Song analysis, part 1: "People are people"

On the second day of our youth exchange we analysed and discussed the lyrics of three more or less well-known pop songs. The first of these songs was "People are people" by the British band Depeche Mode from 1984.

The lyrics of this song are rather simple, but they convey a powerful message:

People are people so why should it be

You and I should get along so awfully

So we're different colours

And we're different creeds

And different people have different needs

It's obvious you hate me

Though I've done nothing wrong

I never even met you

So what could I have done

I can't understand

What makes a man

Hate another man

Help me understand

People are people so why should it be

You and I should get along so awfully

Help me understand

Now you're punching and you're kicking

And you're shouting at me

I'm relying on your common decency

So far it hasn't surfaced

But I'm sure it exists

It just takes a while to travel

From your head to your fist

I can't understand

What makes a man

Hate another man

Help me understand

(see also the Wikipedia article containing detailed information about this song)

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The project "Celebrate the Difference!" is co-financed from the EU programme YOUTH in Action, German national agency.