Panic Switch Lyrics
Time is never worth my time
Blue shine bleeds into my eyes
I still sleep on the right side
But the white noise can't leave the scene behind
[Pre-Chorus]
Could I be anything you want me to be?
If so, is it meant to be seen?
[Chorus]
When you see yourself in a crowded room
Do your fingers itch? Are you pistol-whipped?
Will you step in line or release the glitch?
Can you fall asleep with a panic switch?
When you see yourself in a crowded room
Do your fingers itch? Are you pistol-whipped?
Will you step in line or release the glitch?
Do you think she'll sleep with a panic?
[Verse 2]
And I'll try to hold on tight tonight
Pink slip inviting me inside
Want to burn skin and brand what once was mine
But the red views keep ripping the divide
If I go everywhere you want me to go
How will I know you'll still follow?
[Chorus]
When you see yourself in a crowded room
Do your fingers itch? Are you pistol-whipped?
Will you step in line or release the glitch?
Can you fall asleep with a panic switch?
When you see yourself in a crowded room
Do your fingers itch? Are you pistol-whipped?
Will you step in line or release the glitch?
Do you think she'll sleep with a panic?
[Bridge]
I'm waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and floating
[Guitar Solo]
[Bridge]
I'm waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading, waiting and fading
When you see yourself in a crowded room
Do your fingers itch? Are you pistol-whipped?
Will you step in line or release the glitch?
Can you fall asleep with a panic switch?
When you see yourself in a crowded room
Do your fingers itch? Are you pistol-whipped?
Will you step in line or release the glitch?
Do you think she'll sleep with a panic?
About
The fifth track and lead single of Silversun Pickups‘ 2009 album Swoon. “Panic Switch” could be about someone going through an anxiety attack, or otherwise having a very bad, sleepless day for whatever reason.
According to singer Brian Aubert, when MTV asked about “Panic Switch” during an interview in March 2009, “Hopefully it conveys a theme on the album, which is basically a nervous breakdown. It’s pretty chaotic, and of all the songs on the record, that one represents that [theme] the best.”
It was the band’s first #1 track, topping the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart. It was also the first track from an independent band to go to #1 in 11 years, the previous one being What It’s Like by Everlast in 1998. It spent one week at #1 and moved to spend the next 11 weeks at #2.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning