1999
Jamie Knowles Lyrics


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After eating woodchips and years later we...
Got our swagger, and showed those haters now we're,
Keepin it fresh and we're busting out the rhymes and...
I've got your back, and you've got mine.

And yes there were times, where we tried too hard,
To play it cool like captain Jean-luc Picard and
I recall, how we barely made it out alive,
But we maintained our sanity,
Remaining friends the entire time.

Oh, back in 1999 all the kids all were on the playground,
Playing pokemon,
And we listened those damndest songs about that guy
And he was blue...
Da-ba-di-da-ba-di
We listened to our mothers, ate our lunchables and vegetables,
And grew up big and strong,
I guess we'll be best friends forever,
Singing this same song.

So the story goes, we stole and lunchbox mittens,
Pretending to be on a secret mission,
Acting like ninja's on the front lawn.
A Rook for a rook, A pawn for a pawn

And yes there were times, where we tried too hard,
To play it cool like captain Jean-luc Picard
And I recall, how we barely made it out alive,
But we maintained our sanity, remaining friends the entire time.

Oh, back in 1999 all the kids were on the playground,
Playing pokemon,
And we listened to those damndest songs about that guy
And he was blue,
Da-ba-di-da-ba-di
We listened to our mothers, ate our lunchables and vegetables,
And grew up big and strong,
I guess we'll be best friends forever,
Singing this same song





And yes there were times, where we tried too hard,
To play it cool like captain Jean-luc Picard.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jamie Knowles's song "1999" celebrate the playful and carefree nature of childhood and the enduring friendships that are forged during that time. The opening lines evoke memories of childhood mischief, where the singer and their friend ate woodchips, perhaps as a way of testing their limits and asserting their independence. But as they grew older, they gained confidence and a sense of style, which allowed them to stand up to bullies and pursue their dreams. The chorus celebrates the music and culture of the late 90s, which was a time of great cultural diversity and experimentation.


The reference to Captain Jean-Luc Picard is particularly interesting, as it suggests that the singer and their friend were fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a popular sci-fi show from the 90s. This makes sense, given that the show was known for its themes of friendship and loyalty, which are important elements of the song. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer and their friend will be "best friends forever," a sentiment that is both nostalgic and optimistic, as it suggests that even as they grow older and change, their friendship will endure.


Line by Line Meaning

After eating woodchips and years later we...
Despite our childhood antics like eating woodchips, years later we have grown into our own, become confident and successful adults.


Got our swagger, and showed those haters now we're,
We gained a sense of self-assurance and proved our doubters wrong.


Keepin it fresh and we're busting out the rhymes and...
We are staying current in our creativity and expressing ourselves through music.


I've got your back, and you've got mine.
We are loyal friends who support each other through thick and thin.


And yes there were times, where we tried too hard,
We have made mistakes and sometimes put too much effort into fitting in.


To play it cool like captain Jean-luc Picard and
We mimicked the confident demeanor of Captain Picard from Star Trek.


I recall, how we barely made it out alive,
We went through challenges and difficult situations that could have broken our friendship.


But we maintained our sanity,
Despite the difficulties, we kept our cool and kept our friendship intact.


Remaining friends the entire time.
Our friendship endured through all the ups and downs.


Oh, back in 1999 all the kids all were on the playground,
In the year 1999, children were mostly playing outside on the playground.


Playing pokemon,
The popular game among children at that time was Pokemon.


And we listened those damndest songs about that guy
There were some bizarre and catchy songs about an unknown blue guy that we couldn't get out of our heads.


And he was blue...
The mysterious guy in the songs was, in fact, blue.


Da-ba-di-da-ba-di
The nonsensical but memorable chorus of one of the songs.


We listened to our mothers, ate our lunchables and vegetables,
We followed our parents' advice and ate healthy foods like lunchables and vegetables.


And grew up big and strong,
We have grown into healthy and strong adults.


I guess we'll be best friends forever,
We feel confident in our lifelong friendship.


Singing this same song.
Our friendship is based on shared memories and experiences, like singing the same song together.


So the story goes, we stole and lunchbox mittens,
As kids, we had silly adventures like stealing each other's mittens from lunchboxes.


Pretending to be on a secret mission,
We used our imagination to turn mundane activities into exciting adventures.


Acting like ninja's on the front lawn.
We played make-believe and pretended to be ninjas while playing outside.


A Rook for a rook, A pawn for a pawn
We exchanged items or favors as a playful form of competition.




Contributed by Eliana G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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