Under Pressure
David Bowie爀 Lyrics

Mm ba ba de
Opening sound without any specific meaning

Um bum ba de
Another sound without any specific meaning

Um bu bu bum da de
Yet another sound without any specific meaning

Pressure pushing down on me
Feeling the burden and stress of life's daily troubles and hardships

Pressing down on you no man ask for
The same burdens and stress are affecting others, whether they asked for it or not

Under pressure that brings a building down
When stress, whether it be financial or emotional, becomes too much to bear it can cause someone to crumble like a building

Splits a family in two
The stress of life can cause families to become divided, leading to broken homes

Puts people on streets
Financial pressure can lead to people losing their homes and being forced to live on the streets

Um ba ba be
Repeating the sounds from earlier in the song, without any specific meaning

De day da
Yet another nonsensical phrase in the song

Ee day da, that's okay
Continuing the previous phrase, in which the meaning is ambiguous and unclear

It's the terror of knowing
The song shifts to a focus on the anxiety and fear that comes with feeling the pressure and stress of everyday life

What the world is about
The realization that the world can be harsh and unfair

Watching some good friends
Observing the struggles that close friends may be facing

Screaming 'Let me out'
Expressing the overwhelming desperation to escape the pressure and difficulties of life

Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Hoping that things will get better in the future and that tomorrow will bring relief from the present pressure and stress

Pressure on people people on streets
Reiterating the idea that stress affects everyone, including those who might be struggling financially and end up living on the streets

Day day de mm hm
Another meaningless phrase that adds rhythm to the song

Da da da ba ba
Continuing to add non-lexical words to the song

Okay
A one-word interjection without much meaning

Chippin' around - kick my brains around the floor
Feeling scatterbrained and overwhelmed, as if one's thoughts and emotions are being jumbled around and scattered across the floor

These are the days it never rains but it pours
Expressing the idea that sometimes all of life's struggles come at once, one after another, without any reprieve

Ee do ba be
Another ambiguous phrase with no clear meaning

Um bo bo
More nonsense syllables that provide rhythm to the song

Be lap
An interjection with no clear meaning

People on streets - ee da de da de
Emphasizing again how difficult life can be for people who might end up living on the streets

People on streets - ee da de da de da de da
A repetition of the above line for added emphasis

It's the terror of knowing
Returning to the theme of anxiety and fear in the face of life's struggles

What this world is about
The realization that life can be difficult and unpredictable

Watching some good friends
Seeing people close to oneself struggling with life's difficulties

Screaming 'Let me out'
Expressing the desperation to escape the overwhelming stress and pressure of daily life

Pray tomorrow - gets me higher higher high
A continued hope for tomorrow to be better, praying that things will improve significantly

Pressure on people people on streets
The repetition of this line again emphasizes how widespread and universal the experience of pressure and stress can be

Turned away from it all like a blind man
Closing the eyes to ignore and avoid the stress and problems of life, even though it might only make things worse

Sat on a fence but it don't work
Trying to avoid making decisions or taking action to improve one's situation, but not finding that strategy to be effective

Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Hoping that love could be the solution, but finding it is not enough to solve all of life's problems

Why why why?
Questioning why life has to be so hard and difficult

Love love love love love
Emphasizing the idea that love is necessary and crucial, even if it cannot solve everything

Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking
The extreme pressure and stress of life can lead to a sense of insanity or loss of control, as if everything is falling apart

Can't we give ourselves one more chance
Pleading for another opportunity or chance to make things right and improve one's situation

Why can't we give love that one more chance
Suggesting that love is the key and that it deserves another chance to be the solution to life's problems

Why can't we give love give love give love give love
Repeating the importance of love, and insisting that it is the key to overcoming life's difficulties

'Cause love's such an old fashioned word
Admitting that the idea of love might be seen as outdated or out of touch with modern life

And love dares you to care for
Arguing that love is actually daring and bold, pushing people to care for others and look out for their well-being

The people on the (People on streets) edge of the night
Specifically calling attention to those who are living on the streets and who are especially vulnerable and in need of care

And loves (People on streets) dares you to change our way of
Positing that love challenges individuals to take action, to work to change the system or the way things are currently done, especially in regard to helping those who are vulnerable and at risk

Caring about ourselves
Encouraging a shift in focus from simply taking care of oneself, to also taking care of others who might be in need

This is our last dance
Closing the song in a defiant, powerful way, insisting that this is the last chance to make a difference and to fight for a better world

This is ourselves
Asserting that everyone has a role to play and a responsibility to work towards change and improvement in the world

Under pressure
Reiterating the central theme of the song, that pressure and stress are a universal experience and challenge

Under pressure
Closing the song with one final repetition of the song's title and central theme