What's Going On?
Tom Hanks Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, yea

Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Ah, what's going on

In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on

Father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me
So you can see
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on - Uh




Right on baby
Right on baby

Overall Meaning

In this song “What’s Going On?” by Tom Hanks, the lyrics are addressing the multiple social issues and struggles that were occurring in the 1970s, such as war and social injustice. Hanks uses the metaphor of a family to address the issues that the United States was facing during that time. The repeated use of “mother, mother” and “brother, brother, brother” exemplifies the pain and the sorrow that the country was going through at that time. Additionally, Hanks highlights the need for love and compassion to overcome the hate and injustices that were occurring. Although society was divided during the 70s, Hanks sought to bring awareness to the need for peace and harmony among all.


Another major theme in the song is the idea of communication. Hanks advocates for dialogue and conversation, rather than violence and aggression. He urges people to talk to each other, so that they can see and understand what is happening, and to find common ground to work towards a better future. The lyric “don't punish me with brutality, talk to me so you can see” highlights this theme, inviting people to open communication and seek understanding, rather than perpetuating the cycle of violence.


Line by Line Meaning

Mother, mother There's too many of you crying
Addressing mothers and recognizing their grief, Hanks points out how there are too many sad and crying mothers in the world.


Brother, brother, brother There's far too many of you dying
Hanks speaks to the loss of life experienced by brothers, recognizing that too many of them are dying unnecessarily.


You know we've got to find a way To bring some lovin' here today, yea
Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, Hanks calls for the need for love and compassion to be brought to the present moment.


Father, father We don't need to escalate
In conversation with fathers, Hanks emphasizes that the best course of action is not to take things to a higher level or escalate things.


You see, war is not the answer For only love can conquer hate
The answer to conflict and strife is not war, but rather, love and empathy.


Picket lines and picket signs Don't punish me with brutality
Hanks speaks to the violent repression of those taking part in peaceful protests, calling out against the violence used to handle protesters.


Talk to me, so you can see Oh, what's going on What's going on Ya, what's going on Ah, what's going on
Hanks calls for open communication and dialogue between parties in order to properly assess and analyze the current climate of the political and social sphere.


In the mean time Right on, baby Right on Right on
Hanks calls for everyone to continue with their good work, giving kudos for the effort being put forth.


Father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong Oh, but who are they to judge us Simply because our hair is long
Hanks recognizes that those who are different or who look different are often judged and labeled as 'wrong' simply because of their differences, highlighting the absurdity of such misconceptions.


Oh, you know we've got to find a way To bring some understanding here today Oh
There is a need for greater understanding and acceptance, a realization that we must all work towards creating a shared understanding of the issues that face us.


Tell me what's going on I'll tell you what's going on - Uh Right on baby Right on baby
Hanks calls for honest and open dialogue between parties, encouraging people to freely share their perspectives and work towards a solution.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alfred W Cleveland, Marvin P Gaye, Renaldo Benson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

InTheLandOf MoreThanSmall

I've been to 4 rehabs..
They ALL do that.

The ONLY one I've found that didn't play the money game and manipulate my family was one in Etta, Mississippi.

And that's bc they allowed us to keep our phones.

But they had their own set of other issues.

Look, if you're a family member or a friend of someone who is struggling with addiction, do NOT send them to ANY place that won't let them keep their phones, drive themselves to the facility, or that you can't go pick them up if they call you.

Trust me.

Its modern day torture. And it's all a money game.



Snuggle Struggle

This is not shocking, second-generation wealth is often squandered from entitled/privileged children growing up not learning failure and defeat, with their parents fixing all that they do wrong so that they never learn any life lessons as they grow up. Then again, second generation wealth is somewhat dissipating lately with the oppressive taxation that occurs upon death, and many families not being prepared for the aftershock an untimely death will cause, how it usually ends up going right back to daddy government.

I forget the data but it's like 9 out of 10 second generation wealth is lost, if not higher. Where wealth is lost the moment that it is handed to the children of the prosperous, the few able to withstand this norm by their parents making generational decisions or refusing their children the funds until they prove themselves capable of handling said funds. It's rare to see wealth transfer from parents to children, but oppressive wealth can still be salvaged no matter how ruinous said children squander their inheritance. Big Pharma executives' children in 17 generations could have all the generations of children squander their entire lives and not go broke, due to the government mandated products for consumption, the disparity is palpable.

Government and the snake-oil salesmen love this framework, and now they are seemingly implementing measures where the public at large will never garner the opportunity to do better next time, as so many elitists push for an oligarchy to form over this free nation instead of being a free nation in which the power lays with the people.

America can thrive so long as we do not let leaders take the prosperity away from the people, like Obama did in his Presidency no differently than Biden. No American who has 150k student debt and a degree on their wall can earnestly claim that Obama shipping off many jobs they could occupy to foreign nations under NAFTA or TPP is in anyway beneficial to said American. College is useless so long as the middle class has been gutted and there is no viable advancement outside shilling for globalist interests, further devastating opportunities for other Americans all the same.

With Obama, he shipped off most middle-class occupations right under our noses with NAFTA and TPP, to fund our "too big to fail" Big Banks when they all but stole our nations retirees' pensions and savings and Obama just forgave such evil. Middle class jobs are scarce in America thanks to Obama and Biden, which makes college pointless seeing how most middle-class jobs vacant are now overseas and filled by foreigners, for Trump to bring them back to see our nation prosper once more, only for Biden to revoke this turn for the better by Trump when the 2020 election was "fortified," once more showing Democrats demand you to suffer and be hopeless.

You ask Nancy Pelosi, she already thinks the people do not have any power, even though it's written as much in the Constitution, she has openly espoused that her and her ilk are said power and not the other way around (and laughing over this), and its further reason why she shouldn't be anywhere near power. A good step in the right direction is to refuse the federal government the right to handle the election outcome and keep it a civilian matter alone, as the government has been controlling for decades and how our elections have been ever more questionable if not outright laughably crooked, where in 2020 some key districts had 200% plus votes to registered voters after a Census was just accomplished. How that was just swept under the rug, it goes to show something is foul in governance.



All comments from YouTube:

Peanut Fiends

It must have been hard for him growing up and having his dad always want to spend time with other little boys.

SourceCode

ooof! burn!

Nikki A

Damn!!!

Automated Personell Unit 3947

Jacko Jackson style

Craig Brumfield

Daaaaaamn lmao.

egalmiche

Id imagine it was even harder for the other little boys, js.

238 More Replies...

Karel Glasner

"The best thing about being known as the nicest guy in Hollywood, they don't look for the dead bodies buried in the backyard". Tom Hanx

De Anna Chun

That comment stuck out like a sore thumb.. I remember that

robert shelton

The burbs

SJones

I'm sure he wasn't kidding

More Comments

More Versions