Lyrics and Meaning

Your back's against the wall,
There's no one home to call,
You're forgetting who you are,
You can't stop crying.
It's part not giving in,
Part trusting your friends,
You do it all again and I'm not lying.

Oh oh oh oh,
Oh oh oh oh,
Standing in the way of control,
Go and live your life.
Survive the only way that you know, know.

I'm doing this for you,
Because it's easier to lose,
And it's hard to face the truth,
When you think you're dying.
It's part not giving in,
And part trusting your friends,
You do it all again but you don't stop trying.

Oh oh oh oh,
Oh oh oh oh,
Standing in the way of control,
Go and live your life.
Survive the only way that you know, know.

Standing in the way of control,
We live our lives.
Because of standing in the way of control,
We will live our lives.
Because of standing in the way of control,
We live our lives.
Because of standing in the way of control,
We will live our lives, lives, lives, lives.

Your back's against the wall,
There's no one home to call,
You're forgetting who you are,
You can't stop crying.
It's part not giving in,
Part trusting your friends,
You do it all again, you don't stop trying.

Oh oh oh oh,
Oh oh oh oh,
Standing in the way of control,
Go and live your life.
Survive the only way that you know, know.


The song was written by lead singer Beth Ditto as a response to the Federal Marriage Amendment which would have constitutionally outlawed same-sex marriage in the United States. She says of the song:

" Nobody in the States was that surprised or shocked by what Bush did, but it made everyone I know feel helpless and cheated. I wrote the chorus to try and encourage people not to give up. It’s a scary time for civil rights, but I really believe the only way to survive is to stick together and keep fighting. "