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Today I was listening to a song from Fall Out boy called Miss missing you. At one point in the song, they sing the line: "Baby you were my picket fence".

I know what a picket fence is, but I don't know if it makes any sense here. Maybe it has another meaning?

Here's the full passage:

I will sing to you everyday, if it will take away the pain
Oh, and I heard you've got it, got it so bad
'Cause I am the best you'll ever have
Baby you were my picket fence
I miss missing you, now and then

So what does that line mean?

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    One for our American friends. It makes no sense in BrE. And yes, I too know what a picket fence is. I did find one definition which may have a bearing "a picket fence as a symbol of middle-class domesticity and contentment" so maybe the singer is trying to apply that to the lady.
    – Peter Jennings
    Mar 3 at 18:50
  • It has the usual meaning but is being used figuratively (metaphorically) here. If you're interested in what the symbolism represents, I think that Writing SE might be a good place to ask.
    – MarcInManhattan
    Mar 3 at 19:07

1 Answer 1

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As Wiktionary explains, the phrase "white picket fence" is often used as "a symbol of the ideal middle-class suburban life, with a large house, family, and peaceful lifestyle."

The song presumably means that the singer used to see the addressee as the foundation of a comfortable, conventional, and/or peaceful life.

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