Superman
Five For Fighting (Boyce Avenue cover) Lyrics


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I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird
I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me

Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd but don't be naive
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed but won't you concede
Even Heroes have the right to dream
It's not easy to be me

Up, up and away, away from me
It's all right
You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy, or anything

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me





It's not easy to be me.

Overall Meaning

Superman is one of the most iconic superhero characters of all time, but Five for Fighting's song "Superman" shows a different side to the legendary comic book figure. The opening verse reveals the singer's vulnerability and his desire to find the best version of himself. He acknowledges that life isn't easy, and he's not naive to the challenges he will face. The second verse continues with the theme of inner turmoil, wishing he could cry and find a way to lie about a home he'll never have. The chorus brings up an important message, reminding us that even heroes have the right to bleed and dream, a nod to the fact that even the strongest among us have their shortcomings.


The bridge introduces the classic image of Superman flying away, free from the worries and troubles he must face as a hero. He can leave those behind and give others a peaceful night's rest. However, the final verse brings us back to reality, where the singer is just a man, dressed in a silly red sheet, with all the insecurities and struggles of being human. The song ends with the final reminder that it's not easy to be anyone, even someone as seemingly invincible as Superman.


Line by Line Meaning

I can't stand to fly
Flying and being up in the air overwhelms me and makes me uneasy


I'm not that naive
I'm aware of the world's workings and I'm not blind to its flaws


I'm just out to find
I'm on a mission to discover and reveal the best possible version of myself


The better part of me
It's the aspect of myself that resonates with purity, peace, and compassion


I'm more than a bird
I hold greater value than just a flying animal


I'm more than a plane
I cannot be reduced or defined by a machine or technology


More than some pretty face beside a train
My worth extends beyond mere physical attributes which are superficial and, therefore, unimportant


It's not easy to be me
To function and exist as I am is difficult and challenging in every possible way


Wish that I could cry
I long to express my emotions freely but can't seem to let myself go without fear or inhibition


Fall upon my knees
I wish to break down and surrender to my struggles and weaknesses, but it's not always possible


Find a way to lie
I regretfully wish I could avoid the harsh realities of my life by escaping into a fabricated world


About a home I'll never see
It's about the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness, of being stuck and not having any options


It may sound absurd but don't be naive
The following message is outrageous but it holds a universal and fundamental truth that demands recognition


Even Heroes have the right to bleed
Heroes are not invincible beings, and they experience pain and suffering just like any ordinary person


I may be disturbed but won't you concede
I might come across as quirky or unsound, but can you not agree with what I am saying?


Even Heroes have the right to dream
Heroes are allowed to have aspirations and objectives, and they deserve a chance to fulfill their potential


Up, up and away, away from me
I have to leave this reality behind and disappear into the unknown elements


It's all right
Everything is okay and under control


You can all sleep sound tonight
You don't have to worry about me, I won't be a burden on your conscience


I'm not crazy, or anything
I'm not insane or irrational, please don't dismiss my words or thoughts as merely delusional


Men weren't meant to ride
Human beings weren't destined to fly or rise above the skies, it disrupts the natural order of things


With clouds between their knees
Flying exposes me to hazards and risks that I am not comfortable with or prepared to face


I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
In the grand scheme of things, my superhero persona is just a flimsy disguise


Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
I am desperately looking for something to bring me to my knees because of the burden of being a superhero


Only a man in a funny red sheet
My superhero identity is laughable and cannot be taken seriously


Looking for special things inside of me
I am in search of my unique qualities, attributes or skills, which distinguish me from others


It's not easy to be me
It remains a constant struggle and challenge to live up to my own expectations and what the world expects from me




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Ondrasik

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

@magnusmartinreitbauer9615

Lyrics:
I can't stand to fly

I'm not that naïve
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird,
I'm more than a plane
I'm more than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me

I wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
'Bout a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd but don't be naïve
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed but won’t you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it's not easy to be me

Up, up and away, away from me
Well, it's alright
You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy or anything

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naïve
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me
Inside of me, inside of me [2x]

I’m only a man in a funny red sheet
I’m only a man looking for a dream
I’m only a man in a funny red sheet
And it's not easy.
It's not easy to be me.



@scottpowell5605

@@poisonivymathers Actually..."out of the blue" isn't always a bad thing.

A song you haven't heard in years can come on & completely change your entire day.

Lyrics from another song (google it).

