Help Wanted
Shane Koyczan & the Short Story Long Lyrics
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And I'd hear her say, "Rise and shine.
The world is a window that holds a sign
There's help wanted somewhere."
So I rose and I shone.
I put on my shoes and I was gone.
She said, "Don't bother calling the people who care,
Call the people don't.
Don't bother calling the people who have taken up a fight,
Call the people who won't."
And I learn at a very young age
Where my Grandma's rage came from.
The entire congregation would nod,
Never ask Grandma about God.
I'd argue with her everyday
All she'd say is, "Go down to the store
Buy some light bulbs,
And when you run out, buy some more.
Because the light at the end of your tunnel needs to be maintained.
You can't let it be stained by their beliefs are better than your beliefs.
And you can't agree to disagree, because they're fucking wrong!"
It's not the strong who have gotten lazy,
It's just that your vision is a little hazy.
You're not sure what you want,
But what you've got is all you need.
Falsed greed.
For every hypocritical church goer
Who won't walk past the beggars
'Cause they can't spare a dime.
Grandma said, "Fuck them,
I don't talk to God 'cause I ain't got the time."
And it struck me as strange.
Every time I walked past someone
Who stopped to ask me,
"Hey can you spare some change?"
Because, yes I can, but you see
I don't carry change around in my back pocket.
I don't wear it around my neck on a chain in some locket.
I keep change in the tip of my pen.
And it seeps out every now and then,
In spurts of angry ink that make me think,
Maybe the writing on the wall could use a little revision.
Grandma told me, "Stop trying to calculate the difference between people.
People don't need division.
Gotta stick it together.
Gotta love each other."
Father, brother, sister, mother, uncles, cousins, aunts,
Forget about the chance, the cheers, the jokes, the jeers.
After 2000 years, you'd think we'd know by now.
Grandma said, "We will only find equality in the number of tears."
And she was right,
Because I don't know what injustices you have suffer,
Based size, sex, race, religion,
Or the political pigeon shit on the shoulders of
Us versus them.
Like in Bethlehem,
When a man said, "Hey I could be wrong,
But can't we all just get along?"
No! So we nailed him to a tree.
See, justice isn't justice,
It just is.
And I can't change it,
You can't change it.
So we've just got to try and rearrange it.
And I could offer you this miracle.
A chance to see,
A chance to see what I see.
To see the way that people see me.
Because if seeing is believing,
And you see what I see,
We wouldn't want to see anymore.
But I've got a little surprise in store
For every man who looks upon me with judgment in his eye,
The women who looks upon me with wetness between her thighs.
I'm the world's greatest overweight lover.
And you might just laugh.
And you might just scoff.
My bones are made from sticks and stones
And names just piss me off.
Grandma told me, "Young man,
You can't be concerned with what ever it is they've got,
Because the only reason they think they're beautiful
Is the same reason they think you're not.
And, young man, you have beauty beyond measure.
You are a treasure entrenched in this earth.
You can't let strangers determine your worth.
Rise and shine!"
So I rose and I shone.
I put on my shoes and I was gone.
See, Grandma bought me my first phone.
She said, "Young man, from time to time,
I too need to smile.
Would you do me a favour and keep me on speed dial?"
Yes, Grandma, I will.
And still, to this day, I can call her up
And hear her say, "It's a game!
You play, you win.
You play, you lose.
You play!"
"Rise and shine!
The world is a window that holds a sign,
There is help wanted out there, somewhere.
But young man, if you are playing to win,
The first thing you have to do,
Is apply within."
The song "Help Wanted" by Shane Koyczan & the Short Story Long is a powerful testament to the importance of perseverance, strength, and empathy. The lyrics are deeply personal, and illustrate the lessons that the artist learned from his grandmother. The song begins with the artist describing his grandmother, who would come into his room every day and tell him to "rise and shine," encouraging him to face the world with optimism and hope. She would tell him that there was always "help wanted somewhere," and that he needed to go out and seek it.
The artist describes how his grandmother taught him to be strong and independent, and to rely on himself rather than on others. She encouraged him to call people who would challenge him and push him to be his best self, rather than relying on those who would coddle him. As the song progresses, the artist discusses the lessons that he learned from his grandmother about equality and justice. He describes how his grandmother believed that people should stick together and love each other, regardless of their differences. She taught him that justice isn't always fair, and that sometimes all one can do is try and rearrange it.
The artist also discusses the importance of self-worth and confidence in the face of discrimination and bigotry. His grandmother taught him to embrace his own beauty and worth, and to never let others determine his value. He sings about how he is a "world's greatest overweight lover," and how he refuses to let the judgment of others affect him. Overall, the song "Help Wanted" is a moving tribute to the power of love, empathy, and perseverance, and is a reminder that we are all in this together.
Line by Line Meaning
Everyday, Grandma would come into my room
Grandma visited every day
And I'd hear her say, "Rise and shine.
Grandma told the singer to wake up
The world is a window that holds a sign
There's help wanted somewhere.
Opportunities are out there
So I rose and I shone.
The artist got up and started the day
I put on my shoes and I was gone.
The artist left the room and started the day
See Grandma bought me my first phone.
Grandma gave the singer a phone as a gift
She said, "Don't bother calling the people who care,
Call the people don't.
Call the people who don't care
"Don't bother calling the people who have taken up a fight,
Call the people who won't."
Call the people who won't fight
And I learn at a very young age
Where my Grandma's rage came from.
The artist learned why Grandma is angry
The entire congregation would nod,
Never ask Grandma about God.
