What's the Matter Here?
10000 Maniacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In this city the kid's my favorite
I've seen him I see him every day
Seen him run outside looking for a place to hide from his father
The kid half naked and said to myself "Oh, what's the matter here?"
I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses, he's their kid I stay out of it
But who gave you the right to do this?
Just ten feet between and his mother, I never see her
But her screams and cussing, I hear them every day
Threats like: "If you don't mind I will beat on your behind"
"Slap you, slap you silly"
Made me say, "Oh, what's the matter here?"
I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses, he's your kid, do as you see fit
But get this through that I don't approve of what you did to you own flesh and blood
"If you don't sit on this chair straight
I'll take this belt from around my waist and don't think that I won't use it!"
Answer me and take your time
What could be the awful crime he could do at such young an age?
If I'm the only witness to your madness offer me some words to balance out what I see and what I hear
All these cold and rude things that you do I suppose you do because he belongs to you
And instead of love, the feel of warmth you've given him these cuts and sores won't heal with time or age
And I want to say, I want to say "What's the matter here?"
But I don't dare say "What's the matter here?"
But I don't dare say
The lyrics of 10000 Maniacs's song What's the Matter Here? address the serious issue of child abuse. The song is narrated from the perspective of a concerned neighbor who witnesses the abuse of a young boy by his father. The singer knows the boy but doesn't have any details about him, not even his name. Despite this, the boy's situation fills the singer with empathy, and she finds it hard to ignore or justify the father's actions.
The singer, who lives ten feet from the boy's house on Morgan street, hears the boy's mother scream and curse every day, often threatening to physically assault her son. The father also threatens the boy with violence if he disobeys him, and the singer can't help but wonder what could be the awful crime the boy could have committed at such a young age to deserve such treatment.
The song portrays a poignant picture of how abuse affects children, leaving them with marks and scars that won't heal with time or age. The singer is afraid to confront the father, and she can only wonder, "What's the matter here?" hoping that someone will take action to protect the young boy from further harm.
Line by Line Meaning
That young boy without a name I'd know his face
I recognize the face of a boy I see often but don't know his name
In this city the kid's my favorite
Out of all the kids in the city, he's the one I like the most
I've seen him I see him every day
I see this boy every single day
Seen him run outside looking for a place to hide from his father
I've witnessed him running outside to hide from his abusive father
The kid half naked and said to myself "Oh, what's the matter here?"
The sight of the boy half-clothed and abused made me question what's going on
I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses, he's their kid I stay out of it
I'm sick of people using the excuse that the boy is not their responsibility and avoiding taking action
But who gave you the right to do this?
I question the authority of the abuser to inflict harm on the boy
We live on Morgan Street
My neighborhood is on Morgan Street
Just ten feet between and his mother, I never see her
Despite living very close to the boy's mother, I never actually see her
But her screams and cussing, I hear them every day
I regularly hear the mother screaming and swearing at her son's abuser
Threats like: "If you don't mind I will beat on your behind"
I hear threats from the abuser, such as 'If you don't listen, I'll beat you'
"Slap you, slap you silly"
The abuser threatens to slap the boy into submission
Made me say, "Oh, what's the matter here?"
Hearing the abuse being inflicted on the boy made me question the situation
I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses, he's your kid, do as you see fit
I'm frustrated with people who use the excuse that the boy is the responsibility of his parents, and therefore not their place to intervene
But get this through that I don't approve of what you did to you own flesh and blood
I want the abuser to know that I don't condone the actions they've taken against their own child
"If you don't sit on this chair straight I'll take this belt from around my waist and don't think that I won't use it!"
The abuser threatens the boy with violence if he doesn't comply with their demands
What could be the awful crime he could do at such young an age?
I question what terrible thing the boy could have done to deserve such mistreatment at such a young age
If I'm the only witness to your madness offer me some words to balance out what I see and what I hear
If I'm the only one watching the abuse go on, give me some explanation to justify your actions
All these cold and rude things that you do I suppose you do because he belongs to you
I assume the abuser feels entitled to act this way because they are the boy's parent
And instead of love, the feel of warmth you've given him these cuts and sores won't heal with time or age
Rather than giving the boy affection and care, the abuse has left physical and emotional scars that won't heal
And I want to say, I want to say "What's the matter here?"
I feel like asking what's going on and why the boy is being abused
But I don't dare say "What's the matter here?"
However, I'm too scared to actually ask the question and intervene
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: ROBERT BUCK, NATALIE MERCHANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind