Reviews for Short People Lyrics

Hey guys its Moon man here,
Randy Newman should be given praise for writing a song so blatently anti-short. The short people menace has been prevalent in america for years and one man finally had to guts to stick up to the shorties. Hopefully they heed his advice.

I am appalled this song could ever be written. How insensitive Randy Newman is! He wants short people to die? Oh my God, we all have a right to live! This song is so wrong and I hope Randy Newman is prosecuted!

I like the song. Haven't heard it since the 70's and am looking for it. I have heard just about every short joke around and I laugh at them all. I hope someone comes out with some new material! LOL Short people need to get over it and laugh. By the way, I am 5' 4" and have been living the short life for 48 years. It's the tall people I feel sorry for. The air up there is thin and they can't think straight! LOL

Another place of the internet where people argue about the meaning of this song. Is it about hort people or is it a metaphor. The latter quite for sure, but it's subtler than that. Newman will never come and tell you: ok little burgeois, it's a metaphor, you can sing it or hear it and feel good at the same time. That's why it is so great, you can get over with the song untouched.

Newman is famous for personificating horrible character is his songs, and nonetheless make them appear human (wrong human maybe, but human nonetheless). Take Sail Away, or Yellow Man for example. But it's not your average political folk-singer that breaks the worls in good and evil for your peace of mind.

By the way, the first comment of this row is pure BS... ah the internet! ;)

The problem I have is that about 90 percent of this song simply says short people are bad. And the chorus (no reason to live) could be compared to a death metal band's lyrics that end up in a court where the band's trying to defend itself. Double standard anybody? Is it because this song is a bouncy, piano-driven song? Anyway, I'm sure Mr. Newman's attorney urged him to throw in the worst lyrics of the song: "All men are brothers until the day that I die." Haha, these lyrics have No Reason To Exist! I loooooove L.A.

Heard interview with Randy Newman a few years back.Not deep or mysterious.At the time the song was written Randy's wife wanted to have a baby.Randy did not & wrote the song describing his feelings.Check out the words.
b.m

To take the song literally, as the reviewer below (Lo) intimates, is to miss the point. I agree that "short" is a metaphor. If not, then the award-winning songwriter must have heavy esteem issues, not to mention a death wish: Newman is 5' 4".

I looked up these lyrics tonight because I am a woman who works in a business of mainly men. I met a short opponent. He likes me but he doesn't. It is a power struggle. He can be so nasty. He reminded me of a short neighbor boy that treated me the same way. The neighbor boy used to sing this song from his second story window. Both the man now and the boy from the past have issues with their height and they take it out on others. I believe that the lyrics came about because of other short people who were nasty to others due to their own issues inside. I am a songwriter myself. These type of people do have dirty minds and are good for telling lies.

Okay, I'm short. I'm 5"3" and I'm 18. I loooooooooove this song. It's catchy. I understand where people are coming from in saying they don't like it. I didnt at first. But now that i'm more MATURE, i like it a lot. That's all i have to say.

One of my friends is, so to say, vertically challenged (due to an illness). We address him "midget" or "dwarf", which is a token of closeness and trust. We will certainly play this song for him and he will laugh. Wouldn't he be a pansy to take it as an offence? If he did, we would definitely start nagging him about his size, but in fact it would be his sissyness that we would poke fun at. Dear Anonymous, don't be a sissy and laugh at yourself louder than others do - this will make them stop :D

I'm a black female and when I first heard this song I immediately figured it to be showing how stupid racism is. I assume when he wrote the song he probably wanted to make people think. Cuz maybe if you're appalled by those words then maybe, just maybe you'd stand up when real injustice occurs. It's sad that a lot of people were taunted because Randy used the word short. And it's even sadder that most people are so closed-minded that they can only feel hurt for themselves and not others. Anyone ever heard of empathy?

Who really knows what Randy Newman was thinking when he wrote this song.
I think you take your own meaning from a song, even if it's not the same as the one the writer intended.
I personally think this song is a dig at the small minded. And I believe anyone who takes it seriously is kind of the butt of the joke.
But that's just my view. There's no need to argue over what it means. Just read the lyrics, and think about it for yourself.

I can't believe that people are still arguing about this song. I'm 5'2" and I have always LOVED the song. I really doubt very much that Randy Newman thinks that short people should die. The wording is perfect. If some people are offended by the song, then they should probably consider having senses of humor grafted onto their personalities. Only Randy Newman knows for sure, but I've always assumed the he intended to point out the absurdity of senseless prejudices, and I feel comfortable with that assumption. The saddest thing is that the people who don't "get it" are very likely the people who most need the message.

And if Randy Newman himself ever tells me that I'm wrong, I'll just bite him on the kneecaps.
(For the humor-impaired among you, THAT WAS A JOKE!)

My late husband was 6'6" and loved the song, and I have good reason to know that HE didn't think short people should die.

Lighten up, people!

I happened to be about 7 or 8 yrs old when this song came out.

I was very short (still am) and this song made for several years of teasing. I still grit my teeth if this song comes on at a party and I have to smile while getting another round of "good-natured" teasing.

I don't care what the original intent was or if there is some deeper lesson within the lyrics. It's mean-spirited.

And by the way, I was told that the lyrics were about his Manager who was short and with whom Newman had a falling out.
Don't know if it's a true story but it seems a lot more plausible than all the crap spouted about it being some deep social commentary.

So F*ck you Randy Newman for giving the bullies more fodder. A$$hole.

Let me tell you the meaning of this song.
Randy Newman is not making an attack on short people, this song is an anti racist song. And the lyrics are saying that it is a stupid to hate short people as it is to hate black people. Anyone who missed this is not the brightest bulb in the shop.