The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Yo, why is Jadakiss as hard as it gets?
Why is the industry designed to keep the artist in debt?
And why them dudes ain't riding if they part of your set?
And why they never get it popping but they party to death?
Yea, and why they gonna give you life for a murder?
Turn around only give you eight months for a burner? It's going down
Why they selling niggas CD's for under a dime?
And if it's all love, daddy, why you come with your 9?
Why my niggas ain't get that cake?
Why is a brother up north better than Jordan
That ain't get that break?
Why you don't stack instead of trying to be fly?
Why is ratting at an all time high?
Why are you even alive?
Why they kill 2pac n' Chris?
Why, at the bar, you ain't take straight shots instead of poppin Cris?
Why them bullets have to hit that door?
Why did Kobe have to hit that raw?
Why'd he kiss that whore?
Why?
All that I've been given
Is this pain that I've been living
They got me in the system
Why they gotta do me like that?
Tried to make it my way
But got sent up on the highway
Why? Oh why
Why they gotta do me like that?
Why do niggas push pounds and powder?
Why did Bush knock down the towers?
Why you around them cowards?
Why Aaliyah have to take that flight?
Why my nigga D ain't pull out his Ferrari
Why he take that bike?
Why they gotta open your package and read your mail?
Why they stop letting niggas get degrees in jail?
Why you gotta do 85% of your time?
And why do niggas lie in 85% of they rhymes?
Why a nigga always want what he can't have?
Why I can't come through in the pecan Jag?
Why did crack have to hit so hard?
Even though it's almost over
Why niggas can't get no jobs?
Why they come up with the witness protection?
Why they let the Terminator win the election?
Come on, pay attention!
Why I sell in the stores what you could sell in the streets?
Why I say the hottest shit but we sellin' the least?
All that I've been given
Is this pain that I've been living
They got me in the system
Why they gotta do me like that?
Tried to make it my way
But got sent up on the highway
Why? Oh why
Why they gotta do me like that?
Why Halle have to let a white man pop her to get a Oscar?
Why Denzel have to be crooked before he took it?
Why they didn't make the CL6 with a clutch?
And if you don't smoke why the hell you reaching for my dutch?!
Why rap? Cause I need air time
Why be on the curb with a "Why lie? I need a beer" sign?
Why all the young niggas is dying?
Cause they moms at work, they pops is gone, they living with iron
Why they ain't give us a cure for AIDS?
Why my diesel have fiends in the spot on the floor for days?
Why you screaming like it's a slug? It's only the hawk
Why my buzz in L.A. Ain't like it is in New York?
Why they forcing you to be hard?
Why ain't you a thug by choice?
Why the whole world love my voice?
Why? Try to tell 'em that it's the flow son
And you know why they made the new twenties?
Cause I got all the old ones
That's why
All that I've been given
Is this pain that I've been living
They got me in the system
Why they gotta do me like that?
Tried to make it my way
But got sent on up the highway
Why? Oh why
They gotta do me like that?
Why
Oh why
Oh
Why is the industry designed to keep the artist in debt?
And why them dudes ain't riding if they part of your set?
And why they never get it popping but they party to death?
Yea, and why they gonna give you life for a murder?
Turn around only give you eight months for a burner? It's going down
Why they selling niggas CD's for under a dime?
And if it's all love, daddy, why you come with your 9?
Why my niggas ain't get that cake?
Why is a brother up north better than Jordan
That ain't get that break?
Why you don't stack instead of trying to be fly?
Why is ratting at an all time high?
Why are you even alive?
Why they kill 2pac n' Chris?
Why, at the bar, you ain't take straight shots instead of poppin Cris?
Why them bullets have to hit that door?
Why did Kobe have to hit that raw?
Why'd he kiss that whore?
Why?
All that I've been given
Is this pain that I've been living
They got me in the system
Why they gotta do me like that?
Tried to make it my way
But got sent up on the highway
Why? Oh why
Why they gotta do me like that?
Why do niggas push pounds and powder?
Why did Bush knock down the towers?
Why you around them cowards?
Why Aaliyah have to take that flight?
Why my nigga D ain't pull out his Ferrari
Why he take that bike?
Why they gotta open your package and read your mail?
Why they stop letting niggas get degrees in jail?
Why you gotta do 85% of your time?
And why do niggas lie in 85% of they rhymes?
Why a nigga always want what he can't have?
Why I can't come through in the pecan Jag?
Why did crack have to hit so hard?
Even though it's almost over
Why niggas can't get no jobs?
Why they come up with the witness protection?
Why they let the Terminator win the election?
Come on, pay attention!
Why I sell in the stores what you could sell in the streets?
Why I say the hottest shit but we sellin' the least?
All that I've been given
Is this pain that I've been living
They got me in the system
Why they gotta do me like that?
Tried to make it my way
But got sent up on the highway
Why? Oh why
Why they gotta do me like that?
Why Halle have to let a white man pop her to get a Oscar?
Why Denzel have to be crooked before he took it?
Why they didn't make the CL6 with a clutch?
And if you don't smoke why the hell you reaching for my dutch?!
Why rap? Cause I need air time
Why be on the curb with a "Why lie? I need a beer" sign?
Why all the young niggas is dying?
Cause they moms at work, they pops is gone, they living with iron
Why they ain't give us a cure for AIDS?
Why my diesel have fiends in the spot on the floor for days?
Why you screaming like it's a slug? It's only the hawk
Why my buzz in L.A. Ain't like it is in New York?
Why they forcing you to be hard?
Why ain't you a thug by choice?
Why the whole world love my voice?
Why? Try to tell 'em that it's the flow son
And you know why they made the new twenties?
Cause I got all the old ones
That's why
All that I've been given
Is this pain that I've been living
They got me in the system
Why they gotta do me like that?
Tried to make it my way
But got sent on up the highway
Why? Oh why
They gotta do me like that?
Why
Oh why
Oh
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
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No Surprises
Radiohead
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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Amazing
Ed Sheeran
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
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.
this song is tight