With his partner and wife, Cynthia Weil, they operate a publishing company called Dyad Music. His first hit as a writer was "She Say (Oom Dooby Doom)," which was a top twenty song for The Diamonds in 1959. Mann had co-written the song with Gerry Goffin. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil met when they were both staff songwriters, they were married in 1961. Through the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Mann came up with songs such as "Sometimes When We Touch" and movie scores such as that for I Never Sang for My Father. Weil co-wrote "He's So Shy" with Tom Snow for The Pointer Sisters and worked on projects with Lionel Richie.
In 1961, they wrote and Mann sang a novelty song that made the Top 10 with "Who Put The Bomp", which parodied the nonsense words of the then-recently popular doo wop songs.
In 1987, he was inducted with his wife into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
Barry Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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!) 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
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
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" by Barry Mann is a song that reflects the frustration and desperation of the working class youth in the 1960s. The song is set in a dirty part of the city where the singer feels there is no hope and no way out. He encourages his young and pretty girl that they must leave this place because it will kill them before their time. The verse about the dying father shows that he is trapped in the same cycle of work and slavery that the singer wishes to escape. The refrain is a mantra that repeats the need to leave this place and find a better life.
The song has become an anthem for the working-class youths of the time, who were disillusioned with the economic and social systems of the era. The lyrics speak to their desire to escape poverty and the lack of opportunity they faced in their hometowns. The song was originally written for The Righteous Brothers, but they turned it down, and it was later picked up by The Animals, who turned it into a hit.
One of the interesting facts about the song is that it was spoken by many Vietnam War veterans as a source of motivation and inspiration as they faced danger and uncertainty in a foreign land. The song embodies the spirit of escaping from danger and finding a better life.
Another fact about the song is that it was listed as one of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine. This recognition shows the enduring appeal of the song and how it has stayed relevant over time.
The chords for the song are:
Verse: Em - G - D - A
Chorus: A - Em - D - A
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'
This place is rundown and neglected, with no hope of improvement, and locals have given up trying to change things.
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
The singer recognizes the futility of trying to make a life in this place, and fears that their loved one will suffer and die here.
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
The singer has seen their father work himself to exhaustion in this place, but still end up with nothing to show for it, just like everyone else here.
(Yeah!) He's been workin' so hard
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
(Yeah!) Every night and day
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
The artist and their loved one have also been working hard to try and make a better life in this place, but it seems like a never-ending struggle.
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
The artist is determined to leave this place behind, even if it means sacrificing everything, because they believe there is a better life waiting for them elsewhere.
Somewhere baby, somehow I know it
The singer remains optimistic that they will find a better place to call home, even if they don't know exactly where that will be yet.
Believe me baby
I know it baby
You know it too
The singer is confident that they and their loved one deserve a better life than what this place has to offer, and they both need to believe in that to make it happen.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BARRY MANN, CYNTHIA WEIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@spactick
I don't know if you read these comments on Youtube Barry, but I just wanna thank you and your wife for making our teenage lives in the 60's soooooo much more enjoyable and fun with the music you created for us.
@richardmalcolm9477
People. Why not both? There's room for lots of great music in the world. I refuse to choose.
@RodBeauvex
It's someone one learns as they get older. Don't choose favorites; rather, find something to enjoy in everything.
@keppela1
Wow, this hit a lot harder than I thought it would.
@Meatcity-sf8fm
Talk about the wall of sound . This is growing me over the animals
@347walnut
It is always interesting to hear hits as the original lyricist and composer intended it to be.
@isotopefeeney
According to a Barry Mann interview I saw on TV some time ago, he wanted to pitch the song to The Righteous Brothers (!), so he sang demo in as close to Bill Medley style as he could
@whlrradio
That is so cool
@timbryant2259
Thanks for that tip, Mr. Isotope!
@jackkennedy_1963
isotope feeney.... That's true! But before Bill and Bobby could record it, Animals' producer, Mickey Most, called up Allen Klein at the Brill Building and scooped up "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" along with with "It's My Life" and "Don't Bring Me Down" in one fell swoop. Mickey Most was one of the best and most intuitive song pickers of all time. As Peter Noone says, "He'd walk into a publisher's office and say, 'I'll take one of these and two of those.'" And the rest, as they say, is "history."