Upton
Life's Struggles: A Raw Reflection in Upton by The Broadways
Lyrics
I'm not angry I'm a no good piece of shit
Expressing a lack of self-worth and feeling inadequate
I hear that eeryday, it just rolls off my back
Regularly encountering negative comments, but they don't deeply affect
Left out frustrated no one to talk to
Feeling excluded and unable to find someone to confide in
Alone with the thoughts in my head
Isolated with internal thoughts and emotions
The people I respect knock me down,
Admired individuals criticize and undermine the speaker
So I sit like a piece of garbage washed up on the curb
Feeling worthless and discarded, akin to litter on the street
And it's funny in a place where one in ten have no money
Observing a scarcity of positive encouragement despite financial hardships
I hear only one in ten encouraging words
Encountering minimal positive reinforcement amidst negativity
"yeah the wisemen don't know shit,
Belittling the wisdom of supposedly knowledgeable individuals
It's a poor fuck like me on the streets I got it all figured out"
Perceiving a sense of clarity despite societal struggles
Said an old man piss drunk on a Wednesday
Encountering wisdom in unexpected places (from an intoxicated elderly man)
A smile from his dirty toothless mouth made me smile
Despite circumstances, finding a reason to smile
And he asked me for a smoke and some change
Being asked for basic necessities (smoke, change) by someone in need
A cigarette was all I had to give
Providing what little one can offer (a cigarette)
I sat around watching cars thinking stupid fucking thoughts about
Engaging in introspection, dwelling on personal relationships and situations
My friends and my girl and my school and myself
Reflecting on friends, partner, education, and self, possibly with dissatisfaction
And I wished I could go drinking
Desiring an anonymous escape through drinking
Where no one knew my name and I didn't know anyone else
Wishing for a place where personal connections and identity are absent
I sat alone bored accomplishing nothing
Feeling unproductive and idle while alone
Another summer day, more thrown away sunshine
Sensing wasted potential and time passing without purpose
"now don't be offended and don't curse me out,
Approached by someone in need, asking for assistance
But I'm starving and I sure could use your dimes"
Requesting financial aid and acknowledging potential offense
I looked up at a young man not much older than me
Being approached by a similarly struggling young man
Gave him a dollar and a smoke and some time
Offering support in the form of money, time, and a cigarette
He said "I fought for uncle sam and now he won't fight for me
Expressing disillusionment after serving in the military
He threw me out when I was done serving time
Feeling abandoned and discarded by the system after service
I said I wouldn't go into special forces and kill
Refusing to engage in further violence despite societal pressure
He said 'then stay out on the streets and fucking die'"
Receiving a harsh ultimatum due to refusing violent service
Yeah there's two kinds of prisons
Highlighting two contrasting forms of confinement or imprisonment
Some say one where you're locked up and everythings outside
Defining one form of imprisonment where everything is beyond reach
And another where you're outside and everything is locked away.
Describing another form where personal freedom is restricted despite being outside
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