Well id you hear? There's a natural order
Those most deserving will end up with the most
That the cream cannot help but always rise up to the top
Well I say, "Shit floats"

If you thought things had changed
Friend, you'd better think again
Bluntly put, in the fewest of words
Cunts are still running the world
Cunts are still running the world
Oh yeah

Now the working classes are obsolete
They are surplus to society's needs
So let 'em all kill each other
And get it made overseas
That's the word, don't you know
From the guys that's running the show
Let's be perfectly clear boys and girls
Oh cunts are still running the world
Cunts are still running the world
Oh yeah

Oh yeah

Feed your children on crayfish and lobster tails
Find a school near the top of the league
In theory I respect your right to exist
I will kill you if you move in next to me
And it stinks, yeah it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
But the takings are up by a third, so
Cunts are still running the world, yeah
Cunts are still running the world
Oh yeah

Cunts are still running the world
Cunts are still running the world

The free market is perfectly natural
Do you think that I'm some kind of dummy?
It's the ideal way to order the world
"Fuck the morals, does it make any money?"
If you don't like it, then leave
Or use your right to protest on the street
Yeah use your right, but don't imagine that it's heard
Not while cunts are still running the world
Cunts are still running the world, yeah
Cunts are still running the world, yeah
Cunts are still running the world, oh
Cunts are still running the world
Cunts are still running the world
Cunts are still running the world


Lyrics submitted by hastalavictoria

Running the World Lyrics as written by Jarvis Branson Cocker

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Running the World song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

12 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    i don't think that anyone needs to tell you the meaning to this song.

    Kutentamenon January 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    very cool

    Jaydon September 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i LOVE how this was the first song to get added off Jarvis. =P

    I actually played this song with la famille the other night and they hated it totally because of the language, but I think it works! It's bitterly honest and I'm pleased that Jarvis still hates everyone just as much as he did in Different Class. =)

    Appers66on November 19, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It was the first to get added because he put it on the internet before the album's release. I think it's pretty class.

    hastalavictoriaon December 05, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this some, at the reading festival this year they had a sing along of it between bands and it was good =)

    necroGLon December 26, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is the best song to come along in a long time. Jarvis is great and all his music (that I've heard is great)

    Wallamanageon January 05, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i'm not a hippy or anything, but i hate the way everything in life comes down to money and how some people will fuck the world over just cos they're greedy bastards. yet these people are running the world and there's not much we can do about it. thats pretty much the gist of the song, but you all new that anyway ;-)

    selfishisgorgeouson January 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    hate to pick holes but its "get it made overseas"

    not "get a maid overseas"

    selfishisgorgeouson January 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    What a great sing-a-long chorus - Everybody sing!

    bkat004on February 25, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    great song. i especially like how it was played during the credits of Children of Men. very sly... :)

    maniacleon September 10, 2008   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
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example: "'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.