Well, I never got my license to live
They won't give it up
So I stand at the world's edge

I'm trying to break in
Oh, I know it's not for me
And the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill
That's when I want some weird sin

Things get too straight
I can't bear it
I feel stuck, stuck on a pin

I'm trying to break in
Oh, I know it's not for me
But the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill
That's when I want
Some weird sin, that's when I want
Some weird sin, just to relax with

Yeah, some dumb, weird sin, for a while anyway
With my head on the ledge
That's what you get out on the edge
Some weird sin

Things get too straight
I can't bear it
I feel stuck, stuck on a pin

I'm trying to break in
Oh, I know it's not for me
But the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill
That's when I want
Some weird sin, that's when I want
Some weird sin, just to relax with

Yes, some dumb weird sin, for a while anyway
With my head out on the ledge
That's what you get out on the edge
Some weird sin

Some weird sin
Some weird sin


Lyrics submitted by J0K3R

Some Weird Sin Lyrics as written by James Osterberg David Bowie

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Some Weird Sin song meanings
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5 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    feel an eternal outcast, the world doesn't allow you to love him or even to get a life that's when go on the edge, for thrills, something that makes you care and towards the limits on your own, sometimes it gets really sick

    anyone who doesn't relate relates

    naivadaon August 29, 2007   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Only three comments? This song is about feeling so alien in the world, so much like you don't even belong here, that the only way to tolerate existing in it is to commit some act that the world at large views as vile, just to feel anything at all.

    muldrakeon September 02, 2011   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning

    Some Weird Sin by Iggy Pop- The general message of the song is about three things: anxiety, rejection (or dispossession/displacement) and drug use. This album was made while Iggy Pop and David Bowie looked to Berlin to minimized their drug use. In essence, the song is about struggling with addiction while living with the stigma of being a social outcast. Here is a detailed summary:

    Well, I never got my license to live They won't give it up So I stand at the world's edge: -Iggy never had much of a chance at life. He went to school with some of the wealthiest people, but was poor in comparison.

    I'm trying to break in Oh, I know it's not for me And the sight of it all Makes me sad and ill That's when I want- Some Weird Sin: -Iggy realizes he will never be mainstream as his wealthy counterparts. It makes him feel "sad and ill" (possible a reference to Heroin withdrawals). This is when he wants a "weird sin" - which can only be interpreted as Heroin because of the following stanza-----

    Things get too straight I can't bear it I feel stuck, stuck on a pin: -Iggy feels sober and can't take the reality sobriety presents. So he feels stuck, anxious to leave the situation like he is on the a pin- yet the pin may be a metaphor for his immobility as well as heroin use.

    I'm trying to break in Oh, I know it's not for me But the sight of it all Makes me sad and ill That's when I want Some Weird Sin That's when I want Some Weird Sin Just to relax with: -Repeating the same concepts again. He wants a weird sin to relax with- this could mean sex, heroin, alcohol etc.

    Yeah, some dumb, weird sin For a while anyway With my head on the ledge That's what you get out on the edge Some Weird Sin:

    • Iggy mentions "dumb" in the paragraph. Heroin has the effect of numbing and dumbing its user. He believes the pressure leads him to want it.

    Things get too straight I can't bear it I feel stuck, stuck on a pin (see previous)

    I'm trying to break in Oh, I know it's not for me When the sight of it all Makes me sad and ill That's when I want Some Weird Sin That's when I want Some Weird Sin Just to relax with (see previous)

    That's some dumb weird sin For a while anyway With my head out on the ledge That's what you get out on the edge Some Weird sin (see previous)

    Thank you!

    thehistorianon May 17, 2015   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    one of Iggy's most powerful lyrics.

    I think it's about never fiting-in a world that ultimately we'd never want anyway. We can't help to feel frustrated for being outcasts, and some weird sin is the validation of the place we have (or have chosen) in life. The need of remarking how different we are.

    Now are we different because we're outcasts, or are we outcasts because we're different?

    carcrashkisson July 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    You can clearly hear the Bowie touch in the music here. (In case somebody doesn't know) two of them did "Lust for Life" album together, and Bowie is heard in the back in several songs...

    soboton October 05, 2010   Link

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