Something to Sing About
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lyrics


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Buffy:
Life's a show,
And we all play our parts,
And when the music starts,
We open up our hearts.

Its alright if something's come out wrong,
We'll sing a happy song,
And you can sing along.

Where there's life, there hope
Every days a gift,
Wishes can come true,
Whistle while you work,
So hard all day.

To be like other girls,
To fit in, in this glittering world.

Don't give me songs,
Don't give me songs.

Give me something to sing about.

Anya and Tara:
Ah ah ah ahhhhhh

Buffy:
I need something to sing about.

Anya and Tara:
Ah ah ah ahhhhhh

Buffy:
Life's a song,
You don't get to rehearse,
And every single verse,
Can make it that mush worse.

Still my friends,
Don't know why I ignore.
The million things or more,
I should be dancing for.

All the joy,
Life ends.
Family and friends
All the twists and bends,
Knowing that it ends.
Well that depends.

On if they let you go,
On if they know enough to know,
that when u vow,
You leave the crowd.

There was no pain.
No fear,
No doubt,
Till they pulled me out,
Of heaven.

So that's my refrain,
I live in hell,
Cause I've been expelled from heaven.

I think I was in heaven

So give me something to sing about,
Please, give me something.

Spike:
Life's not a song,
Life isn't bliss
Life is just this,
It's living.

You'll get along,
The pain that you feel
Only can heal,
By living.





You have to go on living,
So one of us is living.

Overall Meaning

The song "Something to Sing About" is a pivotal moment in the musical episode of the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the context of the show, Buffy has come to believe that she has been resurrected from death and has been struggling with the feeling of being ripped away from a perfect afterlife. The song is essentially Buffy's plea for something to help her deal with her current situation.


The opening lines of the song reveal Buffy's attempt to find meaning in her life, treating it almost like a performance, where everyone has a role to play. The chorus is an attempt to rally herself and others, despite mistakes or errors that might happen along the way. But as the song progresses, Buffy's lyrics become increasingly dark and foreboding, reflecting the turmoil she feels, both over her friends' obliviousness to her internal struggles and her own experience of being pulled back from heaven.


What makes "Something to Sing About" such a memorable moment in the Buffy canon is how it blends elements of rock opera and heartfelt confession. The song is sung with emotional intensity, with Buffy pleading for some kind of meaning or purpose to help her deal with the trials of life. And the reactions of her friends, who join in with their own musical numbers or simply look on in stunned silence, add to the power of the scene.


Line by Line Meaning

Life's a show,
Life is like a play, and we all have our parts to play.


And we all play our parts,
Everyone has their own role to fulfill in life.


And when the music starts,
When life takes off, and opportunities arise.


We open up our hearts.
We are willing to take chances and risks to pursue opportunities and be happy.


It's alright if something's come out wrong,
It's okay to make mistakes since we can still sing a happy song.


We'll sing a happy song,
We can find something positive and joyful even when things don't go as planned.


And you can sing along.
Others can join in and share our happiness with us.


Where there's life, there's hope
As long as we are alive, there are opportunities for good things to happen.


Every days a gift,
Every day we are given a new opportunity to live life to the fullest.


Wishes can come true,
Something we want badly can come to fruition with hard work and persistence.


Whistle while you work,
Even when things are tough, it's best to remain optimistic.


So hard all day.
We often have to work hard to achieve something of value.


To be like other girls,
Wanting to fit in with others and be like everyone else.


To fit in, in this glittering world.
Wanting to belong in a beautiful and exciting world.


Don't give me songs,
Don't offer me something I don't want or need.


Give me something to sing about.
Provide me with a reason to be happy and joyful.


I need something to sing about.
I am in search of a reason to be happy.


Life's a song,
Life is a journey with ups and downs, but ultimately, it is beautiful like a song.


You don't get to rehearse,
You don't get a second chance to live life or test it beforehand.


And every single verse,
Each experience or event in life has a bearing on the larger picture of life.


Can make it that much worse.
Even small challenges can cause challenges, which adds up to life's struggles.


Still my friends,
Despite having friends, it's often difficult to explain how you're feeling.


Don't know why I ignore.
My friends don't understand why I don't enjoy life to the fullest.


The million things or more,
Things that trouble and disappoint me endlessly, despite being many.


I should be dancing for.
I should be happy and joyful, but instead, I'm not.


All the joy,
All the happiness.


Life ends.
Life is finite, and it will end eventually.


Family and friends,
Those dear to us in life.


All the twists and bends,
Life's difficulties and obstacles.


