Playing With Fire
Plan B Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

One day you'll learn when you get burned
By then it will be too late you ya
Be too late for ya
When the fire spreads and burns, don't you know?

He's just a kid off the estate
They call him little Jake
Today he tried to buy weed with his little mate
Up in the bits, but he's just a kid
So he was open to manipulation
He had to undergo initiation
And when some older boys saw the situation
They took the piss; now look at this
Little youth beating up his only friend
The only one that weren't pretend
And even gave him the money for the pen
From mice to men and then to rats
But only a snake behaves like that
But the gang don't care for fool shooting caps
They're just happy that you fall for the trap

Playing with fire
It doesn't burn
The first time your hand
Walked through the flame
Playing with fire
Bitter and sweet, Oh-no
Scorching skin now
Hell on its way
Playing with fire
Fire, fire, fire, fire
You're playing with fire

One day you'll learn when you get burned
By then it will be too late for ya
Be too late for ya
When the fire spreads and burns, don't you know
Playing with fire

He's just a kid, but he feels like a man today
He joined a gang today
Been at a house party around the way
Doing illegal shit, but he's just a kid
Still he's in luck today, he got a fuck today
Yeah he bust his very first nut today
In some stupid bitch, today's moving quick
So quick, if you wear the wrong shoes you'll slip
Better keep up with the tempo, with a clique
Cause what they on is messed up bruv
And now that he's rolling with these vexed up thugs
So what's next up bruv?
Cause he's gonna make it his only mission
To better his position
In this little gang it's a competition
To the little man with a disposition
Holier than thou, he was born a Christian
All he worships now is an idealism
Wise men will tell you with age comes wisdom
And you can't be saved by religion unless you have faith
So it makes no difference to the youths that are raised in the system
You don't have age on the side
Or any positive role models in their lives that provide insight
So they ain't going to listen
As for Jake, he's already made his decision
And now he's just another poster boy for David Cameron's Broken Britain

Playing with fire
It doesn't burn
The first time your hand
Walked through the flame
Playing with fire
Bitter and sweet, Oh-no
Scorching skin now
Hell on its way
Playing with fire

One day you'll learn when you get burned
By then it will be too late for ya
Be too late for ya




When the fire spreads and burns, don't you know
Playing with fire

Overall Meaning

The song "Playing With Fire" by Plan B is a cautionary tale about the consequences of getting involved in gangs and illegal activities. It begins with the story of Little Jake, a kid from the estate who is easily manipulated and forced to undergo initiation to become a part of the gang. The lyrics describe how he is pushed to beat up his only friend and do illegal things in order to fit in with the gang. Little Jake's story reflects the harsh reality of many young people who get involved in gangs and the downward spiral that often follows.


The chorus of the song warns that playing with fire never ends well. The metaphor of fire is used to represent the dangers of being involved in illegal activities and the potential for one's life to spiral out of control. The lyrics repeat the warning that one day you will get burned, and by then it will be too late.


The song ends with a powerful message about the lack of positive role models and support for young people who grow up in the system. The final lines suggest that these young people are "poster boys" for societal issues like "Broken Britain." "Playing With Fire" is a poignant reminder of the harsh reality that many young people face.


Line by Line Meaning

One day you'll learn when you get burned
You'll understand the consequence of your actions when you experience the pain of failure


By then it will be too late for ya
But it will be too late to change the outcome


Be too late for ya
It'll be too late for you to react


When the fire spreads and burns, don't you know?
You can't control the damage that fire can inflict


He's just a kid off the estate
Jake is just a child from the housing estate


They call him little Jake
He's known as Little Jake


Today he tried to buy weed with his little mate
Today he attempted to purchase marijuana with his friend


Up in the bits, but he's just a kid
In that area, but he's still a child


So he was open to manipulation
He was vulnerable to being influenced


He had to undergo initiation
He had to complete a test to prove himself


And when some older boys saw the situation
When some senior boys recognized his vulnerability


They took the piss; now look at this
They made fun of him, as he is now in a compromising situation


Little youth beating up his only friend
He is now attacking his only friend


The only one that weren't pretend
The only loyal one


And even gave him the money for the pen
He even gave Jake the money to buy the marijuana


From mice to men and then to rats
People start as innocent mice, grow up to be powerful men, but sometimes end up behaving like scoundrels


But only a snake behaves like that
But only a snake would act that way


But the gang don't care for fool shooting caps
The gang doesn't mind if their younger members waste bullets


They're just happy that you fall for the trap
They're pleased that Jake has now fallen victim to their plan


Playing with fire
Toying with danger


It doesn't burn
It seems harmless at first


The first time your hand
Initially


Walked through the flame
When you first touched it


Bitter and sweet, Oh-no
It's both good and bad, but more bad


Scorching skin now
Causing severe burns to the skin now


Hell on its way
A catastrophe is imminent


Fire, fire, fire, fire
Repetition of the word fire, emphasizing danger


He's just a kid, but he feels like a man today
Despite his age, he feels like an adult now


He joined a gang today
He became a member of a gang today


Been at a house party around the way
He went to a party nearby


Doing illegal shit, but he's just a kid
Participating in illegal activities, despite still being a child


Still he's in luck today, he got a fuck today
But despite his reckless behavior, he had sex today


Yeah he bust his very first nut today
Today was the first time he experienced an orgasm


In some stupid bitch, today's moving quick
He had sex with an unknown, random girl, and everything is happening so fast


So quick, if you wear the wrong shoes you'll slip
Things are happening so quickly that you can easily make a mistake


Better keep up with the tempo, with a clique
You must keep up with the fast-paced environment when you're part of a group


Cause what they on is messed up bruv
The gang members' behavior is terrible


And now that he's rolling with these vexed up thugs
Now that he's hanging out with these angry, violent people


So what's next up bruv?
What will happen next to him?


Cause he's gonna make it his only mission
He has decided that it's his mission


To better his position
To improve his status within the gang


In this little gang it's a competition
It's a competition to move up the ranks in the gang


To the little man with a disposition
To someone with a particular attitude


Holier than thou, he was born a Christian
He was born into a religious family and considers himself morally superior


All he worships now is an idealism
Now he only believes in an idealistic vision of what he thinks things should be


Wise men will tell you with age comes wisdom
Older, wiser people will tell you that experience teaches you valuable lessons


And you can't be saved by religion unless you have faith
You can't find salvation simply by following a religion; you need to believe in it


So it makes no difference to the youths that are raised in the system
It doesn't matter to the young people that are brought up in a corrupted system


You don't have age on the side
You don't have youth on your side


Or any positive role models in their lives that provide insight
Or any person in their life who is a positive example and can provide them with guidance


So they ain't going to listen
They won't listen


As for Jake, he's already made his decision
As for Jake, he has already decided on his path


And now he's just another poster boy for David Cameron's Broken Britain
Now he's just a typical example of the problems reported in David Cameron's 'Broken Britain'




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BEN DREW, TIMOTHY MCKENZIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@WuBbZaFaCe

"now he's just another poster bow for David Cameron's broken Britain." that is the sickest verse I've ever heard from any song that I've ever listened to. speechless.

@liamhawtin2156

I think it has to be the truest verse to.

@bertiegreen8996

It's not even a verse, it's a line

@JordanMilly

Entirely true, fuck the Tories.

@ow3jyt548

Damn straight

@royalmarine1285

JordanMillward1 fuck Labour

12 More Replies...

@kieranmanning2798

ill manors was an underrated film

@Lordcathan4

Agreed

@iancraven9080

im gonna watch it tonight give it a go

@potnoodles4life171

+ian craven ha same man...

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