I'm so tired
Of your lies
And the evil things
You're doing behind my back

Are there crimes
That you have never committed?
I doubt it, sometimes I wonder
When will you die?

You're insane
You are bad
You wreck everything you touch
And you're a sociopath

But there's one thing
That everyone's wondering
When will you die?

Schoolchildren stay at home (yeah)
And all the banks will close (yeah)
Each year we'll mark the date (yeah)
On which we celebrate (yeah)

I know how
I know why
I can picture every part
Of your comeuppance, except

For the one remaining
Piece of the puzzle
Which is when you'll die

This is Dan
And that's Dan
And there's Marty on the drums
To complete the band

And I'm John
And he is also John
And all of us are wondering
When you're gonna die

Still you live
You go on
But you're running up the clock
And if we knew how long

I'd be counting down the days
Until the lovely one
On which you're gone

On that promised morning
We will wake and greet the dawn
Knowing that your wicked life is over
And that we will carry on

We'll exhale
We'll high five
We will know at last
How great it is to be alive

We'll be lining up
And buying tickets
And then we'll be jumping
Up and down on your grave

You're insane
You are bad
You wreck everything you touch
And you're a sociopath

And the only way to mitigate
Would be to know the date
You scheduled to vacate
When are you going to die?
Look me in the eye
Tell me when you'll die


Lyrics submitted by razajac

When Will You Die Lyrics as written by John S Linnell John C Flansburgh

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

When Will You Die song meanings
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5 Comments

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  • +4
    General Comment

    I love the part where he introduces the band. Meaning is pretty simple. Hating some terrible person so much you wish they would die.

    HowardTCoon August 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I assume that this is a parody of how gleefully people sometimes react to the death of another human being. The obvious one being bin Laden. The ablum came out a month after his death, but it seems likely the song was written before then. Either way, the idea of a song about wanting someone to die being so upbeat is interesting.

    I just have a hard time thinking that the Johns seriously hated anyone this much, but the lyrics really are pretty straight forward.

    clovuson August 06, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Somewhat over-the-top response to a terrible person. I'd like to dedicate this song to my boss's boss, (We'll call him Bob) who promoted my boss (an awesome guy, call him Dave) to do an essential job, then when Dave performed spectacularly, Bob stole all the credit and did everything he could to discredit Dave and get him fired so that one of Bob's less-competent toadies could get the job instead. Bob sucks.

    Doom Shepherdon October 31, 2014   Link
  • -1
    General Comment

    It seems like this is about something bigger than hating a single person. I like to imagine it's about the end of Greed, which has a lot of the personality flaws they describe. It seems to be about some despicable entity that everyone is tired of causing so many problems in the world. The fact that they introduce the band makes it seem like they're saying "this is us talking here", unlike other songs where a different character is speaking (Reprehensible, etc).

    Just my first impression, I could be way off! I think schoolchildren staying home and banks closing are probably good clues for whatever the message is.

    Kelroyon August 11, 2011   Link
  • -4
    General Comment

    Kim Jong-il?

    HeyCelestialon February 07, 2012   Link

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