We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place
Animals Lyrics

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In this dirty old part of the city
Where the sun refused to shine
People tell me there ain't no use in tryin'

Now my girl, you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know

Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
Watched his hair been turnin' grey
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away, oh yes I know it

(Yeah!) he's been workin' so hard (yeah!)
And I've been workin' too, baby (yeah!)
Every night and day (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)

We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
'Cause girl, there's a better life for me and you

Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true, yeah
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know it

Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
Watched his hair been turnin' grey, yeah
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
I know he's been workin' so hard

(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby (yeah!)
Every day baby (yeah!)
Whoa!
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)

We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Somewhere baby
Somehow I know it, baby

We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Believe me baby

I know it baby
You know it too

Overall Meaning

The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” is a song about breaking free from the confines of a life marked by hard labor and poverty. It opens by setting the scene in a desolate, dark part of the city where opportunities seem out of reach, and the sun refuses to shine, ironically representing hope. People around the singer insist that there’s no point in trying to escape this dead-end existence, posing a bleak future for the singer's hopes for his young and pretty girl. He has seen a similar fate take his father, who has died in bed, having slaved his life away.

The singer describes his and his girlfriend’s struggles, working all day and all night, in hopes of being able to afford a better life. All they want is to find a place that can offer them relief from the suffocating cycle of poverty and endless work-cycle. Although they find it difficult to envision a life outside of their current circumstances, they know that they must leave no stone unturned in their quest for a place where they can thrive.

This song is not just timeless but also informative. It reflects the everyday lives of the working-class Americans of the '60s, including the baby boomers, who strived to break free from the cycle of poverty, struggle, and hardship.

Line by Line Meaning

In this dirty old part of the city Where the sun refused to shine People tell me there ain't no use in tryin'
Living in a rundown neighborhood where the sun barely shines and society has already given up on progress.

Now my girl, you're so young and pretty And one thing I know is true You'll be dead before your time is due, I know
I recognize your youth and beauty, but life is so hard here that it will likely take its toll on you before you can enjoy it fully.

Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin' Watched his hair been turnin' grey He's been workin' and slavin' his life away, oh yes I know it
I am witnessing my father's slow death due to his hard labor, which has taken a toll on his physical appearance.

(Yeah!) he's been workin' so hard (yeah!) And I've been workin' too, baby (yeah!) Every night and day (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
Both my father and I have worked tirelessly day and night just to survive in this terrible place.

We gotta get out of this place If it's the last thing we ever do We gotta get out of this place 'Cause girl, there's a better life for me and you
We must escape this place no matter what it takes because there's a better life waiting for us beyond its borders.

Now my girl you're so young and pretty And one thing I know is true, yeah You'll be dead before your time is due, I know it
I can't bear to see you suffered as my father has. We need to leave before it's too late and good things in life pass us by.

Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin' Watched his hair been turnin' grey, yeah He's been workin' and slavin' his life away I know he's been workin' so hard
The sight of my dad dying with gray hair is hard to see. I know that he has spent his entire life working and earning very little.

(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby (yeah!) Every day baby (yeah!) Whoa! (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
Every single day of my life, I have labored endlessly to survive, and it has been excruciating. But with my girl by my side, I believe we can make a better life for ourselves.

We gotta get out of this place If it's the last thing we ever do We gotta get out of this place Girl, there's a better life for me and you Somewhere baby Somehow I know it, baby
There is a better life for us out there, and we have to leave this place even if it is the last thing we do because keeping optimistic will help us find it.

We gotta get out of this place If it's the last thing we ever do We gotta get out of this place Girl, there's a better life for me and you Believe me baby I know it baby You know it too
Trust me when I say we have to leave this place. Although we haven't seen the better life for us yet, it surely exists, and we both know it's the right step.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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