What Would You Do?
Bastille Lyrics

Boys and girls, wanna hear a true story?
The singer sets the scene for his story, inviting the audience to listen.

Saturday night was at this real wild party
The singer describes the chaotic party he attended.

There was liquor overflowin' the cup
The party-goers were drinking heavily.

About 5 or 6 strippers trying to work for a buck
Several strippers were performing at the party, possibly feeling desperate for money.

So I took one girl outside with me
The singer had a conversation with one of the strippers outside of the party.

Her name was Londy, she went to Junior High with me
The stripper had a prior personal connection with the singer from their childhood.

I said, 'Why you up in there dancing for cash?
The singer questioned the stripper's choice of work.

I guess a whole lot's changed since I seen you last'
The singer notes that things have changed since their childhood and is implying that the stripper had no other options.

What would you do if your son was at home
The stripper poses a hypothetical question to the singer.

Crying all alone
The stripper's imaginary son is sad and alone.

On the bedroom floor,
The son is likely in a depressing living situation.

'Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to
The son is hungry and the stripper has no other way to provide for him.

Sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
The stripper has resorted to prostitution to earn money to feed her son.

And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down,
The stripper's partner, the child's father, is in and out of prison.

I ain't got a job now,
The stripper is currently unemployed, making it difficult to provide for her son.

He's just smokin' rock now,
The stripper's partner is addicted to drugs.

So for you this is just a good time
The party-going lifestyle is just a fun time for the singer and other attendees.

But for me this is what I call life
For the stripper, her difficult situation of poverty, prostitution, and addiction is her reality.

Girl, you ain't the only one to have a baby,
The singer tries to assure the stripper that she's not alone in her situation.

That's no excuse to be living all crazy
The singer tells the stripper that having a baby is not an excuse to behave recklessly.

So she stared me right square in the eye
The stripper looks directly at the singer, ready to convey the severity of her life.

And said, 'Everyday I wake up, hoping to die'
The stripper is so hopeless and miserable that she wakes up each day wishing for death.

She said, 'They're gonna know about pain
The stripper's traumatic past has caused her never-ending emotional and physical pain.

'Cause me and my sister ran away,
The stripper and her sister left home to avoid being sexually abused by their father.

So our daddy couldn't rape us,
The stripper's father was a pedophile who abused his own daughters.

Before I was a teenager
The abuse began at a young age for the stripper and her sister.

I done been through more shit
The stripper has gone through more difficult experiences than most people can imagine.

You can't even relate to'
The singer cannot fully understand the depth of the stripper's painful experiences.

What would you do?
The stripper repeats her earlier question, challenging the singer to consider her difficult situation.

Get up off my feet and stop making tired excuses
The singer understands that he needs to do more to help those in difficult situations and stop making excuses for not doing so.