39.28
Childish Gambino Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Why go to the party?
Why go to the party?
Why go to the party at all?

Two shots and a body
Two shots and a body
Two shots and a body involved
Where are those subtle men?
With the decency to might be wrong
Where are those winter girls?
Who corrected, say women
I'm sorry
Forgiven

Why would we ever change?
Planets never see a day that isn't towards the Sun
Bliss is a cheap emotion
Everyone here seems to afford
So I don't know why I'm here without you, you

Why go to the party?
Why go to the party?
Why go to the party at all?

When you're not invited
You take what you're given
Some wait everyday for the call
Grief is a standing ocean
And I never swam unless you did
So I don't know why I'm here without you
I miss you

Why go to the party?
Why go to the party?
Why go to the party at all? (You)

I call to a spirit
You may never hear it
How else could I keep you alive? Alive

'Cause it's hard for me to love myself without you here




'Cause the days are slow but the years are fast
I wonder when I'll feel your smile

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song 39.28 by Childish Gambino are a reflection on the futility of going to parties and social events where people seem to put up a facade of happiness, when in reality, they are all just going through the motions of life. The lines, "Why go to the party? When you're not invited, you take what you're given, some wait everyday for the call" suggest a sense of loneliness and longing to be with someone who is not there. In the next verse, the lines "Bliss is a cheap emotion, everyone here seems to afford so I don't know why I'm here without you, you" further emphasize the idea that people pretend to be happy and contented, but the singer is unable to do so without being with the person they miss.


The chorus repeats the question "Why go to the party?" creating a sense of detachment from social norms and questioning the purpose of things that we do without even thinking. The lines, "Grief is a standing ocean and I never swam unless you did so I don't know why I'm here without you I miss you" show how the singer is struggling to come to terms with their loss and how it is affecting their ability to enjoy life. The song ends with the lines "I wonder when I'll feel your smile" indicating the hope for a better future and the need to keep the memory of their loved one alive.


Line by Line Meaning

Why go to the party?
Asking the reason for going to a party, questioning the need to go to a party


Why go to the party?
Asking the reason for going to a party, questioning the need to go to a party


Why go to the party at all?
Why attend a party when there seems to be no real reason to?


Two shots and a body
A situation where someone got shot and there's a dead body involved


Two shots and a body
A situation where someone got shot and there's a dead body involved


Two shots and a body involved
Describing a violent scenario where two shots were fired and now there's a dead body


Where are those subtle men?
Asking where those men who are tactful and considerate in their actions are


With the decency to might be wrong
Men who are mindful enough to acknowledge when they're wrong


Where are those winter girls?
Asking where those perceptive girls who are somewhat aloof and thoughtful are


Who corrected, say women
Those who spoke up and pointed out what was incorrect, who happened to be women


I'm sorry
An apology


Forgiven
Someone acknowledging and accepting an apology


Why would we ever change?
Questioning why people feel the need to change when things around them change too


Planets never see a day that isn't towards the Sun
The perpetual phenomenon of planets revolving around the Sun is an example of a constant in life


Bliss is a cheap emotion
The feeling of happiness is fleeting and not substantial


Everyone here seems to afford
People seem to have the capacity to feel pleasure


So I don't know why I'm here without you, you
The absence of someone makes a situation appear pointless


Why go to the party?
Asking the reason for going to a party, questioning the need to go to a party


Why go to the party?
Asking the reason for going to a party, questioning the need to go to a party


Why go to the party at all?
Why attend a party when there seems to be no real reason to?


When you're not invited
Being uninvited to an event


You take what you're given
One accepts whatever opportunities that present themselves


Some wait everyday for the call
Waiting for a specific call or opportunity every day


Grief is a standing ocean
Grieving is a never-ending and overwhelming emotion


And I never swam unless you did
The subject has never experienced the emotion of grief until the other person showed them how to


So I don't know why I'm here without you
Being present somewhere or doing something without someone feels pointless


I miss you
The feeling of longing or missing someone


Why go to the party?
Asking the reason for going to a party, questioning the need to go to a party


Why go to the party?
Asking the reason for going to a party, questioning the need to go to a party


Why go to the party at all? (You)
The feeling of going to a party being meaningless when the other person is not there with you


I call to a spirit
A moment where someone tries to communicate with the spirit of another person


You may never hear it
The possibility of the other person not responding or reacting to the previous statement


How else could I keep you alive? Alive
The need to feel that the other person is still present, even after their death


'Cause it's hard for me to love myself without you here
The subject finds it difficult to love or accept themselves after the loss of the other person


'Cause the days are slow but the years are fast
Days seem to drag on forever, but time seems to be quickly passing by


I wonder when I'll feel your smile
The subject is still waiting for a moment when they'll feel the other person's presence or influence




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Donald Glover, James Francies Jr., Riley Mackin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Talloist

Realizing the richness of emotion is lacking with others
Lamenting the lost Subtle Men and Winter Girls who made him feel that burn
Why fake it if you aren't here to light me like that

Grief is something I could never deal with alone
And Here I am standing alone at the edge of it all lost and cold

Why bother with these fools who wear masks of that fire?
I feel it in my heart, maybe not with words
But that was not enough to keep you here
Alive with me
The days are slow. The years are fast
Though remembering the days you lit me up
Slip by so fast

A song to loved, respected and lost muses
Resonates with my current unrequited love

Mr. Glover lost two people. The two shots where to him. Though as a message? Its never one stress that does you in. Its the piles and piles.
Find a way to process without using another flawed human as a crutch



All comments from YouTube:

@aaronc3396

RIP Donald’s dad :( I feel like this song is a tribute to him.

@cueshq789

i didnt know this :( "my dad like 'do ya thang boy dont stop'"

@itsyagurleaylee4442

Aaron Carter wym

@seansmith373

Bra I think your right and I get it now 😳
The partly is actaully the funereal and when he says why go if your not invited meaning his dad isn’t really there just the death he was given

Grief is a standing ocean meaning he didn’t want this grief and didn’t swim to it
His dad swam to this and phrasing when at the funeral he’s there and his dads body there but isn’t at all

The fucking mans a genius

@starybright2313

The album was about his dads death

@diablorain56

"what happens when I go to call and he's not there to answer it?"

10 More Replies...

@Miraenda

My goodness why can’t most other modern artists be this fabulous? Such a great album.

@olliemartinelli4034

There are many, you just have to find them.

@TheCartoon77

Kendrick probably has the same amount of talent

@Gzerod

​@@TheCartoon77a collab would be wild tbh

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