Younger Than Me

Some individuals fear hair loss, but the singer doesn't share that concern.

The singer acknowledges experiencing some losses but not related to hair.

While some fear death from cancer, the singer doesn't see it as their primary worry.

The singer suggests that death from cancer wouldn't be their chosen fate.

The singer introduces the central theme of the song: fear of people younger than them.

You wanna know what really scares me?

You wanna know what scares me?

The singer is about to reveal what truly scares them.

The singer expresses a deep fear of individuals younger than them.

People younger than me, they really scare me

People younger than me, they really scare me to death

Anecdote about an interaction with an 18-year-old who lacks knowledge about Johnny Cash and Depeche Mode, emphasizing the generation gap.

"I hear you like Johnny Cash, I like Johnny Cash as well"

So I smile and I'm like, "Oh man, yeah that's great, he's great

Do you know that song he does called 'The Long Black Veil?' "

And she thinks for a second and she's like, "No

I don't know that one

But I'm quite fond of his one Jesus ode"

So I think for a minute and I'm like

"You mean, 'Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?' "

She says, "No, I mean 'Personal Jesus.' "

"But that's a song by Depeche Mode"

I say, and then she says

"Who's Depeche Mode?"

Reiteration of the fear of people younger than the singer.

People younger than me, they really scare me

People younger than me, they really scare me to death

Another anecdote about the singer's reaction to MTV and a reality show, My Super Sweet Sixteen, highlighting concerns about consumerism and its impact on youth.

In my last apartment, I came home

And my roommate was watching MTV with his girlfriend

And they're

You know, they're both the same age as me

So they don't scare me to death or anything

But, as I said, they were watching MTV and that's the point

But the point isn't what you think it's going to be

Which is, "Oh! They don't show videos on MTV anymore"

Even though that's true

And I guess

I am old enough to remember when they did show videos on MTV

Like I remember that one Toadies video

"Do you wanna die?"

And I remember that I learned the phrase grunge music by watching MTV

I tuned in one day and they were having the Smells Like Grunge countdown

And of course number one was the Nirvana song

That they ripped the title of their countdown off of

Not a hard choice there

And, uh, what was the point?

The singer reflects on the extravagant rewards given to wealthy teenagers, expressing concern about the influence of such displays of wealth on young minds.

And they're watching this show called My Super Sweet Sixteen

Which, I don't know if you've ever seen it

But it's this reality show

Where these extremely wealthy teenagers

Are rewarded by their extremely wealthy parents

For being able to survive sixteen years

By getting, like, really expensive gifts

Of like sports cars and their own islands in the Pacific

And they get these extravagant parties

And basically it's thirty minutes of watching rich people shop

And like I got this really old person thought

The singer shares thoughts on the harmful effects of consumerism and the need for individuals to strive for something more meaningful than feeling superior to those on TV.

And I was like "What is this doing to the youth of America?"

And normally, I don't bother myself with the youth of America

But I was thinking "What is this doing to the youth of America?"

Because, you know in my day, we had Beavis and Butthead

And, you know, Beavis and Butthead might get you to burn down a building

But it was probably full of asbestos and needed to go anyway

So it was really a public service, Beavis and Butthead was

But this shit with the consumerism and wanting to consume

That seemed pretty fucking harmful

And you could say, like, "Well a lot of people watch that show

To make fun of those people, not to yearn for that"

But that's not much better either

You know, you should

You shouldn't be satisfied feeling better than the people on TV

You should strive to be better than the people that make TV

You know, create your images and get them out there

Or something

Now I know what you're thinking

Where's the next verse?

Well, if you can figure out a way to distill what I just said

Into four or five lines

And make some of them rhyme

Let me know

Introduction of new fears related to losing relevance and becoming outdated, with a reiteration of the fear of people younger than the singer.

Realizing they're no longer hip

Some people fear becoming irrelevant

As rare as the dodo or the great pink elephant

But you know what scares me?

You wanna know what really scares me?

You wanna know what scares me?

I think you know

Final expression of the fear of individuals younger than the singer, emphasizing its intensity.

People younger than me, they really scare me

People younger than me, they really scare me to death