Wildside
Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch Lyrics

Ah yeah huh..America the Beautiful
Introducing the song by referencing the patriotic song "America the Beautiful"

Huh, yeah, let me introduce y'all..to the Wildside
Marky Mark is introducing the concept of living on the 'Wildside' in contrast to the American beauty

Annie was a high school cheerleader
Introducing one of the characters, Annie, who was a popular cheerleader in high school

Pom poms and bobby socks, no girl was sweeter
Describing Annie's attire, pom poms and bobby socks, and how she was the sweetest girl

Come Prom time everybody was on the line
Explaining how everyone waited in line for Annie during prom season

All the fellas swinging nickel and dime
Describing how the guys were trying to woo Annie with small gifts and gestures

Tales about love and lust and trust
Mentioning some of the themes that arose during the season, such as love and trust

But Annie took it all in stride
Annie handled all the attention she received during prom season with ease

Cause deep inside Annie had aspirations
Revealing that Annie had larger ambitions than just being a high school cheerleader

Wanted to be a chemical engineer
Explaining the career path that Annie aspired to follow

Making fifty to fifty-five thousand a year
Stating the amount of money Annie hoped to make in her career

Her first year of college was a success
Annie's first year of college went well for her

But along came Billy possessed and obsessed
Introducing Billy, who shows up to derail Annie's plans

He took Annie on a fatal date
Billy takes Annie out on a date that will ultimately lead to her death

And showed her things that make heartbeats accelerate
Billy introduces Annie to drugs, which excite her and cause her heart to race

Annie took a hit breathed two short breaths
Annie tries the drugs and dies after taking just one hit

One for life..the last for death
Describing Annie's last breaths as she tries to hold onto life

Now she's gone, a former Valedictorian
Annie's academic achievements are mentioned, then her death is noted

Ended up becoming a topic for historians
Annie's story became a topic of study for historians due to its tragic ending

Washed up dreams and shattered pride
The loss of Annie's future plans and self-esteem were devastating

All because Annie took a hit - on the Wildside
Annie's involvement with drugs through Billy led to her death

Ron had enough of being broke everyday
Introducing the next character, Ron, who was tired of being poor

Saying to himself, there's gotta be a better way
Ron wants to make more money and improve his life

Cause 9 to 5 wasn't worth the headaches
Ron didn't want to keep working a regular job because it wasn't fulfilling

So Ron figured out a faster way to make - money
Ron became involved in illegal activities to increase his income

Before you know it, he's a rich man
Ron's criminal pursuits led to financial success

Gold on every finger of his hand
Ron flaunts his wealth by wearing a lot of gold rings

A brand new BMW, a condo, Ron ended up a John Doe
Ron's success couldn't save him from a tragic end, as he ends up unidentified after being murdered

A body was found in the alley but never claimed
Ron's body was discovered but no one came forward to identify him

Full of bullet holes but none to blame
Ron was shot multiple times, but no one knows who did it

Ron became another victim of homicide
Ron's death was another example of a violent crime

Because he chose to walk - on the Wildside
Ron's involvement in criminal activity ultimately led to his tragic end

Charles had everything going for him
Introducing the third character, Charles, who had a good life

A top paying job, a good life, a good wife
Listing some of the positives in Charles' life, such as his job and wife

A baby boy on the way any day
Charles had a son on the way, further adding to his happiness

A gentleman attitude is all he displayed
Charles was known to be a respectful and well-mannered person

Carol was the wife he loved and adored
Charles' love for his wife, Carol, was strong

Her family and friends treated him like an Ambassador
Carol's family and friends held Charles in high regard

One night on the other side of town
Charles goes out one night, away from his usual neighborhood

A police dispatcher picked up a weird sound
The police receive a report of something strange happening in the area where Charles was

Charles on the car phone asking for help
Charles makes a call for help while in his car

Claiming a burglar shot his wife and himself
Charles reports that he and his wife have been shot by a burglar

His pregnant wife lay slumped over
Describing the scene of Carol after being shot

Dreams corrupted and a young life over
Carol's future is destroyed and cut short due to her death

Extensive searches throughout the projects
The police search a lot of low-income areas for potential suspects

Put a lot of people through misery and wreck
The investigation ends up causing pain and chaos for many people

Everyone a suspect 'til someone was found
Everyone in the area was considered a suspect until the real killer was found

Interrogated 'cause their skin was brown
Minorities in the area were interrogated more heavily than others

Then there was Bennett, guilty until proven so
One person in particular, Bennett, was treated as guilty until proven innocent

But soon as the case started moving slow
The investigation started to lose steam as time went on

What do you know, sure as as sea gull gets webbed toed
The real killer is caught

Charles was the culprit
Charles, the apparent victim, is actually the killer

The whole plot was an insurance scam
Charles and his brother created a plot to collect money from Carol's death

Charles and his brother came up with a plan
It was a premeditated scheme to defraud the insurance company

Kill Carol, collect a big check
The plan was to murder Carol in order to collect the insurance money

Blame it on a black man, what the heck?
The brothers decided to blame the murder on a black man, furthering the deception

And just before the story was known
The plan almost succeeded, but the truth was revealed just in time

Charles had a feeling that his cover was blown
Charles became worried that he would be caught

So he jumped off a bridge
Charles kills himself by jumping off a bridge

Committed suicide
Charles' death is self-inflicted

This is how it is - on the Wildside
The story of Charles and Carol is another example of how the 'Wildside' can lead to ruin

Little Tiffany, only thirteen
Introducing the final character, Tiffany, who is just 13 years old

Came to the city, place of big dreams
Tiffany is visiting the city and its many opportunities

Visiting family and friends for the summertime
Describing Tiffany's reason for coming to the city

Sittin' on a mailbox, watchin' the boys climb trees
Tiffany is sitting in a mailbox, observing some boys climbing trees

And the girls play hopscotch
Tiffany also watches some girls playing hopscotch

So far, her vacation was top notch
Tiffany has been enjoying her time in the city

Then out of the blue, a Mercedes at top speed
An unexpected event occurs, as a Mercedes speeds through the area

Gang bangers chasin' the robbers on the stampede
A group of gang members are chasing some robbers, creating chaos

Quick as a blink shots rang out loud
Gunshots are fired suddenly and without warning

And a hail of bullets zipped through the crowd
Bullets hit the crowd, causing people to scatter

One hit Tiffany, and instantly she died
Tiffany is struck by a bullet and killed instantly

Innocently - on the Wildside
Tiffany's death is a stark reminder that the 'Wildside' can be dangerous and unpredictable