Bo Burnham: All Eyes On Me Lyrics - What is the Meaning? (Inside Outtakes)

All Eyes On Me by Bo Burnham is off his Netflix special "INSIDE" which broke the entire internet. I did a ton of research and broke down what the lyrics to All Eyes on Me by Bo Burnham mean. #boburnhaminside #boburnhaminside #alleyesonme #insideouttakes

[koreanbeef]

“They say you got a grammy.”
Him: “like I give a shit.”

[notagudartistbutiamtrying]

It’s about depression because of the context before the song. The last words before it were “I am not well” and then he sobs. Depression demands your attention no matter what nor where. It wants you to be safe in its presence even though it tears you from the inside out. The best and most convincing theory is that it’s about depression and it’s need for attention from the victim.

[musicwithj]

Bro pulled “it’s about school shootings” out of THIN AIR 💀💀 no one has said that.

[WileECoyoteYM]

Personally I think “Inside” is one of the greatest piece of art in our generation. Glad I was able to catch it in the theater.

[Bloodydemise]

It's literally depression trying to coax you into nihilism

[mx_nana_banana]

IMO: this song is about anxiety, and panic, but pushing through the anxiety/panic, and having nobody see your desperate pleas for help.


Edit: the lyrics “Are you feeling nervous?
Are you having fun?
It's almost over
It's just begun
Don't overthink this
Look in my eye
Don't be scared, don't be shy
Come on in, the water's fine”

Could be seen as bo burnham inviting you into his mind, and he is basically telling you this is what his life is like.

[and_salty]

personally i think it’s about his experiences while he was performing. the way the anxiety began to nag him, “you say the ocean’s rising? like i give a shit, ” i take this lyric as meaning, “so much energy has been taken from me towards being so anxious from performing that i dont have the energy to care about anything else.” furthermore, there’s the whole “all eyes on me, ” “get your fucking hands up, ” “are you feeling nervous? are you having fun?” thing, which i attribute to different aspects of performing, like “all eyes on me, ” as in when you’re performing everyone’s eyes are on you, “get your fucking hands up, ” which is a slightly more aggressive way of hyping up a crowd, and, “are you feeling nervous? are you having fun?” which i think picks out the nervousness and the rush of adrenaline that comes from performing. additionally, there’s also the “hands down, pray for me, ” part, which i think is bo getting more real with the theoretical audience in the song. ofc this is just my opinion as a performer myself (btw no i havent watched inside i only heard about it like a month ago lmao)

[izukumidoriya]

Very true, Bo Burnham is amazing and his music is so deep

[raechelgrantham]

I had a really cathartic cry after hearing this song for the first time. I struggle with cycles of my Major Depressive Disorder and it can be a powerful thing to feel like there's someone else who understands. To me it's a song about the ups and downs of depression and anxiety. How you go from being in a really awful place, to putting in actual hard work to better yourself, and having something happen to send you spiraling back down to where you started and how soul crushing it really can be to feel endlessly trapped in that cycle. But that's not where your story has to end. You can get back up, you can do this.

[ineffablefallen]

the bit where he just goes “GET THE FUCK UP” always terrifies me

[Lazeebaybee]

The fact that he won a goddamn Grammy award for it and didn’t show up is such a fucking strong power move

[shay]

I believe the song is about bo’s recovery with anxiety and depression within his 5 year hiatus, but in that time bo still craves the love and attention he would get from performing. So when he was prevented to perform as soon as he announced his return to performing, it created more depression for him because he would be unable to get the love and attention he seems to clearly need.

[redflaregoober]

Theres also the thing that he uses a spectrum of notes that are ment to be calming and he made his voice deeper to get this calming and stressful feeling to the song, bo burnham is truly a musical genius

[theoneandonlyanimates]

‘Inside’ is a comedic and musical masterpiece worthy of far more attention than it has already got. It shows us the inside (no pun intended) of depression and dealing with anxiety, which is the point I agree with. It is also incredibly retrospective and detailed, the piece really shows dedication from Bo to his craft. The special also deserves special commendation for it being all filmed, written, produced, directed, edited and performed singularly by Bo Burnham in a single year, in a house, by himself, during the lockdowns. ‘Inside’ and it’s own progression and narrative almost feels surreal whilst watching it and, upon rewatching for the third or fourth time like I have, you may start to pick up on more and more details and small delights. Bo Burnham is a genius not only musically but in almost every category I have listed above on how he created ‘Inside’. Bo is pushing a way an audience can enjoy content and I believe his credit and attention is far under what is should be.

(And no I am not a journalist. :) but I really do think he deserves more credit for Inside)

[matthewhiggins]

Great video. This song is truly awesome. I'm very happy to see someone drawing more attention to it. The entire special is fantastic. Bo Burnham's stand up is absolutely amazing. His comedy has talked me off the ledge a few times. Beautiful, tragic, happy, angry, sad, hilarious, absurd, honest, and completely human. Thank you sir.

[yourlocalwaifu]

"His irony never fails"
Yeah he made a whole song about it

[LadyZubat]

The song is literally about depression and how it's constantly trying to get you to go into a state of nihilism and not caring about the world.

[puddleofaids]

The room is his head, he's talking about his depression.

[noone]

I interpreted it as a message of accepting and coming to terms with nihilism and to stop being afraid to sink into it but to float in it

[raechelgrantham]

To me it's about the ups and downs of depression and anxiety. How you go from being in a really awful place, putting in actual hard work to better yourself, and having something happen to send you spiraling back down to where you started and how soul crushing it really can be to feel endlessly trapped in that cycle.