Superman
Five For Fighting (Feat.) John Ondrasik Lyrics
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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
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
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 me
Inside 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
It's not easy to be
Me
The above lyrics to Five for Fighting feat. John Ondrasik's song "Superman" reveal a lot about what it means to be a hero. From the very beginning of the song, we can see that the singer (presumably Superman himself) is tired of the burden of being a hero. He admits that he "can't stand to fly" and that he is out to find "the better part of me". It is clear that he struggles with the weight of his heroic duties, as well as his own identity. While he is more than just a bird or a plane, he still feels the need to dig for "special things inside of me".
The lyrics suggest that being a hero is not something that comes easily, and that even heroes have their flaws and weaknesses. The line "Even heroes have the right to bleed" echoes this sentiment, reminding listeners that Superman is just a man in a funny red sheet looking for a dream. Despite all of this, the singer recognizes that he is more than just a hero, and that there is more to him than meets the eye. Ultimately, the song is a reminder that we all have our own struggles and insecurities, even those who we view as heroes.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stand to fly
I have a fear of flying
I'm not that naive
I am not easily fooled
I'm just out to find the better part of me
I want to discover the best version of myself
I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane
I am capable of more than just flying
I'm more than some pretty face beside a train
I am not just a superficial object to be looked at
And it's not easy to be me
My life is not simple, and I face many challenges
Wish that I could cry, Fall upon my knees
I wish I could express my emotions and be vulnerable
Find a way to lie, About a home I'll never see
I would like to pretend I have a place to call home, even though I do not
It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
My desires may seem strange, but do not underestimate me
Even heroes have the right to bleed
Even those considered heroic can be hurt and have weaknesses
I may be disturbed, but won't you concede
You may think I am mentally unstable, but please agree with me on this point
Even heroes have the right to dream
Even those considered heroic have the power to dream
Up, up and away, away from me
I am flying away from my current situation
Well, it's all right, you can all sleep sound tonight, I'm not crazy or anything
I am fine, and there is no need to worry about me
Men weren't meant to ride with clouds between their knees
Humans were not meant to fly
I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
I am just a man wearing a costume
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
I am on a quest to find my weaknesses
Looking for special things inside of me, Inside of me, Inside me, Inside me, Inside of me
I am searching for unique qualities that may be hidden within me
I'm only a man, Looking for a dream
I am just a person pursuing a goal
And it's not easy, It's not easy to be me
My life is not straightforward, and I face many challenges
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN ONDRASIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@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
@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
@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.