"Fences" is the tenth track from Paramore's second album Riot!.
Background
"Fences" is about what it's like to be followed by the media constantly and the strain it has on a person.
"Fences! Well, actually, that song is kinda about the first year and a half of being on the road. It’s, uh, about the end of the first year and a half, and how I felt like, uh, especially for me personally, I was kind of pretending to be totally okay and wasn’t… wasn’t letting, um, y’know, I didn’t want my flaws to show, if I was unhappy about something I didn’t want them to know because I wanted everyone to think that I was ‘perfect’ all the time, I was fine. And um, I don’t know, this song is me talking to myself saying, like, get over it and it’s kind of, “it’s obvious that you’re dying, you’re dying”, you know… it’s… you know. It’s just about the struggle of being in the business."
Audio
An official audio for "Fences" was uploaded to the official Paramore youtube channel on January 17, 2015
Lyrics
I'm sitting in a room,
Made up of only big white walls and in the hall
There are people looking through
The window in the door
they know exactly what we're here for.
Don't look up
Just let them think
There's no place else
You'd rather be.
You're always on display
For everyone to watch and learn from,
Don't you know by now,
You can't turn back
Because this road is all you'll ever have.
And it's obvious that you're dying, dying.
Just living proof that the camera's lying.
And oh oh open wide, 'cause this is your night.
So smile, 'cause you'll go out in style.
You'll go out in style.
If you let me I could,
I'd show you how to build your fences,
Set restrictions, separate from the world.
The constant battle that you hate to fight,
Just blame the limelight.
Don't look up
Just let them think
There's no place else
You'd rather be.
And now you can't turn back
Because this road is all you'll ever have.
And it's obvious that you're dying, dying.
Just living proof that the camera's lying.
And oh oh open wide, 'cause this is your night.
So smile.
Yeah, yeah you're asking for it
With every breath that you breathe in
Just breathe it in.
Yeah, yeah well you're just a mess
You do all this big talking
So now let's see you walk it.
I said let's see you walk it.
Yeah, yeah well you're just a mess
You do all this big talking
So now let's see you walk it.
I said let's see you walk it.
And it's obvious that you're dying, dying.
Just living proof that the camera's lying.
And oh oh open wide, yeah oh oh open wide.
Yeah, oh oh open wide,
'Cause you'll go out in style.
You'll go out in style.
Personnel
- Hayley Williams - Lead Vocals
- Josh Farro - Guitars, Backing Vocals
- Jeremy Davis - Bass
- Zac Farro - Drums
Trivia
- Hayley Williams wrote the lyrics to "Fences" on her SAT test paper.
Streaming
Riot!
|
"We Are Broken" | "Fences" | "Born for This" | 
|
Live in the UK 2008
|
|
"Never Let This Go" | "Fences" | "Let the Flames Begin" |
|
The Final Riot!
|
|
"Here We Go Again" | "Fences" | "Crushcrushcrush" |
|
 |
Riot! |
|---|---|
| Songs | For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic • That's What You Get • Hallelujah • Misery Business • When It Rains • Let the Flames Begin • Miracle • Crushcrushcrush • We Are Broken • Fences • Born for This |
| Bonus Tracks | When It Rains (Demo Version) • Misery Business (Acoustic) • Temporary • Decoy • My Hero • Stop This Song (Lovesick Melody) • Rewind |
| Members | Hayley Williams • Josh Farro • Jeremy Davis • Zac Farro |
 |
Live in the UK 2008 |
|---|---|
| Songs | For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic • Born for This • Emergency • Never Let This Go • Fences • Let the Flames Begin • When It Rains • Crushcrushcrush • Pressure • Here We Go Again • That's What You Get • My Heart • Decoy • Misery Business |
| Members | Hayley Williams • Josh Farro • Taylor York • Jeremy Davis • Zac Farro |
 |
The Final Riot! |
|---|---|
| Songs | Born for This • That's What You Get • Here We Go Again • Fences • Crushcrushcrush • Let the Flames Begin • When It Rains • My Heart • Decoy • Pressure • For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic • We Are Broken • Emergency • Hallelujah • Misery Business |
| Members | Hayley Williams • Josh Farro • Taylor York • Jeremy Davis • Zac Farro |
