Pretty Fly
The Offspring Lyrics


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Gunter glieben glauten globen

Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
And all the girlies say, I'm pretty fly for a white guy

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, cinco, seis
You know it's kind of hard just to get along today
Our subject isn't cool but he fakes it anyway
He may not have a clue and he may not have style
But everything he lacks, well, he makes up in denial

So don't debate, a player straight
You know he really doesn't get it anyway
Gonna play the field and keep it real
For you no way, for you no way
So if you don't rate, just overcompensate
At least you know you can always go on Ricki Lake
The world needs wannabes
Hey, hey, do that brand new thing

Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
And all the girlies say, I'm pretty fly (for a white guy)

He needs some cool tunes, not just any will suffice
But they didn't have Ice Cube so he bought Vanilla Ice
Now cruising in his Pinto, he sees homies as he pass
But if he looks twice, they're gonna kick his lily ass

So don't debate, a player straight
You know he really doesn't get it anyway
Gonna play the field and keep it real
For you no way, for you no way
So if you don't rate, just overcompensate
At least you know you can always go on Ricki Lake
The world loves wannabes
Hey, hey, do that brand new thing

Now he's gettin' a tattoo, yeah, he's gettin' ink done
He asked for a 13 but they drew a 31
Friends say he's trying too hard and he's not quite hip
But in his own mind he's the, he's the dopest trip

Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, cinco, seis

So don't debate, a player straight
You know he really doesn't get it anyway
Gonna play the field and keep it real
For you no way, for you no way
So if you don't rate, just overcompensate
At least you know you can always go on Ricki Lake
The world needs wannabes
The world loves wannabes




Let's get some more wannabees
Hey, hey, do that brand new thing

Overall Meaning

The song "Pretty Fly" by The Offspring, is about a wannabe who tries too hard to fit in with the cool crowd. The lyrics describe a person who lacks genuine coolness and talent, but compensates for this by pretending, buying cool items (like Vanilla Ice CDs) and getting a tattoo. The person's efforts to fit in are in vain, as they keep getting rejected by those who are actually cool. Despite this, the person stays in denial and tries harder to be something they are not.


The chorus of "Give it to me, baby" and the line "And all the girlies say, I'm pretty fly (for a white guy)" are both ironic and sarcastic. The line mocks the idea of someone being cool for simply being white. The song is a critique of people who try to be someone they're not, rather than being comfortable in their own skin. The lyrics point out the absurdity of trying to fit in with a certain crowd when it goes against one's true nature.


Overall, the song embodies the 90s punk rock spirit of rebellion, with its lyrics mocking and critiquing societal norms and expectations. It encourages people to be true to themselves and not to try too hard to fit in.


Line by Line Meaning

Gunter glieben glauten globen
Nonsensical phrase to kick off the song.


Give it to me, baby (uh huh, uh huh)
This guy wants attention and affection.


And all the girlies say, I'm pretty fly for a white guy
People are starting to recognize him as cool, despite being a white guy who is trying to fit in with a different culture.


Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, cinco, seis
Counting in Spanish, just for fun.


You know it's kind of hard just to get along today
It's tough to fit in and be cool in the current social climate.


Our subject isn't cool but he fakes it anyway
This guy is trying really hard to fit in, even though he knows he's not actually cool.


He may not have a clue and he may not have style
He's clueless about how to be cool, and he definitely doesn't have style.


But everything he lacks, well, he makes up in denial
He's in denial about his lack of coolness and style, and it's what allows him to keep trying.


So don't debate, a player straight
Don't question this guy's intentions, he's just trying to fit in.


You know he really doesn't get it anyway
He doesn't really understand the culture he's trying to fit into, but he's trying his best.


Gonna play the field, and keep it real
He's going to keep trying to find his place among the cool kids, and he's going to be true to himself while doing it.


For you no way, for you no way
He's not doing this for anyone else, it's all about him.


So if you don't rate, just overcompensate
If people don't think he's cool or if he doesn't fit in, he's going to try even harder to make up for it.


At least you'll know you can always go on Ricki Lake
If all else fails, he can always go on a talk show and gain some temporary fame.


The world needs wannabes, ah
This guy believes that the world needs people who are trying to fit in and be cool, even if they're not.


Hey, hey, do that brand new thing
This guy is always looking for the next cool thing to try and fit in with.


He needs some cool tunes, not just any will suffice
Music is really important to this guy and he needs to listen to the right kind in order to fit in.


But they didn't have Ice Cube so he bought Vanilla Ice
He can't always find the exact kind of music he's looking for, so he'll settle for something similar.


Now cruising in his Pinto, he sees homies as he pass
He's cruising around in his less-than-cool Pinto car, hoping to fit in with the cool crowd.


