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,
When we were young, the future was so bright (whoa)
The old neighborhood was so alive (whoa)
And every kid on the whole damn street (whoa)
Was gonna make it big and not be beat
Now the neighborhood's cracked and torn (whoa)
The kids are grown up but their lives are worn (whoa)
How can one little street swallow so many lives?
Chances thrown, nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard, hard to see
Fragile lives, shattered dreams, go
Jamie had a chance, well, she really did (whoa)
Instead she dropped out and had a couple of kids (whoa)
Mark still lives at home 'cause he's got no job (whoa)
Just plays guitar and smokes a lot of pot
Jay committed suicide (whoa)
Brandon OD'd and died (whoa)
What the hell is going on?
The cruelest dream, reality
Chances thrown, nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard, hard to see
Fragile lives, shattered dreams, go
Chances thrown, nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard, hard to see
Fragile lives, shattered dreams
The old neighborhood was so alive (whoa)
And every kid on the whole damn street (whoa)
Was gonna make it big and not be beat
Now the neighborhood's cracked and torn (whoa)
The kids are grown up but their lives are worn (whoa)
How can one little street swallow so many lives?
Chances thrown, nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard, hard to see
Fragile lives, shattered dreams, go
Jamie had a chance, well, she really did (whoa)
Instead she dropped out and had a couple of kids (whoa)
Mark still lives at home 'cause he's got no job (whoa)
Just plays guitar and smokes a lot of pot
Jay committed suicide (whoa)
Brandon OD'd and died (whoa)
What the hell is going on?
The cruelest dream, reality
Chances thrown, nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard, hard to see
Fragile lives, shattered dreams, go
Chances thrown, nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard, hard to see
Fragile lives, shattered dreams
Lyrics submitted by spitfirek7, edited by UndeadFan112
The Kids Aren't Alright Lyrics as written by Bryan Keith Holland
Lyrics © ROUND HILL CARLIN, LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Just listening for the 784,654th time....and it's just perfect in every way. Just incredible. The only reason it was remade was to scoop up a boatload of money from a more modern and accepting audience. But it is a completely different song than the other one that sounds slapped together in a few takes without a thought for the meaning.
This song captivates me still, after 50+ years. Takes me to the deep South and the poverty of some who lived thru truly hard times. And the powerful spirit of a poor young girl being abandoned to her future with only a red dress and her wits to keep her alive.
She not only stayed alive, she turned her hard beginnings around, became self sufficient, successful and someone with respect for herself. She didn't let the naysayers and judgers stop her. She's the one sitting in the drivers seat at the end.
So, not a song about a poor girl, but a song of hope and how you can rise up no matter how far down you started.
There is a huge difference between a singer who simply belts out a song that is on a page in front of them, and someone who can convey an entire experience with their voice. Telling not just a story with words, but taking you inside it and making you feel like you are there, with their interpretation.
I think this song is about our childhoods, and how eagar we were to venture into the world, we were all hell bent on succession. But then the teen years roll around and everyone's made mistakes and screwed up their life bad. Longing for how we used to be, happy go lucky with something to hope for and live by. And you watch your friends turn from young perfect children to suicidal, or getting in a mess with teen pregnancy, and other mistakes many people have made time after time, and chances we should have taken, gone now, and no one's giving us a ride into the world, and its hard and again we're wishing for what used to be.
reminds me of myself..... i wish i was 5 again
Great song. This song makes me think about when you are younger you go into the world with aims. You all have high aims like doctors and vets and hairdressers. But when you get older you realise this may not be realistic. Things can get in the way of things like this that kids hadn't planned on. You look back on when you were a kid when you thought you could make it big and every thing was so simple and wish you were back there.
This song is blunt with no hidden meaning. When you were six suicide or drugs werent even in your vocabulary so it's just growing up, seeing and hearing shit that is depressing or what have you. "Longing for used to be." <---says it all
not my fav but like 2# fuck yeah btw #1 is gone away.....look into it
This song is about how as kids we are so innocent and have big dreams, being doctors scholars, etc... but when they become exposed to all the evil stuff in the world (suicide, teen pregnancy, dong drugs and overdosing). Because once you go that path there's no gong back. It's the teenage dilemma, "longing for what used to be." After all the cruelest dream is reality!
Every person named in the second verse of this song I know one of them: I knew a girl who had a chance, but got pregnant....I know a guy who rather sit and do drugs and nothing more....I have a friend who committed suicide(really got to me) and I have a friend who OD'd and almost died.....Unfortunatly the "Cruelest dream is reality" AND mentioned above about teens making the "wrong desicions" its true.....As we see in this song, MISTAKES ARE HARD TO UNDO
i think i used to live in this neighborhood
Wait, did we live in the same neighborhood then? lol. My best friend Jason commited suicide 6 years ago. When he was 20 and I was 19. A good friend of ours, Brandon o.d'd on heroin just last year and died. My ex high school girlfriend Jamie dropped out of school in 9th grade, pregnant with her first child, she has had 5 now. She was head of the student council and in mostly honor classes. My friend Mark is a guitar player in garage bands. He smokes pot and drinks heavily. I think he may have a job now, at McDonalds. I am not joking at all. I think this song was written about my old neighborhood name by name. I am going to have to see if Dexter Holland grew up aroung me somewhere lol. Seriously. It's uncanny!
Wait, did we live in the same neighborhood then? lol. My best friend Jason commited suicide 6 years ago. When he was 20 and I was 19. A good friend of ours, Brandon o.d'd on heroin just last year and died. My ex high school girlfriend Jamie dropped out of school in 9th grade, pregnant with her first child, she has had 5 now. She was head of the student council and in mostly honor classes. My friend Mark is a guitar player in garage bands. He smokes pot and drinks heavily. I think he may have a job now, at McDonalds. I am not joking at all. I think this song was written about my old neighborhood name by name. I am going to have to see if Dexter Holland grew up aroung me somewhere lol. Seriously. It's uncanny!
It's pretty sad how everything's become. Probably everyone's seen this neighborhood before, or at least heard of it. :S
i totally agree with insanity x! now that ive read that comment, ill never hear this song the same way again. it is by far one of the greatest songs of all time dontcha think? and its message is so cool. how could anyone not think this is a good song?!? i was gonna add my own interpretation, but insanity x has got it on the dot! way ta go! and yeah, this song is sad when you think about it. the more times i hear it the better and sadder it gets.
This reminds me alot of my old street. Too much.
1 of the truest lines in a song:The cruelest dream, reality