Nothing to Lose Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Need more friends with wings
All the angels I know put concrete in my veins
I’d always walk home alone
So I became lifeless just like my telephone


[Chorus]
There’s nothing to lose
When no one knows your name
There’s nothing to gain
But the days don’t seem to change

[Verse 2]
Never played truth or dare
I’d have to check my mirror to see if I’m still here
My parents had no clue
That I ate all my lunches alone in the bathroom

[Chorus]
There’s nothing to lose
When no one knows your name
There’s nothing to gain
But the days don’t seem to change
There’s nothing to lose
My notebook will explain
There’s nothing to gain
And I can’t fight the pain
[Verse 3]
Teachers said it's just a phase
When I grow up my children will probably do the same

Kids just love to tease
Who'd know it put me underground at seventeen

[Chorus]
There’s nothing to lose
When no one knows your name
There’s nothing to gain
But the days don’t seem to change
There’s nothing to lose
My notebook will explain
There’s nothing to gain
And I can’t fight the pain

[Chorus]
There’s nothing to lose
When no one knows your name!
There’s nothing to lose
My notebook will explain
There’s nothing to lose
When no one knows your name!
There’s nothing to gain
And I just died today

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

“Nothing to Lose” is the eleventh track, and fourth single, from Billy Talent’s self-titled debut album.

This song tells the story of a kid who has no friends, despite what his parents think. He is the invisible kid who keeps to himself, but is bullied. Eventually, he can’t take it anymore and commits suicide.

The theme is based on a true story, as it’s about a 15-year-old boy, named Greg Doucette, from Brampton, Ontario, Canada. He was taunted by his schoolmates from Notre Dame High School before eventually hanging himself in his basement on May 8th, 2002.

The video, directed by Sean Michael Turrell, takes a first-person view of a teenager being harrassed and mocked by bullies and is filmed at Central Technical School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The protagonist attaches tubing to a car exhaust and places it in the car, thus committing suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning. The video actually ends with an anti-suicide message, urging children and teenagers to call Kids Help Phone, a Canadian telephone service for troubled youth. The video ranked at #28 on the MuchMusic miniseries “MuchMusic’s 50 Most Controversial Videos” due to the scene where the protagonist commits suicide.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Billy Talent say about "Nothing to Lose"?
Genius Answer

Ben Kowalewicz had this to say about the song in an interview with Designer Magazine:

A girl came up to me today and told me one of her best friends killed himself last week and that we were one of his favorite bands and would we dedicate that song to him. Stuff like that it takes a different outlook on everything. It makes you check your head a bit.

Credits
Produced By
Composer
Backing Vocals
Copyright ©
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Video Directed By
Assistant Mix Engineer
Mastering
Drum Technician
Recording
Assistant Engineer
Recorded At
The Factory, Vancouver
Release Date
September 16, 2003
Tags
Comments