Under Pressure
Bowie David and Pet Shop Boys Lyrics

Mm ba ba de
The opening sounds of the song, not meant to convey a deeper meaning.

Um bum ba de
More sound effects at the start of the song.

Um bu bu bum da de
Yet more sound effects at the start of the song.

Pressure pushing down on me
The feeling of being weighed down by the stresses and expectations of life.

Pressing down on you no man ask for
The stress and pressure we feel is often undeserved and not something anyone asks for.

Under pressure that brings a building down
When the pressure becomes too much, it can lead to disaster and complete destruction, like a building collapsing.

Splits a family in two
The immense pressure and stress can also cause rifts and divisions within families and relationships, tearing them apart.

Puts people on streets
For some people, the weight of the pressure becomes unbearable and they end up homeless, forced to live on the streets.

Um ba ba be
More sounds that don't have a deeper meaning.

De day da
Still more sounds that don't have a deeper meaning.

Ee day da that's okay
These sounds are meant to mimic the sounds of a drum beat and don't have a deeper meaning on their own.

It's the terror of knowing
The overwhelming feeling of fear that comes with knowing the truth about the world and our lives in it.

What the world is about
The harsh reality of the world we live in and the struggles we must face every day.

Watching some good friends
Observing those closest to us struggling with the same issues, even when we can't offer any help.

Screaming Let me out
The cry for help when the pressure becomes too much to bear.

Pray tomorrow gets me higher
The hope that things will get better the next day and we can rise above the pressure and stress.

Pressure on people people on streets
The ubiquitous nature of pressure and stress on everyone, even those who end up homeless and living on the streets.

Day day de mm hm
More sounds that don't have a deeper meaning.

Da da da ba ba
More sounds that don't have a deeper meaning.

Okay
An exclamation to signify the end of the first verse of the song.

Chippin' around kick my brains around the floor
A metaphor for the way we can feel our brains and emotions getting jumbled up and muddled under pressure.

These are the days it never rains but it pours
A common idiom that means when things are going wrong, everything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Ee do ba be
More sounds that don't have a deeper meaning.

Ee da ba ba ba
More sounds that don't have a deeper meaning.

Um bo bo
More sounds that don't have a deeper meaning.

Be lap
More sounds that don't have a deeper meaning.

People on streets ee da de da de
People everywhere are affected by pressure and stress.

People on streets ee da de da de da de da
Repeating the idea that people everywhere are feeling the pressure and stress of the world.

Turned away from it all like a blind man
Feeling overwhelmed and helpless in the face of so much stress and pressure just like a blind man who has no visual cues to help him navigate.

Sat on a fence but it don't work
Trying to stay neutral or detached from the stress and pressure but finding that it doesn't make things any easier.

Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Trying to combat the negative effects of pressure and stress with love and positivity but feeling like those efforts are being destroyed and battered down.

Why, why, why?
A desperate plea for answers about why we all have to go through such struggles and why the world can be so difficult.

Love love love love love
Repeating the idea that love is a powerful force to fight back against the negative effects of pressure and stress.

Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking
The stress and pressure can lead to mental breakdowns and the things that were once funny or interesting to us now seem insane and ludicrous.

Can't we give ourselves one more chance
A plea for people to take it easy on themselves and give themselves a break from the constant pressure and stress.

Why can't we give love that one more chance
Reiterating the idea that love can be the cure for the negative effects of pressure and stress.

Give love give love give love give love
Repeating the idea that love can help all of us rise above the pressure and stress of the world.

'Cause love's such an old fashioned word
The idea that love has been around forever and has always been seen as a solution to life's problems.

And love dares you to care for
Love is a challenge to care for others and extend kindness and empathy to those who may be struggling as well.

The people on the (people on streets) edge of the night
Making a connection to the earlier line about people feeling pressure and stress, saying that these are the people who need love and care the most.

And loves (people on streets) dares you to change our way of
Love challenges us to change the way we look at the world and how we treat each other in times of pressure and stress.

Caring about ourselves
We can't change the world unless we first take care of our own mental and emotional states.

This is our last dance
This could be interpreted as a metaphor for life being our last dance, and we should enjoy ourselves while we can.

This is ourselves
A reaffirmation of our own identity and our ability to rise above the pressure and stress we feel every day.

Under pressure
Repeating the title of the song as a reminder of the theme of the song and its message.

Under pressure
Repeating the title of the song as a reminder of the theme of the song and its message.

Pressure
Ending the song with a simple message of the power and ubiquity of pressure and stress in our lives.