Numbers
Kraftwe rk Lyrics
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I don't wanna be a number
Just like being a prisoner
I just wanna stay free
Don't wanna be a number three
Oh, I don't wanna be a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Signing on the dot
Thought I had it made
They treat you just insane
Oh, I don't wanna be no 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
You are just a number
And I ain't got a name
You are just a number
And I ain't got a name
Sitting in a prison cell
Numbers on the chest
Age is just a number
Mummy does know best
Oh, I don't wanna be no 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
You are just a number
And I ain't got a name
You are just a number
And I ain't got a name
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
I don't wanna be a number
Just like being a prisoner
I just wanna stay free
Don't wanna be a number three
Oh, I don't wanna be no 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
You are just a number
And I ain't got a name
You are just a number
And I ain't got a name
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
The lyrics of Kraftwerk's song Numbers is a commentary on the dehumanization of the individual in modern society. The lyrics depict the singer's resistance against being reduced to a mere number or statistic by the systems and institutions that govern our lives, which treat us with cold indifference and lack of empathy. The repetition of the numbers 1 to 8, the word "number," and the phrase "you are just a number" highlight the pervasive presence of this phenomenon, as well as the singer's feeling of being trapped and powerless against it. The use of the prison imagery and the reference to a "prisoner" reinforces the idea that society can be like a prison, where people are labeled, categorized and disenfranchised, with their humanity and individuality stripped away.
The song's simplistic style and the use of electronic music make the message even more impactful, as it highlights the idea that even in an age of technological innovation, human beings are still just numbers to those in power. The song's title and theme foreshadowed numerous modern-day technological innovations, which digitize and quantify many aspects of our lives. The repetitive joylessness of the electronic score and Kraftwerk's robotic delivery add a dystopian element to the vision the song presents.
Line by Line Meaning
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Counting the numbers which represent an impersonal identity
I don't wanna be a number
The fear of being dehumanized and reduced to just a digit
Just like being a prisoner
The feeling of being trapped and powerless like a prison inmate
I just wanna stay free
The desire to maintain one's freedom and personal identity
Don't wanna be a number three
The need to differentiate oneself and avoid being just another number
Oh, I don't wanna be a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Reinforcing the previous statements with a sense of urgency
Signing on the dot
The act of blindly agreeing to something without considering its consequences
Got my name on the form
Feeling misled into thinking that signing means preserving one's identity
Thought I had it made
Ironically believing that signing up is the best course of action
They treat you just insane
Realizing that the system treats you as an object rather than a person
You are just a number
A chilling description of being stripped of one's unique identity
And I ain't got a name
The despair of being reduced to a mere digit in a system
Sitting in a prison cell
A metaphor for being trapped in a rigid and dehumanizing system
Numbers on the chest
A graphic example of being reduced to nothing but a series of statistical data
Age is just a number
An ironic statement pointing out the absurdity of labeling people with numbers
Mummy does know best
A sarcastic comment on the authority figures who enforce the system
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RALF HUETTER, FLORIAN SCHNEIDER-ESLEBEN, KARL BARTOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-wn6bi8po5q
I'll be 55 next month and I'm a true B boy. I Lived Hip Hop all my life, and this still gives me the same joy of the Culture. How I wish I could go back.
@Hawaii96720
I feel ya. Born and raised in Hilo Hawaii 1971.
@tezsgino
I'd love to join you! This was it for me, too.
@user-wn6bi8po5q
Because of HIP Hop, the condition of the inner city across the Country is Known. Also, because of HIP Hop the WHOLE WORLD has taken some of our Flavz and added it to the Mainstream European style. Brands make the style we created.
@sandrajones3573
Yes indeed!!❤❤🔥🔥
@gnd144
Kraftwerk paved the way, others copied. I bought the Man-Machine in 1983,...although it came out in 1978, we would mixed parts into other New Wave & Hip-Hop songs. Kraftwerk's influence had many people experimenting. Great memories.
@sherriebenson3643
This will always be the absolute funkiest electronic jam ever composed and performed💯 Everybody back in the 80s was pop-locking, break dancing, drum beating to this song! I still have the album🥰 Perfect song for driving, bike riding, and workouts! I'm 61 and still listen to entire album when I want to just chill😌
@carlbowles1808
Kraftwerk killed this. Trying to pop and lock at my age would kill me. Head bopping and toe tapping with joy will have to do.
@deshaunwhite777
@sherriebenson3643 I agree with you 💯% through and through!!! This is a timeless track and has been copied/sampled/remade/remixed 100's of times! Enough said. 2023🥳🎉
@arthurswanson3285
Bro I start poppin every time this drops. Like the 80s