Under Pressure
Pras Michel/Queen/Wyclef Jean Lyrics

Mm-noom-ba-deh
Simple, meaningless vocalization as an introduction.

Doom-boom-ba-beh
Another simple, meaningless vocalization as an introduction.

Doo-boo-boom-ba-beh-beh
One more simple, meaningless vocalization as an introduction.

Pressure pushin' down on me
The feeling of being overwhelmed and under a lot of pressure.

Pressin' down on you, no man ask for
The pressure affects everyone, and it's not something they asked for.

Under pressure that brings a building down
The weight of pressure can cause physical damage to buildings.

Splits a family in two, puts people on streets
The weight of pressure can also cause emotional damage, splitting families apart and leaving people homeless.

Mm-ba-ba-beh, mm-ba-ba-beh
Another series of meaningless vocalizations.

Dee-day-da, ee-day-da
Yet another series of meaningless vocalizations.

That's okay
Despite all the pressure, it's okay to keep going.

That's the terror of knowing what this world is about
Knowing the harsh realities of the world can be terrifying.

Watchin' some good friends screamin', "Let me out"
Seeing loved ones struggling and crying out for help.

Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Hoping for a better future.

Pressure on people, people on streets
Pressure affects everyone, and can lead to homelessness and poverty.

Da-da-da, mm-mm
More meaningless vocalizations.

Da-da-da-ba-bum
Still more meaningless vocalizations.

Chippin' around, kick my brains 'round the floor
Feeling scattered and overwhelmed.

These are the days it never rains but it pours
When things are going wrong, it seems like everything is going wrong all at once.

Ee-doh-ba-buh, ee-da-ba-ba-bop
Yet more meaningless vocalizations.

Mm-bo-bop, beh-lup
Still more meaningless vocalizations.

People on streets, ee-da-dee-da-day
Acknowledging the reality of homelessness and poverty in the streets.

People on streets, ee-da-dee-da-dee-da-dee-da
More emphasis on the reality of homelessness and poverty.

Turned away from it all like a blind man
Ignoring the obvious problems in the world, like a blind person ignores visual stimuli.

Sat on the fence but it don't work
Trying to stay neutral but realizing that it's not effective.

Keep comin' up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Trying to come up with solutions, but they never seem to work out.

Why, why, why?
Questioning why nothing seems to work.

Love
The solution is love.

Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking
Under pressure, things feel chaotic and insane.

Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Asking for another chance to make things right.

Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Asking why people can't just love and help one another to make things better.

Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love
Continuing to emphasize the importance of love and helping one another.

Give love, give love, give love, give love?
Asking everyone to join in with giving love and support to one another.

'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
Acknowledging that love might seem old-fashioned or unrealistic, but it's still important.

And love dares you to care for
Challenging people to care for others, even if it's difficult or risky.

The people on the edge of the night
Those who are struggling and need help the most.

And love dares you to change our way of
Loving and caring for others can bring about change and make the world a better place.

Caring about ourselves
But it's important to also care for ourselves, so that we can be there for others.

This is our last dance
Life is short and we need to make it count.

This is our last dance
Repeated for emphasis.

This is ourselves
We are responsible for ourselves and one another.

Under pressure
Finally, back to the initial theme of the song: pressure and its impact on us all.

Under pressure
Repeated for emphasis as a final message.

Pressure
One last word to encapsulate the entire song's message.