Chosen Last
Sara Kays Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴Inside jokes that I never know
but I Still laugh until I cry
Group photos but I'm standing off to the side
I'm just camera shy

Always at the birthday parties
But never close to anybody

I've been chosen last since the kindergarten
Walk in the grass and it's disregarded
Fast walk to the lunch table
And pack up before I'm ready to go
I don't speak my mind, I just sit and listen
I'm there on time 'cause they won't know I'm missing
Sometimes I would rather stay home
Than show up to be ignored and alone

Carpool everywhere, but there's never room
For me to go too
Ride my bike like all of us used to do
Oh, I don't have a clue

Why I'm at the birthday parties
When I'm not close to anybody

I've been chosen last since the kindergarten
Walk in the grass and it's disregarded
Fast walk to the lunch table
And pack up before I'm ready to go
I don't speak my mind, I just sit and listen
I'm there on time 'cause they won't know I'm missing
Sometimes I would rather stay home
Than show up to be ignored and alone

I've been chosen last since the kindergarten
Walk in the grass and it's disregarded
Fast walk to the lunch table
And pack up before I'm ready to go
I don't speak my mind, I just sit and listen
I'm there on time 'cause they won't know I'm missing

Sometimes I would rather stay home
Than show up to be ignored and alone

Overall Meaning

In Sara Kays's song "Chosen Last," the singer describes their experience of always being on the fringes of social interactions. From inside jokes they don't understand to group photos where they're off to the side, the singer feels excluded even while present. They attend birthday parties but never feel close to anyone, instead feeling "ignored and alone." The repetition of "I've been chosen last since the kindergarten" emphasizes the longevity of this feeling of being left out.

The singer's coping mechanisms include not speaking up and simply listening, as well as being prompt so as not to draw attention to their absence. But the sadness of the situation is clear in lines like "Sometimes I would rather stay home / Than show up to be ignored and alone." The song portrays a deeply relatable experience of feeling like an outsider and the painful isolation that can come with that.

Overall, "Chosen Last" is a poignant and empathetic reflection on the feelings of loneliness and exclusion that can come with being on the outside looking in.

Line by Line Meaning

Inside jokes that I never know
People in the group have their own inside jokes that I don't understand

but I Still laugh until I cry
But I still pretend to laugh and have fun even though I feel left out

Group photos but I'm standing off to the side
In group photos, I'm always on the edge or in the background

I'm just camera shy
I'm too nervous to be in the spotlight, even for a photo

Always at the birthday parties
I show up to all the events, even though I feel out of place

But never close to anybody
But I don't have any close friends within the group

I've been chosen last since the kindergarten
I have always been picked last for everything since I was young

Walk in the grass and it's disregarded
Even when I try to participate, it feels like I'm not seen or recognized

Fast walk to the lunch table
I quickly go to the lunch table so I can avoid being left out or singled out

And pack up before I'm ready to go
I leave events early so I can avoid feeling isolated or ignored

I don't speak my mind, I just sit and listen
I keep my thoughts to myself and just listen instead of sharing my opinions

I'm there on time 'cause they won't know I'm missing
I always show up on time because I don't want to be overlooked or forgotten

Sometimes I would rather stay home
Sometimes I'd rather avoid the hurt of feeling left out by not attending

Than show up to be ignored and alone
Than showing up and being completely invisible to the group

Carpool everywhere, but there's never room
Even when there are carpools, there's never enough space for me

For me to go too
I'm always left out of the carpool, even when I want to join

Ride my bike like all of us used to do
I try to go along with what the group does, like riding bikes

Oh, I don't have a clue
But I'm still clueless as to why I'm always left out

Why I'm at the birthday parties
I don't know why I always show up to these social events

When I'm not close to anybody
When I don't have any close friends within the group

Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, SARA KAYS SONGS, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Sara Kays

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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