Ain't it funny how a melody
Can bring back a memory
Take you to another place & time
Completely change your state of mind



@Pineappolis

Totally true of the song - love it and it, honestly, captures the core of Superman's character pretty darn well (better than most Superman comics, hoenstly). Very good writers are capable of doing it - AC #775 is so renowned, for example, despite having mostly... umm... atrocious artwork and fundamentally being very simple because, while Superman and his ideals ultimately triumph... it's far from because he's invincible. Despite it being very short it makes time for him to have not one but two pep-talks (with one being a simple but fantastic talk with Pa Kent) because his ideals are very, very hard to live by, very easy to doubt, and, yeah, it's incredibly important to realise, for all his strength, he's still just just a guy doing his best the way his awesome folks taught him.

Those are the touches that separate great stories from merely good ones and, with Supes, you practically need great. Characters with more limited and interesting powers - it's relatively easy for the writer to make a comic memorable as long as the artists are very good and there are plenty of very talented artists out there.

Supes? You've got a guy who has the power to "fix" a lot of the world's problems by putting himself above the law and not just killing 90% of the world's supervillains in his lunch break but destroying the armies of nations with governments deemed dangerous and... just about anything else he wanted. His moral compass is so trusted so widely that very few people would have any complaints.

What do you do with that? Ideally, you show a man who is probably just barely coping (but feels too greatly the need to give hope to people to show it) under the staggering weight of knowing that most people would rather have him "fix" the world as he sees fit, and knowing he could, but that doing so is anathema to his beliefs - that he is has no right to impose his will on others (beyond what would be deemed reasonable force at trial), that he's no less capable of being wrong than anyone else and that humanity can do better on their own, especially if lent a helping hand. That's difficult to write into stories without making the story about it.* Kingdom Come is a great example of very subtly and cleverly deconstructing his character - we've had a million knock-off (and several Elseworlds) Supermen decide to become tyrants because something terrible happens.

Having him still cling to his ideals on the worst day of his life only for someone else to commit the cold-blooded murder he wouldn't, be acquitted despite insurmountable evidence, and hailed as the real hero, causing Supes to be so broken that he basically decides, "if people don't want heroism done my way anymore - let them have their murderers - it's not in me to keep pretending that wasn't always what most people wanted the whole time anymore," only for things to gradually turn into a complete nightmare of gangs of metahumans murdering each other and catch civilians in the crossfire until he feels he has to comeback... but ends up overcorrecting, not out of anger but out of shame for abandoning humanity in the first place, becoming sufficiently dictatorial to start interning metahumans without trial and needing help to realise he's gone too far? Now that's interesting - it's just that character motivation being grief, disillusionment and exhaustion followed by immense guilt at letting those feelings break him is a lot harder to come up with than, "being really pissed off."

*The best I've ever seen it done is a single panel of him reading thousands of letters (I assume he had a PO box as Superman because of course he does) asking him to, in one way or another, "fix" the world while sitting slumped in a chair and looking so shattered that you wouldn't be surprised if he burst into tears. No dialogue - the artwork does more than any monologue I've read to convey how heartbreaking it must be at times when his kindness and eternal desire help run headlong into his humility and knowledge that, in many cases, doing so would require him essentially to declare himself King of the Earth.



@qbrizzy1158

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me
I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane
I'm more than some pretty face beside a train
And it's not easy to be me
I wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
'Bout a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won't you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream?
And it's not easy to be me
Up, up, and away, away from me
Well, it's all right
You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy
Or anything
I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees
I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me
Inside of me
Inside of me
Yeah, inside of me
Inside of me
I'm only a man in a funny red sheet
I'm only a man looking for a dream
I'm only a man in a funny red sheet
And it's not easy, ooh, ooh, ooh
It's not easy to be me



All comments from YouTube:

@EvenOut

These film techniques still get to me to this day!

@johncalebfacurib6259

Same

@usernotfound1191

Somewhat but its kinda nice i suppose

@GoodSoup

Why hello there EvenOut.

@comptonyankeegang1664

That video was hella cool

@osamabinladen824

Me too

34 More Replies...

@sammasella4525

I miss you so much dad. This was your favorite song. 6 years ago you gained your wings, and 6 years ago you played this song at McDonalds when i was eating lunch on my lunch break, telling me that you were still here watching over me. I still cry any time I hear or think of this song. Thank you for being the best dad a girl could ask for, and you will always be my Superman🦸i will love and miss you forever 🪽♥️

@AntWillUms

I lost my dad October 14th, 2022. I hope you're doing okay, and wherever you are now you're happy and safe, and he's proud of you, even if you believe with all your heart that he isn't. Music has a way of healing and of telling us things we need to hear the most, from exactly who we needed to tell us.

@amybethhurst

My dad too. He always said, "I'm no superman." I sang this in his honor once I could get through it without crying.

@bleep77

Truly one of the most beautifully written songs of all time.

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