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 Outta 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
The lyrics to Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil's "We Gotta Get Outta This Place" paint a picture of desperation and the desire for something better. The song is set in a "dirty old part of the city" where the sun doesn't shine and people have given up hope. The chorus repeats the lines "we gotta get out of this place" as a cry for escape from an oppressive situation.
The singer is talking to his young and pretty girlfriend, warning her that she will "be dead before [her] time is due" if they don't make a change. He has seen his own father work and slave his life away, only to end up dying in bed with grey hair. The singer, too, has been working hard day and night, but feels trapped in his current situation.
The repetition of the phrase "Yeah!" throughout the song, particularly in the chorus, adds a sense of urgency and determination to the singer's plea for escape. The ultimate message is that there is a better life out there, and they need to make the effort to find it before it's too late.
Overall, the lyrics to "We Gotta Get Outta This Place" capture the frustration and hopelessness that can come with feeling trapped in a difficult situation, as well as the desire for something better and the determination to make a change.
Line by Line Meaning
In this dirty old part of the city
The location where we are currently living is unclean and unpleasant.
Where the sun refused to shine
The weather in this area is gloomy and unfavorable.
People tell me there ain't no use in tryin'
The community we live in discourages ambition and success, making it difficult to strive for a better life.
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
My partner is young and attractive.
And one thing I know is true
I am certain of one thing.
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know
You will die at a young age, before it is expected.
Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
I am observing my father in his deathbed.
Watched his hair been turnin' grey
I noticed his hair has turned gray due to old age and stress from working hard.
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
My father has been working constantly throughout his life without experiencing the benefits of relaxation or enjoyment.
Oh yes I know it
I empathize with my father's experience and understand the outcome of continuous labor without satisfaction.
(Yeah!) He's been workin' so hard
My father has been working extremely hard.
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
I have also been working extensively and tirelessly.
(Yeah!) Every night and day
I have been working every moment, day and night.
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
I am expressing my frustration and eagerness for change.
We gotta get out of this place
We need to leave this location and situation.
If it's the last thing we ever do
We are willing to do whatever it takes to escape this environment.
'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you
I believe that there is a better life waiting for us beyond this current situation.
Somewhere baby, somehow I know it
I am confident that there is a better life for us out there, even if we are unsure of where to find it.
Believe me baby
I want my partner to trust in my ambition and motivation for change.
I know it baby
I am certain of the possibility of finding a better life.
You know it too
I believe that my partner also has the ability to envision a better life for us.
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."