99 Red Balloons
Happy 2 Be Hardcore Lyrics
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Of clueless blues,
Pays the views,
And no-mans news.
Blades will fade from blood to sport,
The heroin's cut these fuses short,
Smokers rode a colonial pig, [Smoke is rolling colonial pink,]
Drink and frame this pain i think.
You bleed your wings and then disappear.
The moving scenes and pilot lights, [...pyre lights]
Smithereens have got 'em scaling heights.
Modern times come talk me down,
And battle lines are drawn across this town.
Parisian boys without your names, [...with obscure names]
Ghetto stones instead of chains,
Talk 'em down cause it's up in flames, [Talk me down...]
And nothing's changed.
Parisian boys without your names, [...with obscure names]
Riot like 1968 again.
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed,
Well pretty flames.
In school I would just bite my tongue,
And now your words they strike me down. [But now your words have struck me dumb.]
The flags are false and they contradict,
They point and click which wounds to lick,
On avenues this christian breeze,
Turns it's heart to more needles please.
Our eyes roll back and we beg for more,
It frays this skin and then underscore.
The case for war you spin and bleed,
The sales you feel screensavers feed,
The girls you breed the soaps that you write,
The graceless charm of your gutter snipes.
The moving scenes and suburbanites,
And smithereens got 'em scaling heights.
Modern times come talk me down,
The battle lines are drawn across this town.
English boys without your names, [...with obscure names]
Ghetto stones instead of chains,
Hearts and minds and US Planes,
Nothing's changed...
And english boys without your names, [...with obscure names]
Riot like the 1980's again,
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed,
More pretty flames.
The lyrics of "99 Red Balloons" by Happy 2 Be Hardcore are a commentary on the state of modern society and the perpetual cycle of violence and conflict that seems to plague humanity. The song opens with a description of city life, with the singer wearing his "city shoes" and feeling lost ("clueless blues"). He is surrounded by the media ("pays the views") and hears only negative news ("no-mans news").
The song then transitions into a discussion of violence, where "blades will fade from blood to sport", indicating that violence has become commonplace and normalized in society. The imagery of "heroin's cut these fuses short" suggests that drug use and addiction have become rampant. The next line refers to smoking, describing it as a colonialist and oppressive habit, thereby criticizing Western imperialism. The singer then describes himself as "melting silver poles", suggesting that he is losing his sense of self and identity.
The song then shifts to a discussion of Parisian and English boys, who are described as rioting without names and with stones instead of chains. The chorus repeats that nothing has changed, despite all the protests and uprisings. The song as a whole is a critique of modern society's obsession with materialism and its inherent tendency towards violence and oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
In city shoes,
Wearing shoes fit for the city
Of clueless blues,
Feeling unaware and uncertain
Pays the views,
Continues to observe the surroundings
And no-mans news.
No new information or developments
Blades will fade from blood to sport,
Violence becomes trivialized from its gruesome origins
The heroin's cut these fuses short,
Drug addiction is causing destruction to one's life
Smokers rode a colonial pig,
Drug users are embracing a destructive addiction
Drink and frame this pain i think.
Using alcohol to numb emotional pain
I'm melting silver poles my dear,
Feeling weak and defeated
You bleed your wings and then disappear.
Destructive behavior leads to one's downfall
The moving scenes and pilot lights,
Visual and audible stimulation
Smithereens have got 'em scaling heights.
The broken pieces are making them feel alive
Modern times come talk me down,
Feeling overwhelmed and needing support
And battle lines are drawn across this town.
There is division and conflict in the community
Parisian boys without your names,
Boys from Paris with unknown identities
Ghetto stones instead of chains,
Living a life of poverty and struggle
Talk 'em down cause it's up in flames,
Trying to calm the situation before it gets worse
And nothing's changed.
The situation remains the same
Riot like 1968 again.
Fighting against authority and social injustice
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed,
There is still anger and unrest
Well pretty flames.
