I want to hold you but you're out of reach
Somewhere searching for your inner peace
I'm just looking for a little squeeze
Face to face and cheek to cheek

It's in your blood but not in mine
What's in your blood is in my mind
Something's broken in the way we smile
It is within us all the time

You're well acquainted with the So- o- o-Ho
And all the "Ello" and "Ow are 'you?"
And we both have to get it on before the summer's gone

We gotta hurry with no worry to get done today
'Cause one of us is gonna die young
Let's put our money where our mouth is and get out today
'Cause one of us is gonna die young
Ooh, Ooh, One of us is gonna die young
Ooh, Ooh, One of us is gonna die young

And don't you take this the wrong way
I'm not looking for a way to replace what love can give
'Cause you can't do that!

I'm only saying that where I come from
People find it very fashionable
To burn like a flame
Never get tame
Grown-up and lame
Yeah! Yeah!

You're looking beat but you say: "no, oh, no, no"
"I'm all messed up and I'm ready to go!
We ain't gonna go it alone no more
So let's get on with the show…"

There's a lot to be said and to be done today
'Cause one of us is gonna die young
Before they put us in a coffin I've got things to say
One of us is gonna die young
One of us is gonna die young
Ooh, ooh, one of us is gonna die young
Ooh, ooh, one of us is gonna die young

There's a lot to be said and to be done today
'Cause one of us is gonna die young
We'll go shim-shim shammey
And get whimsy and get whammy
'Cause one of us is gonna die young
One of us is gonna die young
One of us is gonna die young


Lyrics submitted by Ocean Soul

One of Us Is Gonna Die Young Lyrics as written by Ola Salo

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

One of Us Is Gonna Die Young song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

8 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    The singer is feeling an urgency to live life to the fullest every day.
    His reason: statistically, of every group of 12 friends, one will 'die young'.
    He is encouraging his friends to stop worrying and start living.

    TheMonolithon October 19, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.