That's Life
The Temptations Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

That's life, that's what people say.
You're riding' high in April,
Shot down in May.

But I know I'm gonna change that tune,
When I'm back on top in June.
That's life, funny as it seems.
Some people get their kicks,

Steppin' on dreams

But I don't let it get me down,
Cause this ol' word keeps getting around.
I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,
A poet, a pawn and a king.
I've been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing

Each time I find myself flat on my face,
I pick myself up and get back in the race.
That's life, I can't deny it,
I thought of quitting,
But my heart just won't buy it.

If I didn't think it was worth a try,
I'd roll myself up in a big ball and die.

Overall Meaning

The Temptations' classic hit "That's Life" is a song about the ups and downs of life. The opening lyric, "That's life, that's what people say. You're riding high in April, shot down in May," is a metaphor for the unpredictability of life. Just like how one month can be great, and the next can be terrible, life can be full of unexpected twists and turns. Despite this, the singer is determined to "change that tune" and get back to the top.

The singer states that "some people get their kicks, steppin' on dreams," which could be interpreted as a comment on how sometimes people try to bring others down in order to raise themselves up. However, the singer refuses to let this get them down, and instead focuses on the fact that they have been through a lot in their life. They've been a "puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn, and a king," and have experienced the highs and lows of all of these roles.

The final stanza of the song is perhaps the most hopeful. The singer acknowledges that there have been times when they've felt like giving up, but their heart won't let them. They refuse to believe that life isn't worth trying for, even if things sometimes don't go as planned. Ultimately, "That's Life" is a song about resilience and the determination to keep going, even when things get tough.

Line by Line Meaning

That's life, that's what people say.
This is the way things go, according to popular opinion.

You're riding' high in April,
You may be doing well one month,

Shot down in May.
Only to be brought down the next month.

But I know I'm gonna change that tune,
But I have hope and confidence that things will improve.

When I'm back on top in June.
And I believe I will succeed again soon.

That's life, funny as it seems.
This is the ironic and unpredictable nature of life.

Some people get their kicks,
Some people take pleasure,

Steppin' on dreams
By crushing the aspirations of others.

But I don't let it get me down,
But I won't let these setbacks bring me down,

Cause this ol' word keeps getting around.
Because the world keeps turning and life goes on.

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,
I've experienced a range of roles and situations,

A poet, a pawn and a king.
From the creative to the powerless to the powerful.

I've been up and down and over and out
I've experienced both success and failure,

And I know one thing
And I have come to one conclusion.

Each time I find myself flat on my face,
Whenever I experience a setback,

I pick myself up and get back in the race.
I push myself to try again and keep going.

That's life, I can't deny it,
This is the undeniable reality of life.

I thought of quitting,
Although I have considered giving up,

But my heart just won't buy it.
My heart won't let me give up on my goals and dreams.

If I didn't think it was worth a try,
If I didn't believe that it was worth continuing to try,

I'd roll myself up in a big ball and die.
I would feel so hopeless and defeated that I would give up on life entirely.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DENNIS BEAM, BILLY GRAMMER, BOB ROSE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS