1999
Prince; The New Power Generation Lyrics


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I was dreamin' when I wrote this
Forgive me if it goes astray
But when I woke up this mornin'
Could of sworn it was judgment day

The sky was all purple
There were people runnin' everywhere
Tryin' to run from the destruction
You know I didn't even care

'Cause they say two thousand zero zero
Party over, oops out of time
So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999

I was dreamin' when I wrote this
So sue me if I go to fast
But life is just a party
And parties weren't meant to last

War is all around us
My mind says prepare to fight
So if I gotta die
I'm gonna listen to my body tonight

Yeah, they say two thousand zero zero
Party over, oops out of time
So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999
Yeah, yeah

Lemme tell ya somethin'
If you didn't come to party
Don't bother knockin' on my door
I got a lion in my pocket
And baby he's ready to roar, yeah yeah

Everybody's got a bomb
We could all die here today, uhh
But before I'll let that happen
I'll dance my life away

They say two thousand zero zero
Party over, oops out of time
We're runnin' outta time
So tonight, we gonna, we gonna (tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999)

Say it one more time
Two thousand zero zero
Party over, oops out of time
Yeah, yeah
So tonight we gonna, we gonna (tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999)

1999 (1999)
Don't ya want to go (1999)
Don't ya want to go (1999)
We could all die here today (1999)




I don't want to die
I'd rather dance my life away

Overall Meaning

The song "1999" by Prince and The New Power Generation was released in 1982 and it gained massive popularity during the turn of the millennium. The lyrics of the song describe a party that takes place on the eve of the start of the year 2000. The opening lines of the song, "I was dreamin' when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray," indicate that the song may be a dream or a hallucination. The singer describes the world as if it were in chaos, with people running in all directions to escape destruction. The lines "You know I didn't even care, 'cause they say two thousand zero zero, party over, oops out of time, so tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999" reflect the sentiment of people at the time who were worried about the possible effects of the Y2K bug.


The song represents a desire to party and have fun despite the potential for danger, war, and death, as mentioned in the following lines, "War is all around us, my mind says prepare to fight, so if I gotta die, I'm gonna listen to my body tonight." The lyrics encourage listeners to live in the moment and dance their lives away, and it portrays a shift in values and attitudes toward life that were prevalent in the late 1990s. "1999" is a song about partying, living life to the fullest, and not taking life or anything in it too seriously.


Line by Line Meaning

I was dreamin' when I wrote this
I came up with these lyrics in a dream


Forgive me if it goes astray
Sorry if the song doesn't make total sense


But when I woke up this mornin'
When I snapped back to reality


Could of sworn it was judgment day
I thought the world was ending


The sky was all purple
Everything looked surreal


There were people runnin' everywhere
Everyone was panicking


Tryin' to run from the destruction
Fleeing from some kind of disaster


You know I didn't even care
I was indifferent to their plight


'Cause they say two thousand zero zero
The new millennium is almost here


Party over, oops out of time
Life as we know it is ending


So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999
I'm going to make the most of it


So sue me if I go to fast
I know I'm going too far


But life is just a party
Life is meant to be enjoyed


And parties weren't meant to last
Good things don't last forever


War is all around us
The world is full of conflict


My mind says prepare to fight
I feel like I have to defend myself


So if I gotta die
If I have to go down


I'm gonna listen to my body tonight
I'm going to live in the moment


If you didn't come to party
If you're not here to have fun


Don't bother knockin' on my door
You're not welcome


I got a lion in my pocket
I feel invincible


And baby he's ready to roar, yeah yeah
I'm ready to take on anything


Everybody's got a bomb
Everyone has their own problems


We could all die here today, uhh
We never know when our time will come


But before I'll let that happen
Before I give up


I'll dance my life away
I'll keep moving forward


We're runnin' outta time
Time is running out


Say it one more time
Let's make it clear


1999
The year we're living in


Don't ya want to go
Don't you want to come with me


We could all die here today
We might as well live it up


I don't want to die
I don't want to think about death


I'd rather dance my life away
I'd rather keep enjoying life




Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@venanciahopkins5035

Underrated Prince classic! The Graffiti Bridge album is brilliant! I could never get that much into the Graffiti Bridge movie being the huge Prince fan that I am but I love the album! I want to see the video for Elephants and Flowers! New Power Generation is a great song!

@kamilahcummings1827

Yes. I made my own version of the album with only Prince songs, and it is really a fantastic album, one of my favorites. Some of my all-time favorite Prince songs are on it - Joy in Repetition, Question of U, We Can Funk, and Elephants and Flowers are just gems!

@omarvgarcia

Prince is PURE NOSTALGIC ENERGY!!! 😍🎸🎢🎡

@brianhudson7984

One of my favorite Prince tracks!
The best part about FridayπŸ’œπŸ˜Ž
I will never tire of watching him and hearing his songs πŸ’œ LEGEND!

@DuhAverageJoe

One of my favorite Prince tracks!

@pamelacapozzoli4011

DuhAverageJoe , Mine too !

@MJForever1999

Same!

@tammymarshall7726

pamela capozzoli holy River Paisley Park Anastasia If I Was Your Girlfriend

@eliotero9335

New Power Generation, Thieves in the Temple, My name is Prince, The beautiful ones, When doves cry, Lets go crazy, 1999, Little red corvette, Cream, Computer Blue (extended version), Erotic City, and Purple Rain.

@Img.o

Same

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