The fire still burns, but it is superficial
In school I would just bite my tongue,
Being silent in the face of adversity
And now your words they strike me down.
Being hurt by the words of others
The flags are false and they contradict,
Symbols of authority are not to be trusted
They point and click which wounds to lick,
Choosing which problems to address
On avenues this christian breeze,
Religion is prevalent in society
Turns it's heart to more needles please.
Finding solace in drugs instead of religion
Our eyes roll back and we beg for more,
Becoming addicted to pleasure and stimulation
It frays this skin and then underscore.
Causing damage to one's mental and physical health
The case for war you spin and bleed,
Manipulating the truth to justify conflict
The sales you feel screensavers feed,
Being influenced by media and marketing
The girls you breed the soaps that you write,
Contributing to the degradation of popular culture
The graceless charm of your gutter snipes.
The unrefined behavior of those in lower social classes
The moving scenes and suburbanites,
The excitement and novelty of suburbia
And smithereens got 'em scaling heights.
Being addicted to destruction and chaos
Modern times come talk me down,
Feeling overwhelmed and needing support
The battle lines are drawn across this town.
There is division and conflict in the community
English boys without your names,
Boys from England with unknown identities
Ghetto stones instead of chains,
Living a life of poverty and struggle
Hearts and minds and US Planes,
The emotional and cognitive effects of warfare
Nothing's changed...
The situation remains the same
And english boys without your names,
Boys from England with unknown identities
Riot like the 1980's again,
Fighting against authority and social injustice
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed,
There is still anger and unrest
More pretty flames.
The fire still burns, but it is superficial
Contributed by Levi C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@simonhperry
You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Till one by one they all were gone
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, "Someone's out there"
Floating in the summer sky,
99 red balloons go by,
99 red balloons floating in the summer sky
Panic bells! it's red alert!
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine it springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky as 99 red balloons go by
99 Decision Street, 99 ministers meet
To worry, worry, super scurry
Call out the troops now in a hurry
This is what we've waited for
This is it boys this is war
The president is on the line
As 99 red balloons go by
99 Kriegsminister
Streichholz und Benzinkanister
Hielten sichβ¦
59/5000
Secretary of war
Matchstick and jerrycans
Held each other ...
@onlyhonestpersononyoutube
The piano sounds of this song and other at happy hardcore raves, was bliss in 1990s.
Happy hardcore was our version of classical music, the ups and downs, and it was amazing, with the strobe lights buzzing in your eyes, and you had no idea about anything in this but that moment.
Makes me laugh you people today changed the name of this music to dubstep or what ever.
Its not the same as 1990s happy hardcore.
Happy hardcore really summed up that music, and what it was like.
@nathanaustin134
This is one of the first songs I ever downloaded (entirely by chance) off of Limewire back in like 2005 or 2006. It was one of, if not, the first electronic song I had in my possession. I can't believe I found this version again after all these years.
@laura-jy7cw
πlimewire! Sitting watching songs download and praying it's the actual song and not more porn π
@NotGreig
Omg me too. I was 14 and it unlocked a memory for me. I could honestly cry. Life just never fells the same.
@rebefarfort1244
This one always makes me cry. They played it at our friend's funeral. He was the same age as us give or take a couple of years but our parents didn'g let us go. They let off 99 red balloons.
@carlbaxterbaxter5849
Played this at my mums funeral too! Im sorry the loss of your friend what a sad day but one day we will all be togeter in the biggest rave in the sky !
@tds_info_db9184
im sorry of both your losses i subbed to both of u but... RAVING TILL WE DIE TO THIS ;]
@rebefarfort1244
@TDS_INFO_DB thanks
@tds_info_db9184
no problem dude
@philroberts97
Happy hardcore
@5pyd3rwheretheresawebthere44
the music and era that brought all ages together. H.T.I.D 38 years old
now and still bouncing even my 6 year old loves it. parent level 999 lol