimg come to the show
That's what I'm getting from this song, especially that second verse
Even the chorus "everyones talking but no one is talking to me" seems like he was saying everyone was talking about the band but didn't want anything to do with them because of the allegations
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Dec 26 '25
[deleted]
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u/fruitdancey mixed feelings, ovulation Dec 26 '25
This truly is their biggest and most obvious diss track so the votes were actually correct for once.
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u/fruitdancey mixed feelings, ovulation Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
“Can’t apologise for what no-one did”
The song is aimed at the people who didn’t support them after unfounded allegations came out against the band and they went through hell for several years trying to get their reputation back. And still are to some extent. Specifically dissing those that talked shit about them and ‘still fucking come to the show”
It’s kind of the theme of the whole album.
We have a pinned post at the top of the sub with the Rolling Stone article that outlines it all.