Story Behind The Song
No story - just a bemused reflection on the unsolvable infirmities of life.
Song Description
Classic 32-bar blues (AABA form) with some humorous commentary about the aches and pains of living and the conundrum that they pose.
| Song Length |
5:01 |
Genre |
Blues - General, Jazz - Classic |
| Tempo |
Medium Slow (91 - 110) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Irritated, Beside Yourself |
Subject |
Diseases, Existence |
| Similar Artists |
Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett |
Language |
English |
| Era |
1950 - 1959 |
| |
Lyrics
It Hurts To Be Alive
Well, there ain't no doubt about it
I just ain't livin' right
I got fever in the daytime
I got chills in the night
My temperature's risin'
My body's takin' a dive
And it just hurts to be alive
You know workin' for a livin'
Gonna be the death of me
All the pressure and the tension
Gonna choke my arteries
Run myself ragged
But I just barely survive
Sometimes it just hurts to be alive
This vicious circle
Is spinnin' me 'round and 'round
It's gonna put me
Six feet under ground
I got to take it easy,
I got to take it slow
Please tell St. Peter
It's not my time to go
Repeat Bridge
Well, I tried meditation
And I tried EST
I tried takin' vitamins
Washed 'em down with LSD
I tried the solutions
But the cure just did not arrive
Sometimes it just hurts to be alive
I got ulcers in my stomach
And migraines in my head
Always coughin', always wheezin'
I really should be in bed
But if I'm in bed
How can I go to work to survive?
Sometimes it just hurts to be alive
I got aches
I got pains
Arthritis when it rains
I get cramps
I get colds
Scared of growing old
It makes me crazy
Cause there's nothing I can do
Sometimes it just hurts to be alive
Sometimes it just hurts to be alive
Words and music Ã,© 2002 by Douglas Harvey