The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groe… Read Full Bio ↴The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening that has aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company since December 1989. It is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, and many aspects of the human condition. The popularity of The Simpsons led to the release of the 1990 double platinum album The Simpsons Sing the Blues, which contains original songs performed by the cast members of the show as their characters. The album spawned two hit singles—"Do the Bartman" and "Deep, Deep Trouble". A less successful sequel, The Yellow Album, was released in 1998.

Three soundtrack albums featuring music and songs from the show have been released—Songs in the Key of Springfield in 1997, Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons in 1999, and The Simpsons: Testify in 2007. The first two charted on the US Billboard 200, reaching number 103 and 197, respectively. The Simpsons Movie: The Music, a soundtrack album featuring the score of The Simpsons Movie, was released along with the feature-length film in July 2007. The choral piece "Spider Pig" that appeared in the film and on the soundtrack entered the charts in several countries around the world.

Born Under A Bad Sign
The Simpsons Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Homer: Born under a bad sign,
Been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn't for bad luck,
You know, I wouldn't have no luck at all.

Hard luck and trouble,
Been my only friend.
I been on my own,

Ever since I was ten.

Born under a bad sign,
I been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn't for bad luck,
You know, I wouldn't have no luck at all.

I don't like to read,
I can hardly write,
My whole life has been
One big fight.

Born under a bad sign,
I been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn't for bad luck,
I said I wouldn't have no luck at all.
And that ain't no lie.

You know, if it wasn't for bad luck,
I wouldn't have no kind of luck.
If it wasn't for real bad luck,
I wouldn't have no luck at all.

You know fear of falling
Is all I crave.
A big bag of pork rinds
Gonna carry me to my grave.

Born under a bad sign,
I been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn't for bad luck,
I tell ya I wouldn't have no luck at all.

Good take boys, yeah.
I think now that I'm a blues singer, I should have some kind of name.
How 'bout Muddy Simpson. No. Big Homer. T-Bone Homer.

Blind Lemon Simpson. Blind Lemon-lime Homer. Blind Grapefruit Homer.
Blind Strawberry Alarm Clock Homer. No that's... they used that.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Simpsons' version of Born Under A Bad Sign convey a sense of hopelessness from the perspective of Homer Simpson. He sings about being born with bad luck, and how he has been down since he learned to crawl. According to him, hard luck and trouble have been his only friend, and if it weren't for bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all. He talks about his struggles with illiteracy and how his whole life has been a fight. He laments that fear of falling is all he craves and that a bag of pork rinds will carry him to his grave.

Overall, the song's theme is about how some people seem to be born with "bad luck," and no matter what they do, they can't seem to escape it. Homer's lyrics reflect his resigned acceptance of his fate and his struggle to find any kind of joy in his life.

Line by Line Meaning

Born under a bad sign,
Since my earliest days, I've had terrible luck

Been down since I began to crawl.
My entire life has been full of hardship

If it wasn't for bad luck,
Without my misfortune

You know, I wouldn't have no luck at all.
I wouldn't have any luck of any kind

Hard luck and trouble,
I've only had difficult experiences

Been my only friend.
I've never had much companionship

I been on my own,
I've been alone for most of my life

Ever since I was ten.
Since I was a child

I don't like to read,
I don't enjoy reading

I can hardly write,
I struggle to write

My whole life has been
From when I was born

One big fight.
A constant struggle

And that ain't no lie.
That's the truth

You know, if it wasn't for bad luck,
If my luck wasn't so terrible

I wouldn't have no kind of luck.
I wouldn't have any fortune at all

If it wasn't for real bad luck,
If I didn't have such extreme misfortune

I wouldn't have no luck at all.
I wouldn't have any good fortune in my life

You know fear of falling
I'm terrified of failing

Is all I crave.
All I want is to avoid failure

A big bag of pork rinds
A bag of snacks

Gonna carry me to my grave.
Will be the death of me

Good take boys, yeah.
Good job on that recording

I think now that I'm a blues singer, I should have some kind of name.
As a blues singer, I feel like I need a stage name

How 'bout Muddy Simpson. No. Big Homer. T-Bone Homer.
Suggestions for stage names

Blind Lemon Simpson. Blind Lemon-lime Homer. Blind Grapefruit Homer.
More suggestions for stage names

Blind Strawberry Alarm Clock Homer. No that's... they used that.
Another suggestion for a name, but already taken

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOOKER T. JONES, WILLIAM BELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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