Why Does This Always Happen to Me?
"Weird Al" Yankovic Lyrics
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About some devastating earthquake in Peru
There were thirty thousand crushed to death, even more were buried alive
On the Richter scale it measured 8.2
And I said, "God, please answer me one question?"
"Why'd they have to interrupt 'The Simpsons' just for this?"
What a drag, 'cause I was taping it and everything
Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does this always happen?
(Why) Why does this always happen to me?
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I was driving down the highway when all the traffic slowed to a crawl
There was a twelve-car pile-up, everybody dead
And I saw brains and guts and vital organs splattered everywhere
As well as my friend Robert's disembodied head
And I thought - Poor Rob, I just had lunch with him
Hey, wait a minute, he still owes me money - what a jerk
Well, there's five bucks that I'm never gonna see again
Plus now, on top of everything else, it looks like I'm gonna be late to work
Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does this always happen?
(Why) Why does this always happen to me?
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Oh, the other day, my boss said we were running low on toner
And he told me I should buy another case
Well, I told him I was busy, but he still just kept on asking
So, I turned around and stabbed him in the face (right in the face)
Oh, and wouldn't you know it, my knife got stuck
I guess that's probably bound to happen now and then
But I'm afraid I may have bent the tip a little
And I know that blade will never ever be quite as sharp again (quite as sharp again)
Oh, tell me
Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does this always happen to me?
(Why does this always happen to me?)
Why does this always happen to me?
(Why does this always happen to me?)
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The song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" by "Weird Al" Yankovic is a satirical look at the common human tendency of being self-centered and insensitive towards the sufferings of others. The song begins with the singer watching a special report on TV about a devastating earthquake in Peru, which caused the death of many people. Instead of empathizing with the victims, the singer is more concerned about missing a part of the TV show "The Simpsons," which he was taping. The singer questions God's decision to interrupt his favorite show and is frustrated about having to wait for the rerun.
The song continues with the singer encountering a gruesome accident on the highway, where his friend Robert is among the many people killed. However, the singer's reaction is focused more on the fact that Robert owes him five dollars, and he will never see that money again. The singer even wonders if he will be late for work because of this incident. Finally, the song culminates in a bizarre and violent sequence where the singer stabs his boss in the face for asking him to buy toner, and his knife gets stuck, bending the tip.
Overall, "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" is a humorous take on human nature and our tendency to prioritize ourselves over others, even in the face of tragic incidents.
Line by Line Meaning
I was watching my TV one night when they broke in with a special report
I was calmly watching television when a news report interrupted
About some devastating earthquake in Peru
The news report was about a tragic earthquake that occurred in Peru
There were thirty thousand crushed to death, even more were buried alive
The earthquake caused the death of 30,000 people and significantly more were trapped alive beneath rubble
On the Richter scale it measured 8.2
The earthquake registered a magnitude of 8.2 on the Richter scale
And I said, "God, please answer me one question?"
I prayed to God and questioned why this earthquake had to happen
"Why'd they have to interrupt 'The Simpsons' just for this?"
I was frustrated that the broadcast of my favorite TV show was disrupted by the news report
What a drag, 'cause I was taping it and everything
I felt annoyed because I was recording the TV show and now I missed a part of it
And now I'll have to wait for the rerun to see the part of the show I missed
I'll have to wait until the TV show is played again to be able to watch the missed part
I was driving down the highway when all the traffic slowed to a crawl
I was driving on the highway when the traffic suddenly came to a stop
There was a twelve-car pile-up, everybody dead
A disastrous car crash involving twelve cars had occurred and everyone involved was killed
And I saw brains and guts and vital organs splattered everywhere
I saw blood, guts, and vital organs scattered all over the scene of the car crash
As well as my friend Robert's disembodied head
Additionally, I saw my friend Robert's head had been detached from his body
And I thought - Poor Rob, I just had lunch with him
I felt sorry for my friend Rob, as I had just had lunch with him
Hey, wait a minute, he still owes me money - what a jerk
I remembered that he still owed me money and it made me upset
Well, there's five bucks that I'm never gonna see again
I knew that I would never get the $5 back that my friend Rob owed me
Plus now, on top of everything else, it looks like I'm gonna be late to work
To add to the frustration, it appeared that I would be late for work due to the car crash and resulting traffic
Oh, the other day, my boss said we were running low on toner
On another occasion, my boss had informed me that we were running low on toner for the printer
And he told me I should buy another case
He instructed me to purchase another case of toner
Well, I told him I was busy, but he still just kept on asking
I informed him that I was occupied but he continued to request me to buy the toner
So, I turned around and stabbed him in the face (right in the face)
Out of frustration, I unexpectedly took a knife and stabbed my boss in the face
Oh, and wouldn't you know it, my knife got stuck
In an unfortunate turn of events, the knife got stuck in my boss's face
I guess that's probably bound to happen now and then
I realized that something like that was bound to happen sooner or later
But I'm afraid I may have bent the tip a little
I was worried that I may have bent the tip of the knife a bit
And I know that blade will never ever be quite as sharp again (quite as sharp again)
I was aware that the knife blade would never be as sharpened as it was before
Why does this always happen?
I question why unfortunate events tend to occur frequently in my life
Why does this always happen to me?
I feel like upsetting occurrences happen only to me all the time
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Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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