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.
Sometimes we fall down and can't get back up
We're hiding behind skin that's too tough
How come we don't say I love you enough
'Til it's too late, it's not too late
Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come
And we could make a feast from these crumbs
And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you, what would you wish you would've done
Yeah gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given here
This is all we got then we gotta start thinkin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying oh
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying oh
Well if your plane fell out of the skies
Who would you call with your last goodbye
Should be so careful who we left out of our lives
So when we long for absolution, there'll be no one on the line
Yeah we gotta start lookin' at the hands of the time we've been given here
This all we got then we gotta start thinkin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying oh
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying
Like we're dying oh
Like we're dying
Like we're dying oh
Like we're dying
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying oh
You never know a good thing until it's gone
You never see a crash until it's head on
Why we think we're right when we're dead wrong,
You never know a good thing 'til it's gone
Yeah we gotta start lookin' at the hands of the time we've been given here
This all we got and we gotta start thinkin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying oh
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying
Like we're dying oh
Like we're dying
Like we're dying oh
Like we're dying
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying oh
We're hiding behind skin that's too tough
How come we don't say I love you enough
'Til it's too late, it's not too late
Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come
And we could make a feast from these crumbs
And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you, what would you wish you would've done
Yeah gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given here
This is all we got then we gotta start thinkin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying oh
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying oh
Well if your plane fell out of the skies
Who would you call with your last goodbye
Should be so careful who we left out of our lives
So when we long for absolution, there'll be no one on the line
Yeah we gotta start lookin' at the hands of the time we've been given here
This all we got then we gotta start thinkin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying oh
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying
Like we're dying oh
Like we're dying
Like we're dying oh
Like we're dying
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying oh
You never know a good thing until it's gone
You never see a crash until it's head on
Why we think we're right when we're dead wrong,
You never know a good thing 'til it's gone
Yeah we gotta start lookin' at the hands of the time we've been given here
This all we got and we gotta start thinkin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying oh
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying
Like we're dying oh
Like we're dying
Like we're dying oh
Like we're dying
We only got 86 400 seconds in a day
To turn it all around or to throw it all away
Gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say,
Gotta live like we're dying oh
Lyrics submitted by angelofthesilence
Live Like We're Dying Lyrics as written by Andrew Frampton Stephen Kipner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
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/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
I hate this song because it reminds me of fags from american idol which are fags. This song means that he has to come out of the closet because he has AIDS. He is living like he is dying because HIV is eating up his immune system. He had lots of sex with that gay american idol host ryan seacrest and as we know gay sex leads to AIDS. This is why Ryan can't be a judge because if the coke glasses on the judge table got switched and someone drank out of his glass that person would get AIDS. Seacrest Out is his catchy way of letting people know he is gay without saying he is gay. I sincerely hope this Kris guy goes away soon because his gay fag music is invading my adult contemporary station. Elton John and Coldplay are enough gayness on the adult contemporary music scene.
It's people like you who make the world a place worse than it already is. I mean, you're too foolish. <br />