Swing Life Away

## Song by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Kellin Quinn

"**Swing Life Away**" is a song by Machine Gun Kelly, released as the 12th track from his mixtape *Black Flag*. It interpolates Rise Against's song of the same name and features vocals from Kellin Quinn of Sleeping with Sirens. The official music video was uploaded to YouTube on November 12, 2013, directed by Charlie Zwick. An acoustic version was posted to YouTube on September 12, 2013, which included SWS' guitarist, Jesse Lawson, at Detroit's Warped Tour.

MGK said of the song, "I told Kellin we had to cover this song, so he sent me a version he did with a producer, but I called him and said, 'Nah, we gotta do this differently.' So we did it again and it worked so well. I love his voice. We took it from an acoustic song into a more melodic rock kind of thing. I think it's beautiful." He also collaborated with Sleeping with Sirens on "Alone" from their *Feel* album.

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Verse 1: Machine Gun Kelly]

Am I loud and clear?

Or do I gotta scream like I did every day when I was a troubled teen, huh?

Do you want to know my past and see every single scar and know what they mean, huh?

17 running up in Mickey D's begging for a double cheese, huh

Singing "I don't want to grow up don't nobody like you when your 23"

I came from nothing but a fucking unsupportive father I don't ever see

I had to watch a crooked jury put my brother in the penitentiary,

I never fit in

Criticism, made me the man I couldn't be

I'm reminiscing on when life was different spending every day at Chuckee Cheese, uh

[Chorus: Kellin Quinn]

We live on front porches and swing life away

We get by just fine here on minimum wage

If love is a labor I'll slave till the end

And I'll run these streets if you give me a chance

[Verse 2: Machine Gun Kelly]

I've been here so long

Maybe I should runaway

Try to find a summer day

What is love

Love is pain

Love is butterflies and stomach aches

Love is looking out a windowpane, tears dripping looking like you're in the rain

For someone you don't even know but for somebody you may never see again

I am only alive once

And I'ma die when God wants

So fill the sky with diamonds

Because that's how it's gonna look when I'm gone

Had a vision as a kid that one day I would change the world with my song

Several years have passed and now that vision came to life that boy's a fucking icon

[Chorus: Kellin Quinn]

We live on front porches and swing life away

We get by just fine here on minimum wage

If love is a labor I'll slave till the end

And I'll run these streets if you give me a chance

[Bridge: Machine Gun Kelly]

Sometimes I don't want to fucking wake up

When all they want to do is bring me down

And all the things I've went through as I came up

Are the fucking reasons why I run this town

[Hook: Kellin Quinn, *Machine Gun Kelly*]

We live on front porches and swing life away (*And to my fans, I told you*)

We get by just fine here on minimum wage

If love is a labor, I'll slave 'til the end (*'Til the end*)

And I'll run these streets if you give me a chance

We live on front porches and swing life away (*All my dreamers*)

We get by just fine here on minimum wage (*Stay real*)

If love is a labor, I'll slave 'til the end (*And to my love*)

And I'll run these streets if you give me a chance (*Stay here*)

Swing life away (*What we do*)

Swing life away (*And what we do*)

Swing life away (*Yeah*)

Swing life away (*And we just*)

Swing life away (Let's swing life away)

Swing life away (Let's swing life away)

Swing life away (Let's swing life away)

Swing life away

## References

1. ↑ Ramirez, Carlos (February 27, 2013). "Machine Gun Kelly: Rapper Reveals Why He's So Influenced by Metal and Punk Music (Interview)". *Noisecreep*.