This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
[Verse 1]
All of my life I've tried to be like the man in the pictures with outstretched hands
Wearing purple around his neck and he's saying words that I can't forget
[Pre-Chorus]
Won't you tell me just who made you
Judge and ruler over me?
Little girl, can you tell just who made you
So very God damned holy?
[Chorus]
Cause I tried to be the best I could
And I did the best my frail mind could
I'd trade it all just for one touch
I'd give it all to be enough
To make things new, yeah
To make things new
[Verse 2]
Cause one in a million is all the same
I've taken aspirin for my pain
Empty bottles just seem to say
I cannot make this go away
[Pre-Chorus]
Hey you, tell me just who made this
Judge and ruler over me
I can tell what I want just to make it
So very goddamn holy
[Chorus]
Cause I tried to be the best I could
And I did the best my frail mind could
I'd trade it all just for one touch
I'd give it all to be enough
To make things new, yeah
To make things new, yeah
Inside so I could be like...
I'd trade it all just for one touch
I'd give it all to be it
[Chorus]
Cause I did the best a boy could do
And I did the best my frail mind could
I'd trade it all just for one touch
I'd give it all to be enough
To make things new inside
To make things new
So I could be like you
[Outro]
I tried so hard to make things
New
All of my life I've tried to be like the man in the pictures with outstretched hands
Wearing purple around his neck and he's saying words that I can't forget
[Pre-Chorus]
Won't you tell me just who made you
Judge and ruler over me?
Little girl, can you tell just who made you
So very God damned holy?
[Chorus]
Cause I tried to be the best I could
And I did the best my frail mind could
I'd trade it all just for one touch
I'd give it all to be enough
To make things new, yeah
To make things new
[Verse 2]
Cause one in a million is all the same
I've taken aspirin for my pain
Empty bottles just seem to say
I cannot make this go away
[Pre-Chorus]
Hey you, tell me just who made this
Judge and ruler over me
I can tell what I want just to make it
So very goddamn holy
[Chorus]
Cause I tried to be the best I could
And I did the best my frail mind could
I'd trade it all just for one touch
I'd give it all to be enough
To make things new, yeah
To make things new, yeah
Inside so I could be like...
I'd trade it all just for one touch
I'd give it all to be it
[Chorus]
Cause I did the best a boy could do
And I did the best my frail mind could
I'd trade it all just for one touch
I'd give it all to be enough
To make things new inside
To make things new
So I could be like you
[Outro]
I tried so hard to make things
New
Lyrics submitted by Sevensins, edited by johndragon
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i fell in love with hurt's tainted grasp on religion. "The Rapture" shows this kind of angst against organized religion. Does anyone get a somewhat unpure feeling when the singer sings of the man in purple? Who is the little girl? Part of me wants to think that this is tied in with "The Rapture" and that the little girl is devout and faithful and because of her faith and the speaker's inadequacies in that area, they can never be.