Knowing that it ends.
Knowing that eventually, life will end.


Well that depends.
It depends on the circumstances if one can avoid death or not.


On if they let you go,
On whether someone is willing to give you a chance to live longer or not.


On if they know enough to know,
On whether others are knowledgeable or smart enough to give you a chance to live longer.


that when you vow,
When someone promises or binds you,


You leave the crowd.
You'll have to separate yourself from others to fulfill that promise or vow.


There was no pain.
There was no suffering or pain when in heaven.


No fear,
There was no feeling of dread or fear when in heaven.


No doubt,
There was no uncertainty or ambiguity when in heaven.


Till they pulled me out,
Until someone forcibly took me out of that blissful state.


Of heaven.
From heaven.


So that's my refrain,
That's my repeated thought or refrain.


I live in hell,
I am currently living in torment or great suffering.


Cause I've been expelled from heaven.
Because I've been forcefully taken out of heaven.


Life's not a song,
Life is unlike a perfect melody or song.


Life isn't bliss
Life is not a state of perfect happiness and joy all the time.


Life is just this,
Life is simply this, existence with various experiences.


It's living.
It's about living your life to the fullest despite the challenges and unpleasant events.


You'll get along,
You'll survive and move forward in life, despite challenges.


The pain that you feel
The suffering that one might experience.


Only can heal,
Can heal only with living and moving forward in life.


By living.
By living and experiencing life, one can heal and grow stronger.


You have to go on living,
It's important to continue living life despite challenges and hardships.


So one of us is living.
At least one of us has to move on and live life fully- that's the only way we continue forward.




Contributed by Chase I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@viniciusbarreto2084

Lifes a show
And we all play our parts
And when the music starts
We open up our hearts
Its alright
If some things come out wrong
We'll sing a happy song
And you can sing along

Where theres life, theres hope
Everydays a gift
Wishes can, come true
Whistle while, you work
So hard, all day

To be like other girls
To fit in, in this glittering world

Don't give me songs
Don't give me songs
Give me something to sing about
I need something to sing about

Lifes a song
You don't get to rehearse
And every single verse
Can make it that much worse
Still my friends don't know why I ignore
The million things or more
I should be dancing for

All the joy life sends
Family and friends
All the twists and bends
Knowing that it ends
Well that depends

On if they let you go
On if they know enough to know
That when you bowed
You leave the crowed

There was no pain
No fear no doubt
Til they pulled me out
Of heaven
So that's my refrain
I live in hell
Cause ive been expelled from heaven
I think I was in heaven

So give me something to sing about
Please give me something

Lifes not a song
Life isn't bliss
Life is just this
Its living
You'll get along
The pain that you feel
You only can heal by living
You have to go on living
So one of us is living

The hardest thing in this world is to live in it



All comments from YouTube:

@varied6902

Joss Whedon took the premise of a demon who warps reality into a musical and causes people to dance until they spontaneously combust and turned it into the most emotionally charged discussion about depression and existentialism I’ve ever seen.

@DigiDestined13

Notice how all the best Buffy episodes were written by him? Hush, The Body...

@Steef_Lee

Exactly! It’s one of the best, if not the best, episodes of television and it hurts to watch but in a good way.

@lindagramajo9528

Joss is a real genius, I would like to see something from him in tv again, I mean besides Buffy and Angel

@a.westenholz4032

@Linda Gramajo Well he made Firefly which was brilliant, but not much appreciated by company CEO's so got canceled all too soon.

@yestocilantro8660

Who cried watching this episode again In 2020?

28 More Replies...

@moonbug5640

Buffy, the only show where the main characters emotional trauma manifests itself in a solo dance routine suicide attempt.

@andyventures6574

Yeah. Not even farscape went there.

@TheBurningBuddhist

When the song ends people brake into dance. Hence why she is asking people to give her something to sing about.

I guess it's a grey area but I really don't see the suicide attempt.

Other people in this episode died too, but did they know they had to keep on singing?

It seems to be that the spell thrives off true expression of the soul so the more you can sing about the better. I don't think Buffy wanted to sing about heaven but the spell compelled her too. Everyone shared their darkest secrets but Buffy was officially out. There was nothing more powerful for her to say...until Spike stepped in. I have no doubt she was feeling hopeless hence the end of her song but I don't believe it necessarily means she was going through with it. Wanting to die and actually attempting suicide are very different things.

@deadpooldan9862

@Alec Malcolmson true, but she did try to die, she tried to dance herself to death, knowing she would die

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