Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination

I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means

And so I cry sometimes
When I'm lying in bed just to get it all out
What's in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
"What's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey"
I said, "Hey, what's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey"
I said, "Hey, what's going on?"

Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, uh-huh
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, uh-huh

And I try, oh my God, do I try
I try all the time
In this institution

And I pray, oh my God, do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution

And so I cry sometimes
When I'm lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What's in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
"What's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey"
I said, "Hey, what's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey"
I said, "Hey, what's going on?"

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey (wake in the morning and step outside)
Hey-ey-ey" (take a deep breath and I get real high)
I said, "Hey, what's going on?" (And I scream, what's going on?)

And I say, "Hey-ey-ey-ey-eh (wake in the morning and step outside)
Hey-ey-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah" (take a deep breath and I get real high)
I said, "Hey, hey, what's going on?" (And I scream, what's going on?)

Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, uh-huh

Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination


Lyrics submitted by redmax

What's Up? Lyrics as written by Linda Perry

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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What's Up? song meanings
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62 Comments

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  • +14
    General Comment

    From my perspective (cause I feel the same way): It's about accumulated frustration and hopelessness, an aimless life and depression, life in a rut and vicious cycles.

    And thus a change is needed. She tries to make a change but her efforts prove to be of no use, so she needs something huge like a 'revolution' (not literally, just something huge that changes many things, a big BOOM!) to break out of those vicious cycles.

    CrippledClimberon August 23, 2009   Link
  • +9
    General Comment

    There's no way that "institution refers to a mental institution. She's referring to the political/economic/social institutions that make everything so fucked up. She's not just praying for a revolution in the mind by any means. She means a real fucking revolution, where shit is gonna actually change for once. Pretty straightforward, I thought. Awesome song though. Absolutely fantastic.

    Skaman2on April 14, 2006   Link
  • +9
    General Comment

    It's about being fed up with the messed up way the world /society operates.. and crying out for change. She "wakes up", steps outside, and yells at the top of her lungs -- she's wants everyone else to wake up too. Great song. One of my favs.

    stnec2ymon August 06, 2007   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    This song has a deeper meaning. The name "4 non blondes" says it all. They are not stupid as blondes are generally depicted. They see themselves as intelligent woman, stuck in a world where the "brotherhood of man" rules over woman. The "institution " is society that still puts woman in a lower category to men. She wants a "revolution" where men and woman are treated equally. One can go deeper and analyze the rest of the song, but I think this is the gist of it all..

    Gerhardon April 11, 2008   Link
  • +4
    Song Comparison

    Very very happy 90s karaoke song. If MTV or VH1 made a list of the happiest songs of all time, I think this would be be very high on that list. It's right up with Daniel Boone's 'Beautiful Sunday', the Friends soundtrack and the Eagles' 'Take it Easy'. and Steppenwolf's 'Born to be Wild'.

    psychoblahon April 13, 2012   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I saw the "bad song" list and feel this song belongs NOWHERE near that list...I found it moving quite frankly....and the "hot and sexy...." take is so far off base as to be ridiculous. To me, it is someone that sees the evil and despair around them and wants change...she finds the evil difficult to grasp and wants change for the better.

    prefernflon November 28, 2004   Link
  • +3
    Song Meaning

    She did not know where to go, "even" after her 25 years something was missing. When she realized that the world is in possession of men (not men and women), she saw she was not welcome in that world; she sadly (cry in bed) noticed that she was not like everybody else (peculiar - perhaps different/free/lesbian?).

    Then she decided that everybody else behavior is not really important and more, it is bad to her. That was the cause of her screaming and brave asking (What's goin' on). She explains the attempts of being a "normal" person, she tried to stay in the "normal" society (institution/preconceptions/church?). She early warns that God will not help, because "she prayed" to him until her limits (to reinforce the fact that she used all the means society gave to her).

    Finally she broke up with society (I pray every single day For a revolution). In the context, it is clearly a non sense the sentence "pray for revolution". It is like to substitute some thing (praying) by the other (revolution).

    The "groan part" may be a reference to a delightful moment, maybe freedom, or sexual pleasure. Of course the author opted for the generality.

    davipson November 14, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I think it means almost most of the things you lot have said.

    She wants life to change, so instead of being stuck as whatever she is, she's somewhere else, enjoying a nicer life. So she thinks that life is evil somewhere along the line. She doesn't know what to do (Whats going on?) so instead of trying she gets up, walks outside, and yells to noone in particular, or maybe god, What's going on. She wants to know what is happening, and what she should do. She feels odd, like something's there, like something is going to change, but nothing does. Possibly, from being like this, screaming to god what is happening and everything, people have taken her away to a mental institution, but she simply wants an answer, and she doesn't mean harm. And so, it goes back to the beginning - she's stuck in an institution, nowhere to go, and she wants to know WHY.

    Who thinks otherwise? :)

    Lixaon April 07, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I'm just surprised by the info you said about this song being on the list of " bad songs " !!!!!! what the hell !!!!!!! , It's lietrally an amazing song !!!! , to put it on those lists is just another evidence that shows that media doesn't know about real music !!

    modarxmodaron September 19, 2011   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning

    I took the song at face value which was "the world was made up of this brotherhood of man" meaning to me the singer (a she). Was singing about the struggle to be seen as a stand alone individual. Ironically I grew up in a home where the battle over equal rights destroyed my childhood home and it never softened my heart to the plight of women. In being honest the passion of this artist did connect with me and I was pulling for her as a woman and maybe all women. I know Im not making much sense. I am just trying to say maybe there are more productive ways to reach others with our idiology concerns such as making incredible music like this gifted artist. Respectully Submitted....jay

    austongoldon February 14, 2014   Link

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