But if he looks twice they're gonna kick his lily ass
He's still not really cool and if the real cool kids catch him trying to fit in, they're going to beat him up.


Now he's gettin' a tattoo
He's trying to look tough and cool by getting a tattoo.


Yeah, he's gettin' ink done
He's in the process of getting the tattoo.


He asked for a "13", but they drew a "31"
The tattoo artist screwed up his request for a specific tattoo design.


Friends say he's trying too hard
His friends can see that he's doing everything he can to fit in and they think he's overdoing it.


And he's not quite hip
Despite trying his hardest, he's still not really hip or cool.


But in his own mind
He thinks he's the coolest and that's all that matters.


He's the, he's the dopest trip
He thinks he's absolutely amazing and cool, even if no one else agrees.


The world loves wannabes, ah
This guy thinks that people love those who are trying to fit in and be cool, even if they're not.


Let's get some more wannabees, ah
He wants to recruit more people who are trying to fit in and be cool, even if they're not.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bryan Keith Holland

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@beaumontdale675

If you like them and music like this, I would suggest checking out these bands to just name a few:
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Soundgarden
Pearl Jam
Foo fighters
Gorillaz
Better Than Ezra
Eve 6
Alice In Chains
Metallic
Nirvana
Queens of the Stone Age
Stone Temple Pilots
Rage Against the Machine (No Shelter)
Audioslave
System of a Down
Korn
The Cranberries-Zombie
I'm missing a number of others but this will get you started



@user-wm8kk2sl3g

Give it to me baby Uh-huh Uh-huh
Give it to me baby Uh-huh Uh-huh
Give it to me baby Uh-huh Uh-huh
And all the girls say I'm pretty fly
For a white guy

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, cinco, seis

You know it's kind of hard
Just to get along today
Our subject isn't cool,
But he fakes it anyway
He may not have a clue;
And he may not have style
But everything he lacks
Well he makes up in denial

So don't debate, a player straight
You know he really doesn't get it anyway
He's gonna play the field, and keep it real
For you no way, for you no way
So if you don't rate, just overcompensate
At least you'll know you can always go on Ricki Lake
The world needs wannabe's
So (Hey! Hey!) do that brand new thing

Give it to me baby Uh-huh Uh-huh
Give it to me baby Uh-huh Uh-huh
Give it to me baby Uh-huh Uh-huh
And all the girls say I'm pretty fly
For a white guy

He needs some cool tunes
Not just any will suffice
But they didn't have Ice Cube
So he bought Vanilla Ice
Now cruising in his Pinto, he sees homies as he pass
But if he looks twice
They're gonna kick his lily ass

So don't debate, a player straight
You know he really doesn't get it anyway
He's gonna play the field, and keep it real
For you no way, for you no way
So if you don't rate, just overcompensate
At least you'll know you can always go on Ricki Lake
The world loves wannabe's
So (Hey! Hey!) do that brand new thing

Now he's getting a tattoo
Yeah he's gettin' ink done
He asked for a '13', but they drew a '31'
Friends say he's trying too hard
And he's not quite hip
But in his own mind
He's the dopest trip

Give it to me baby Uh-huh Uh-huh
Give it to me baby Uh-huh Uh-huh
Give it to me baby Uh-huh Uh-huh
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, cinco, seis

So don't debate, a player straight
You know he really doesn't get it anyway
He's gonna play the field, and keep it real
For you no way, for you no way
So if you don't rate, just overcompensate
At least you'll know you can always go on Ricki Lake
The world needs wannabe's
Oh the world loves wannabe's
So let's get some more wannabe's
And (Hey! Hey!) do that brand new thing



All comments from YouTube:

@tacitus6384

From the over-exposed lightning to the fish-eye lenses, everything about this video clip just screams early 00s/late 90s. Love it.

@Yvory6

@d R TVs of that era finally had better contrast and they exploided it, it was also to make video more vivid in contrast than the washed out ones that existed prior.
And now I think it is comming back as they will want to use the full extent of our new HDR.

@hifartingoctopuss

Early noughties obviously came first

@starblue3950

Rock 🥌 n

@petra1146

Definitely 👩‍❤️‍👨 ✍️ 💌 👩‍❤️‍👩 John 3: 16 😾 ❤️ 🧡 💛 🤎 🖤 🤍 💝 👣 🫂 🐾

@BigChiken44

+extreme saturation. Love it

37 More Replies...

@Linxa_

Offspring's songs all seem to be timeless, that's just awesome

@lemns8296

i dont think offsprings will ever die out

@thestrangeandstupidone8116

The only way offsprings can die out is if people stop procreating

@alvexok5523

Yeah, this and "Keep'em seperated", they both take me back

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