The group is best known for its song "96 Tears," a garage rock classic recorded in 1966 that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and would go on to sell over one million copies and receive a BMI award for over three million airplays. Rudy Martinez, the lead singer, legally changed his name to Question Mark (?). Question Mark and the Mysterians was perhaps the first band to be described as punk rock[1], and also may be the first Latino rock group to have a general audience hit record in the United States. The group named itself after the 1957 Japanese science fiction film The Mysterians, in which aliens from the destroyed planet Mysteroid arrive to conquer Earth.
The band's frontman and primary songwriter was Question Mark. Though the singer has never confirmed it, Library of Congress copyright registrations indicate that his birth name is Rudy Martinez. His eccentric behavior helped to briefly establish the group in the national consciousness. He claimed (and still claims) to be a Martian who lived with dinosaurs in a past life, and he never appears in public without sunglasses.
Why Me
? & The Mysterians Lyrics
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Thought we had a good thing that would last a very long time
Why me? (Why me?)
Why me? (Why me?)
We had a very good thing girl
We had a very good thing girl
So we can have this good thing girl
Why me? (Why me?)
Why me? (Why me?)
We had this very good thing girl
We had this very good thing girl
You better come on back
So we can have this good thing girl
Left me this morning thought I had you the rest of my life now
Thought we had a good thing that would last a very long time
Why me? (Why me?)
Why me? (Why me?)
We had a very good thing girl, that's right
We had a very good thing girl
[fade]
The lyrics of "? & The Mysterians's" song "Why Me" are a plea from the singer to his lover to come back to him. He expresses his disbelief and sadness over being abandoned after thinking they had a good and lasting relationship. The phrase "thought I had you the rest of my life" indicates that the singer believed they had a long-term connection, but his partner's sudden departure created confusion and pain that he is unable to understand. The repetition of the phrase "Why me?" emphasizes the singer's disbelief that he was left alone, wondering what he did wrong to be in this situation.
The singer continues to remind his lover of their once-good relationship, stating "We had a very good thing, girl" and reminding her that they can have it back if she returns. This phrase is repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's desire to have his partner back and to revive their relationship. The use of the word "girl" throughout the song highlights the singer's frustration and disappointment, appealing to his lover's feminine qualities to try and convince her to return.
In conclusion, the song "Why Me" expresses the confusion and pain of a lover who has been abandoned by his partner. He is struggling to understand why he was left alone and strives to win back his lover by reminding her of their once-good relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Left me this morning thought I had you the rest of my life
I woke up this morning with you gone, even though I thought we would be together forever.
Thought we had a good thing that would last a very long time
I believed that our relationship was strong and that we would always be together.
Why me? (Why me?)
Why did you leave me? Why did this happen to me?
We had a very good thing girl
Our relationship was really good and we had something special.
You better come on back
You should come back to me and reunite with our love.
So we can have this good thing girl
We can only have this great relationship if you come back to me.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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