Annotations for Im Not Okay I Promise

Lyric: [Guitar Solo]
Annotation:
This may possibly be one of the best guitar solos of this past century, courtesy of Ray Toro. PROPOSED SUGGESTION: everybody say thank u ray for this solo

Lyric: [Instrumental Intro]
Annotation:
Before the instrumental in the music video, Ray tells Gerard, “You like DnD, Audrey Hepburn, Fangoria, Harry Houdini, and croquet. You can’t swim, you can’t dance, and you don’t know karate. Just face it: you’re never gonna make it.” To which Gerard replies: “I don’t wanna make it. I just wanna-” and the instrumental starts. The people and objects that Ray is mentioning have little to do with each other, emphasizing Gerard’s oddness and randomness, which is why he’s so unpopular at his preppy private school. Dungeons and Dragons, or DnD for short is a fantasy roleplay game first published in the 70s. DnD is a common interest of stereotypically nerdy characters, such as the core four boys from the Netflix series Stranger Things, and according to Ray, Gerard as well.  Audrey Hepburn was a legendary actress from Hollywood’s golden age. She is known for her likeable presence on screen, her gamine looks, her elegant fashion sense, and her kindness and selflessness during her humanitarian career.  Fangoria is a quad-annual horror magazine, starting its publication during the late 1970s.  Harry Houdini was a notable escape artist, illusionist, magician and stuntman. To this day, many of his tricks still haven’t been replicated or figured out.  Croquet is an old-timey outdoor sport popularized in England. It involves wooden or plastic balls being hit by mallets through hoops sticking into the ground. It is stereotypically played by the rich elite during outings. Later in the music video, the band is seen playing croquet.  https://s3.amazonaws.com/filepicker-images-rapgenius/JTglA30QJyMu7N99MxrTmcr%20croquet.jpg.crdownloadAs for the “You can’t swim, you can’t dance, and you don’t know karate” line is meant to reveal that Gerard has no redeemable skills that will help him fit in. In the music video, Gerard is at what looks like gym class, but doesn’t dive into the pool with everyone else. In Gerard’s 2014 solo debut album, he sings about not being able to swim in the song Juarez.

Lyric: I held you close as we both shook
 For the last time, take a good hard look
Annotation:
The protagonist is consoling the girl by embracing her. However, the protagonist also has to cope with the problems he’s going through, causing him to shake as well. He then tries to show the girl that he too is shaking, he too is messed up, he too has his own problems to deal with. He’s trying to finally make her realize that he is also “not okay”.

Lyric: Well, if you wanted honesty, that’s all you had to say
Annotation:
There is some idea of relief in “that’s all you had to say,” as the narrator just wants to vent about the truth in the relationship that this whole song centers around. The rest of the song could be seen as the honesty that the woman asks for here.

Lyric: But I’m okay, I’m okay
 I’m okay now, (I’m okay now), but you really need to listen to me
 Because I’m telling you the truth
 I mean this, I’m okay
 Trust me
Annotation:
The protagonist assures the girl that he’s fine, and she doesn’t need to worry about him anymore. He’s avoiding his own problems with the hope that it will fix their relationship. It’s possible that this is said sarcastically, and the protagonist is too fed up with her to keep trying, so he lies and says he’s fine instead.

Lyric: For all the dirty looks
 The photographs your boyfriend took
Annotation:
This line is most likely a reference to bullying, as is much of the song. It’s possible the ‘photographs’ are of something lewd her and her boyfriend did together that, whether by accident or on purpose, got out. Now she gets looks in the hallway from her peers because they’ve all seen. This humiliation partnered with the rude glances she received from others  drove her to jump from the second floor of a building, and whether her intent was either to run away or attempt suicide, all she got, in the end, was a broken foot.

Lyric: What will it take to show you that it’s not the life it seems?
Annotation:
The person at whom this song is aimed has deluded themselves into thinking that popularity is the hallmark of happiness. Alternatively, this could be from the frustrated protagonist. He is struggling with problems of his own, but she’s too consumed with her own problems to notice or care.

Lyric: I never want to let you down or have you go, it’s better off this way
Annotation:
The protagonist is torn. He doesn’t want to ‘let her down,’ or break up with her himself, but he doesn’t want her to leave him either. It’s difficult for him to choose, and he doesn’t want to be with her anymore but he doesn’t want to be left with no one. The protagonist has been trying to hold this relationship together, but knows it isn’t going to work any longer. This line is similar to one of their earlier songs,  “Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough for the Two of Us.” You can cry all you want to I don’t care how much you’ll invest yourself in me We’re not working out We’re not working out

Lyric: And, look, another line without a hook
Annotation:
THIS LINE IS A DOUBLE-ENTENDRE: Notice how the background vocals didn’t sing “I’m Not Okay” this time….  The Hook was therefore not sung in this case. A Metaphor for fishing. The singer here is being led on, but there’s no way he can take the bait. There’s no hook.

Lyric: I’ve told you time and time again
 You sing the words, but don’t know what it means
Annotation:
This is reminiscent of lines from a  Nirvana chorus,  “In Bloom.” This girl loves all these songs but doesn’t truly understand or appreciate the meaning behind them. This follows the theme of how she has all these petty problems but doesn’t truly understand life’s real issues, particularly those of the narrator who time and time again tries to help her. Alternatively, this could be referring to the phrase ‘I love you.’ She says it to him, but she doesn’t know what true love means.

Lyric: You said you read me like a book
 But the pages all are torn and frayed now
Annotation:
She thinks she can see through him, but he disagrees. ‘Torn and frayed’ are most likely referring to how ruined his life seems at the moment, and if his life’s a book then the pages must so wrecked that she can’t read the words. At the very least, she may understand he’s a mess but not the reasons why.

Lyric: I’m not okay, I’m not okay, hey hey, hey
 I’m not okay, hey, hey
 You wear me out
Annotation:
This girl has been coming to the protagonist with her problems for a long time, and he’s getting tired of trying to help her when she makes him feel unappreciated. Their relationship was most likely built on something other than love, and now he’s ready to cut it off. He spends all his time trying to make sure she’s ‘okay,’ when really he’s exhausted by her daily needs and wants someone to care about him for once.

Lyric: Remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second floor?
Annotation:
It’s possible the girl was trying to kill herself because of the  photographs her boyfriend took, by jumping out her window. In the end, all this did was break her foot. Alternatively, this could be referring to their relationship before everything fell apart. He’s reminding her of the time she snuck out to meet him, but broke her foot while trying to do so.

