Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination

I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means

And so I cry sometimes
When I'm lying in bed just to get it all out
What's in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
"What's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey"
I said, "Hey, what's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey"
I said, "Hey, what's going on?"

Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, uh-huh
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, uh-huh

And I try, oh my God, do I try
I try all the time
In this institution

And I pray, oh my God, do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution

And so I cry sometimes
When I'm lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What's in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
"What's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey"
I said, "Hey, what's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey"
I said, "Hey, what's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey (wake in the morning and step outside)
Hey-ey-ey" (take a deep breath and I get real high)
I said, "Hey, what's going on?" (And I scream, what's going on?)

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-eh (wake in the morning and step outside)
Hey-ey-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah" (take a deep breath and I get real high)
I said, "Hey, hey, what's going on?" (And I scream, what's going on?)

Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, uh-huh

Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination


Lyrics submitted by redmax

What's Up? Lyrics as written by Linda Perry

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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What's Up? song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment

    I don't think it's so much about evil... more on the despair side... just trying to go somewhere in life... (25 years of my life and still I'm trying to get up that great big hill of hope For a destination)

    It's about the confusion of coming out of adolescence, and entering the adult world... (What's going on?)

    It's about wanting something to change... I mean... the time from 18 to 25 making the transition into "adulthood," and finding out that there's no real end to that despair and anxiety that plagues us all through our teens and early twenties (And I pray, oh my God do I pray I pray every single day For a revolution )

    SoundandFury1031on January 12, 2005   Link

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