Survive
John Mellencamp Lyrics


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Written by John Mellencamp

Go on and admit it
You can't take it anymore
So why don't you quit it
Your scratching off again
Can't you see it
Well the whole thing was such a surprise

I know you and your hear crazy notions
Your pretty girls and no devotions
Down by the ocean middle class
Down by the gulf side, you let it all slide

But now your saying that you don't
Wanna be a sixteen year old girl, aah
But you don't want to turn twenty-five
You never ever, you never ever lied,
Where you been, aahh
You got to survive to keep yourself alive,
Yeah-ah, yeah

It ain't no big deal if your attitude is wrong
And you don't know how you feel
You just cop someone else's ideas
And masturbate yourself, make them your own
Well I, I don't mean to tell you what to do
Cause I've scratched off myself a time or two
Well it just leaves you blue, with nothing to do
And they think I'm crazy when I stay up all weekend

But now your saying that you don't
Wanna be a sixteen year old girl, oh yeah, aah
But you don't want to turn twenty-five
You never ever, you never ever lied
Where you been, aahh
You got to survive to keep yourself alive
Yeah-ah, my na na no, yeah

So if I'm walking down the street and you see me
Don't walk on by, say hey man
You know your looking, your looking so fine
You don't have to mean it, no no
Its just one of the regular lies that we've lived with




And this is a love song and
I'm writing it just to survive

Overall Meaning

John Mellencamp's song "Survive" was released on his 1983 album, "Uh-Huh." The song speaks of the difficulties that arise in life and how even with all the ups and downs, one must simply survive to keep oneself alive. Mellencamp sings about people who can't take it anymore and who scratch off and let things slide. He talks about people who have crazy notions and blindly follow the ideas of others, instead of creating their own. Mellencamp points out that copying others leaves one feeling blue and with nothing to do.


In the chorus, Mellencamp gets more specific with his message. He says that one must survive to keep oneself alive, and age shouldn't matter. People are often caught between wanting to stay young forever but also wanting to grow up and be taken seriously. He suggests that people can survive this limbo by keeping their heads up and just doing their best to get by.


Mellencamp ends the song with an invitation for people to acknowledge each other's humanity. He asks that people don't walk by without saying hello and that they notice each other's fine qualities, even if it is just a white lie. He declares that "Survive" is a love song written for this very purpose, to keep himself and others alive.


Line by Line Meaning

Go on and admit it
Admit the truth to yourself


You can't take it anymore
You can't handle the pressure anymore


So why don't you quit it
Why don't you give up on it


Your scratching off again
You can't handle the situation and are nervous


Can't you see it
Can't you perceive the reality of the situation


Well the whole thing was such a surprise
The entire situation took you by surprise


I know you and your hear crazy notions
I know you have wild and unrealistic ideas


Your pretty girls and no devotions
You prioritize physical appearance over other values


Down by the ocean middle class
You come from a lower middle-class background


Down by the gulf side, you let it all slide
As you go to relaxing locations, you loosen up on your principles


But now your saying that you don't Wanna be a sixteen year old girl, aah
You don't want to be immature anymore


But you don't want to turn twenty-five
You don't want to grow old yet either


You never ever, you never ever lied, Where you been, aahh
You've never lied, but others question where you've been


You got to survive to keep yourself alive
You have to fight to survive in life


It ain't no big deal if your attitude is wrong
It's not a major issue if your outlook is negative


And you don't know how you feel
You are confused about your emotional state


You just cop someone else's ideas
You borrow other's thoughts and pass them as your own


And masturbate yourself, make them your own
You indulge in self-gratification by using other's thoughts


Well I, I don't mean to tell you what to do
I don't want to dictate your life


Cause I've scratched off myself a time or two
Because I've been uncertain myself in the past


Well it just leaves you blue, with nothing to do
It leaves you sad and unoccupied


And they think I'm crazy when I stay up all weekend
People judge me for my activities over the weekend


So if I'm walking down the street and you see me
If you see me walking on the street


Don't walk on by, say hey man
Don't just ignore me, greet me


You know your looking, your looking so fine
You tell me that I'm looking good


You don't have to mean it, no no
You don't have to be genuine


Its just one of the regular lies that we've lived with
It's just one of the common deceptions we deal with


And this is a love song and I'm writing it just to survive
This is a song about love, written just to keep going in life




Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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