The people in church agreed with Grandma and never questioned her about God
I'd argue with her everyday
All she'd say is, "Go down to the store
Buy some light bulbs,
And when you run out, buy some more.
The singer argued with Grandma often, but she responded with mundane instructions
Because the light at the end of your tunnel needs to be maintained.
You can't let it be stained by their beliefs are better than your beliefs.
And you can't agree to disagree, because they're fucking wrong!"
Grandma wanted the artist to focus on their own beliefs and maintain their hope and optimism
It's not the strong who have gotten lazy,
It's just that your vision is a little hazy.
Weakness is not laziness, it's a blurry vision of what you want
You're not sure what you want,
But what you've got is all you need.
You don't know what you want in life, but you have everything you need
Falsed greed.
False desire for more than you need
For every hypocritical church goer
Who won't walk past the beggars
'Cause they can't spare a dime.
People who go to church but won't help the less fortunate
Grandma said, "Fuck them,
I don't talk to God 'cause I ain't got the time."
Grandma didn't care about those people and didn't have time for God
And it struck me as strange.
Every time I walked past someone
Who stopped to ask me,
"Hey can you spare some change?"
The singer thought it was strange that people asked for money
Because, yes I can, but you see
I don't carry change around in my back pocket.
I don't wear it around my neck on a chain in some locket.
I keep change in the tip of my pen.
And it seeps out every now and then,
In spurts of angry ink that make me think,
Maybe the writing on the wall could use a little revision.
The singer doesn't give money but expresses anger through writing
Grandma told me, "Stop trying to calculate the difference between people.
People don't need division.
Gotta stick it together.
Gotta love each other."
Don't divide people and love everyone
Father, brother, sister, mother, uncles, cousins, aunts,
Forget about the chance, the cheers, the jokes, the jeers.
After 2000 years, you'd think we'd know by now.
After all these years, we should know to love our family members
Grandma said, "We will only find equality in the number of tears."
Equality will come when everyone cries the same amount
And she was right,
Because I don't know what injustices you have suffer,
Based size, sex, race, religion,
Or the political pigeon shit on the shoulders of
Us versus them.
There are many injustices due to personal characteristics or political division
Like in Bethlehem,
When a man said, "Hey I could be wrong,
But can't we all just get along?"
A man in Bethlehem asked for unity
No! So we nailed him to a tree.
They didn't agree with him and killed him
See, justice isn't justice,
It just is.
Justice is subjective and exists regardless of what we think
And I can't change it,
You can't change it.
So we've just got to try and rearrange it.
We can't change it, but we can try to make it better
And I could offer you this miracle.
A chance to see,
A chance to see what I see.
The artist can offer insight
To see the way that people see me.
Because if seeing is believing,
And you see what I see,
We wouldn't want to see anymore.
If people saw the artist the same way they saw themselves, they would be content
But I've got a little surprise in store
For every man who looks upon me with judgment in his eye,
The women who looks upon me with wetness between her thighs.
The singer has a secret for those who judge him
I'm the world's greatest overweight lover.
The singer takes pride in his physical features
And you might just laugh.
And you might just scoff.
Others might not take the artist seriously
My bones are made from sticks and stones
And names just piss me off.
Insults don't bother the artist
Grandma told me, "Young man,
You can't be concerned with what ever it is they've got,
Because the only reason they think they're beautiful
Is the same reason they think you're not.
Don't worry about what others think
And, young man, you have beauty beyond measure.
You are a treasure entrenched in this earth.
You can't let strangers determine your worth.
The singer is valuable and shouldn't let others dictate their worth
Rise and shine!"
Wake up and start the day with optimism
See, Grandma bought me my first phone.
She said, "Young man, from time to time,
I too need to smile.
Would you do me a favour and keep me on speed dial?"
Grandma wanted the singer to have a phone so they could stay in touch
Yes, Grandma, I will.
The singer agreed to keep Grandma on speed dial
And still, to this day, I can call her up
And hear her say, "It's a game!
You play, you win.
You play, you lose.
You play!"
Grandma motivates the singer to keep playing the game of life
"Rise and shine!
The world is a window that holds a sign,
There is help wanted out there, somewhere.
But young man, if you are playing to win,
The first thing you have to do,
Is apply within."
Opportunities exist if you look for them, but you have to apply and work to succeed
Contributed by Michael B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@shelby7502
"You can't agree to disagree, because they're fucking wrong!"
@ShmeatPacker
" "I could be wrong but can we all just get along?" "
"No, so we nailed him to a tree"
Goddamnš
@amandakaywing1993
I sincerely hope that I never grow tired of hearing these words.
@SaniyaCanada
Grandma said, "Young man, you've got beauty beyond measure". Yes, Shane. You certainly do!
@drexmis
"The only reason they think they're beautiful is the same reason they think you're not"
@premi44
Your grandma sounds freaking awesome
@OmarSuicide
I started writing, i write for myself, not a story for others. in one million pages, im sure at least one will resonate with another of the billions of people on this planet of ours. but until i have written something uplifting whether it be from a dark place or not, i wont share it. so one day, perhaps.
Thank you Shane, you helped me find an outlet, and it doesnt matter if others critique it and find it wanting, because its for my critique, and i know that its slowly siphoning the poison and dark from my heart.
@OmarSuicide
and thats a beautiful thing.
@octoberz8213
I have listened to Shane for so very long well over 12 years and this is one of my VERY FAVORITES.
@richardelmes984
Very cool! As a poet, I appreciate Shane's ability to suck me into a story, evoke emotion and teach me a lesson at the same time. One of the best!