8th Grade

8th Grade

Pencey Prep

“8th Grade” is a punk compilation of longing, confusion, and some serious shredding. The song has two interpretations, both telling of similar events.

The first is that the protagonist of the story has a crush on a boy at his school. The boy knows this and beats him up for it. This can be seen in the lines,

Your girl can’t tell how tough you are
When you beat me up in the boy’s room!

and

Maybe I like the abuse
Or maybe I just like you

and

But I can’t help who I like

and finally

This was not my decision
You were born with good looks
And a solid right hook

The second is following the protagonist through a typical middle school year. He has a crush on a girl he has no chance with, he’s not popular, gets beat up, and counts down the days until summer break. This can be seen in the lines,

Pretty girl is blushing
I can’t tell if she’s disgusted

and

Caught staring again
Like a deer in the headlights
When you can’t move fast enough
I take a hit for the team

In an interview with Kerrang!, Frank Iero talked about his school life, and how he was bullied, plus only having three friends through the entirety of high school​. He said,

I knew I didn’t really want to be in school but I didn’t know what else I wanted to do.