Pa Pa Power (feat. the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir)
Los Angeles' dark folk-rock duo Dead Man's Bones consists of vocalists and … Read Full Bio ↴Los Angeles' dark folk-rock duo Dead Man's Bones consists of vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields. Gosling is better known as an Academy Award-nominated actor who has appeared in films including Half Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl, and The Notebook, but he dabbled in music while pursuing acting. He met Shields in 2005, when Gosling was dating his Notebook co-star Rachel McAdams, and Shields was dating her sister Kayleen. The pair bonded over their love of music, horror movies, and all things scary, and decided to create an eerie musical. Eventually, Shields and Gosling scrapped the stage production part of the project and focused on the supernaturally themed music they wrote. They included the Silverlake Conservatory of Music's children's choir in their recordings to evoke the spirit of the Langley Schools Music Project in their sessions, and adhered to certain rules while they were recording: click tracks or electric guitars were forbidden, and Gosling and Shields (and producer Tim Anderson) had to play the instruments themselves; and they allowed themselves only three takes for any performance. Dead Man's Bones' music first surfaced in 2009 with homemade videos for "Name in Stone" and "In the Room Where You Sleep"; that fall, Shields and Gosling released Dead Man's Bones via Anti Records and their own Werewolf Heart imprint. The pair also planned to make videos for all of the album's songs, collaborating with artists like sculptor Arthur Ganson. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

Pa Pa Power
Dead Man's Bones Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Burn the streets
Burn the cars
Pa pa power, pa pa power

Please make me better

Broken glass
Broken hearts
Pa pa power, pa pa power

Please make me better

Broken glass
Broken hearts
Pa pa power, pa pa power





Please make me better
We won't destroy you, no, we will not destroy you

Overall Meaning

The lines "Burn the streets, Burn the cars" in Dead Man's Bones' song Pa Pa Power may seem like a call to violence and destruction, but in reality, it can be interpreted as a desire to start fresh and leave the past behind. The song speaks about brokenness, both in physical and emotional terms. The repetition of "Pa pa power" can be seen as a way to summon strength and courage to face the difficult times.


The lyrics also include an appeal for help, with the words "Please make me better" repeated throughout the song. This can be interpreted as a plea for someone to guide them through the difficult times, to help them move on and heal from their brokenness. The last line, "We won't destroy you, no, we will not destroy you", can be seen as reassurance that they will not be consumed by their struggles, but rather overcome them.


Overall, Dead Man's Bones' Pa Pa Power conveys a sense of struggle and pain, while also encouraging resilience and hope for the future.


Line by Line Meaning

Burn the streets
Let go of the old ways and embrace change


Burn the cars
Get rid of material possessions that don't matter


Pa pa power, pa pa power
Acknowledge the strength within us


Please make me better
Aspire to improve and grow as a person


Broken glass
Shattered pieces of reality


Broken hearts
Emotional pain


Pa pa power, pa pa power
Acknowledge the strength within us


Please make me better
Aspire to improve and grow as a person


Broken glass
Shattered pieces of reality


Broken hearts
Emotional pain


Pa pa power, pa pa power
Acknowledge the strength within us


Please make me better
Aspire to improve and grow as a person


We won't destroy you, no, we will not destroy you
We won't succumb to the negative aspects of life, but instead work towards positivity




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ryan Gosling, Zach Shields

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

@mariaazmal2864

[Verse]
Burn the street, burn the cars
Pa pa power, pa pa power
(Please make me better)
Broken glass, broken hearts
Pa pa power, pa pa power
(Please make me better)
Broken glass, broken hearts
Pa pa power, pa pa power
(Please make me better)

[Refrain] x3
We won't destroy you
No, we will not destroy you

[Verse]

[Refrain] x4



@stonednoodz5774

🖤LYRICS❤
Burn the streets
Burn the cars
Pa pa power pa pa power
Please make me better
Broken glass
Broken hearts
Pa pa power pa pa power
Please make me better
Broken glass
Broken hearts
Pa pa power pa pa power
Please make me better

(We won't destroy you no we will not destroy you) X3

Burn the streets
Burn the cars
Pa pa power pa pa power
Please make me better
Broken glass
Broken hearts
Pa pa power pa pa power
Please make me better
Broken glass
Broken hearts
Pa pa power pa pa power
Please make me better

(We won't destroy you no we will not destroy you) X4



@streamsniper3936

Перевод текста песни


[Текст]
Сжигаем улицу, сжигаем автомобили
Мо-мо-мощность, мо-мо-мощность
(Пожалуйста, сделайте для меня лучше)
Сломанные стекла, разбитые сердца
Мо-мо-мощность, мо-мо-мощность
(Пожалуйста, сделайте для меня лучше)
Сломанные стекла, разбитые сердца
Мо-мо-мощность, мо-мо-мощность
(Пожалуйста, сделайте меня лучше)

[Припев] x3
Мы не уничтожим тебя
Нет, мы не уничтожим тебя

[Текст]
Сжигаем улицу, сжигаем автомобили
Мо-мо-мощность, мо-мо-мощность
(Пожалуйста, сделайте для меня лучше)
Сломанные стекла, разбитые сердца
Мо-мо-мощность, мо-мо-мощность
(Пожалуйста, сделайте для меня лучше)
Сломанные стекла, разбитые сердца
Мо-мо-мощность, мо-мо-мощность
(Пожалуйста, сделайте меня лучше)

[Припев] x4
Мы не уничтожим тебя
Нет, мы не уничтожим тебя




(это к чему мы должны стремиться, а не сидеть в интернете ныть)



All comments from YouTube:

@ericfoster8411

Weirdo lyrics, strange synth lines, oddly beautiful songs crafted in such a unique way, a chorus of chanting children, a cult like vibe, spooky Halloween themes, one of my all time favorite album covers, Ryan Gosling and his rad homie Zach. It’s got everything you could ever want from a one off record.

@tyml

Just discovered this amazing song today. Thank you Dead Man's Bones! Also, thank you to Cat Power for releasing a cover and introducing me to it.

@zamirbugueno1985

Same here, what a great song and band

@yutk0

I'd have never thought that Ryan Gosling had a band and made this banger... thanks to spotify for recommending me this

@VictorDiaz97

Ryan Gosling? As if there was any way he could be more liked. Incredible song.

@postrockstargazer

I was never quite sure of what was the deep meaning of that song, then yesterday it came strong to me when I was driving around the city and listening to it.
It speaks about the problems and adversities of life. Like, "broken legs, broken hearts" don't mean your ruin, but an opportunity to overcome them(please, make me better). The choir is like a plead to all the bad times and struggles to make them a better person, and not ruin them.
The last line is the more powerful IMO. Like all the struggles and pains of life are saying: no, we will not destroy you. We will make you stronger (power).
Love that song.

@M31eighty

💛

@avischraer7693

The song was released right after the London riots. Burn the streets burn the cars is what happens everytime there is a class riot. I’m not disagreeing, just saying that’s one meaning, on a micro level. But there’s also the macro level. Of people banding together because they don’t have power, and eventually those riots always stop is the we will not destroy you.

@aurarose4183

Niceee thank you for that drive you took man ! 🫦💪🤓💋🔮☪️☔️🎶🫵🏼❤️‍🔥🔥💫

@fffbl

Thank you, I hope you still there, driving, plus wondering the meaning of song we all love ^^

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