The only thing that people ever pay attention to is the chorus:

Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play

Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on, get paid

And all that glitters is gold

Only shooting stars break the mold

This makes people think that the song is about striving for glory - try your hardest and even YOU could be an all star, or a rock star. A simple chorus that appears to glorify celebrities, and inspire you to be just like them.

Nope. It's AGAINST the glorification of celebrities. It's also against the media, government, war and general ignorance of world events.

Let's tear this song apart, shall we?

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me

I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed

She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb

In the shape of an "L" on her forehead

This is the first verse. It's an incredibly obvious clue into the true nature of the song. It tells you, in a very simple manner, that if you are ignorant (not stupid, but ignorant), you are a loser, and the world will take advantage of your ignorance and use you.

Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming

Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running

Didn't make sense not to live for fun

Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb

In this part of the song, the protagonist decides that he is going to follow the rules (of society) and do exactly as he's told, by his boss, by the government, by the media, everyone. He's gonna fall in line and do what he's told, and he's ready to rush into it. After all, what does he care? By falling in line, his life becomes most enjoyable. It doesn't make sense for him not to live for fun. So as long as he follows the rules, he can have fun. He's getting smarter over the years, but due to his ignorance (that he's being used), he's actually stupid.

So much to do so much to see

So what's wrong with taking the back streets?

You'll never know if you don't go

You'll never shine if you don't glow

This is the only actual uplifting part of the song. It's direct - it tells you that you SHOULDN'T simply follow the rules just because you're told to. You need to trust your own beliefs and make your own, educated decisions.

Now here's the chorus again.

Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play

Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on, get paid

And all that glitters is gold

Only shooting stars break the mold

The lines here seem so simple, but they're actually extremely important. Basically, it tells you that celebrities only care about making money. The "go play" and "get paid" don't apply only to the line they're attached to - they apply to both. It means that they go out and play (sports and music) and get paid in return, and that is the entirety of their life. The simplicity of the lines is actually part of the point, it indicates the simplicity (ignorance) of their lives. Their life has no depth, because they've fallen in line.

The "all that glitters is gold" line is incredibly important as well. The original saying is that "All that glitters is NOT gold", which means (quoting Google) "the attractive external appearance of something is not a reliable indication of its true nature.". So what this line implies is that the attractive appearance of something IS an indication of it's true nature. If you recall, this song is being sung by someone who is ignorant. Who believes everything that he's told - and what he's told is to glorify celebrities, so that's what he does. He thinks that the beauty and glory of celebrities is the most precious thing. This further cements his ignorance.

But the last line of the chorus is the opposite. It tells you that if you try and find your way out of the worship of celebrities and adherence to social norms, you will reach your own glory - a glory without ignorance.

It's a cool place and they say it gets colder

You're bundled up now but wait 'til you get older

But the media men beg to differ

Judging by the hole in the satellite picture

Now we've moved on from anti-celebrity worship to anti-government and media verses. The first line indicates that the world is a cold, cruel place, and it's only going to get worse. The second one should be obvious - when you become older, especially elderly, when you no longer have anything to offer the establishment, then you will be abandoned by that establishment (of course, the establishment being the government).

But that can't be true! The media says so! The media tells you that you'll be well taken care of in your old age, and even in your youth they, and the government will keep you safe and warm. But that's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, because there's a "hole in the satellite picture" - the words that they say over the news cannot possibly be true. They are filled with inconsistencies, contradictions and unanswered questions. There's a truth missing from what they tell you, but the media assures you that everything is fine. And because of the theme of the song, it's telling you that the only people who will believe the media are the ignorant.

The ice we skate is getting pretty thin

The water's getting warm so you might as well swim

My world's on fire. How about yours?

That's the way I like it and I'll never get bored.

The first line here tells you that the world is headed to disaster. It prides itself on ignorance and pleasure, and if they don't change their ways soon, it will all come crashing down.

The second could mean two things. It could refer to global warming, and once again, the ignorance associated with denying it. "Who cares? If the water is rising, we'll just swim!" is the mindset of the ignorant.

It could also simply mean that, in the event of the collapse in the first line, most people simply won't give a ♥♥♥♥, and they'll continue living in ignorance and pleasure even after the great decline has begun.

The last two lines of this part are connected. The "world on fire" refers to war. But the protagonist doesn't care that people are dying, especially in other countries. It's entertaining to him. Or at least, it keeps him captivated, watching the news and listening to every pro-war lie they feed him. It's interesting, but what does he care about war that isn't on his soil? He is ignorant about the chaos of war, and like many others, he simply doesn't care.

Finally, the last part of the song before the repeating chorus.

Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas

I need to get myself away from this place

I said yep what a concept

I could use a little fuel myself

And we could all use a little change

This one is the most direct. The change obviously refers to a personal change - to drive yourself away from ignorance, and the fuel, an inspirational moment (hopefully, in the band's opinion, this song), is what you need to make that change. If you drive yourself away from ignorance, and learn to think for yourself, not worship celebrities and not believe the lies of the government and media, you will become able to make change.

help.