Songversation: Young Wild and Free

In Songversation I take a song that your teens and tweens are listening to. I will share the lyrics of the song with you and offer you a conversation that you might have with your son or daughter. Hence: Songversation.

Truth is, no matter how much you want to shelter your kids from crass music, you won’t be able to. The radio plays it, their friends play it and they are secretly downloading it to their iPods. That leaves you with two options. You can walk around sounding like your mother and going on and on about “today’s music”. Or? You can turn it into a Songversation and save yourself the nausea. 

Tip: The only place with access to iTunes in our house is my computer. Therefore every song downloaded is a song I see and hear. This not only keeps me on top of current teen pop culture but also supplies me with a really awesome workout playlist. (Which is where I am usually subjected to the horrifying lyrics for the first time. But the beats rock.)

Young Wild and Free by Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dog and Bruno Mars

I actually like these artists. Not all of their music horrifies me. However, this one pushes my buttons. Drinking, smoking weed, pants hanging to their knees, joints the size of King Kong’s fingers. Really? I have a hard time believing that the music couldn’t be just as good without all of that, but what do I know. I am just a mom. While this song encourages bad behavior, your kids will be listening, especially because the tune is so dang catchy. So? You should listen too. 

The lyrics:

So what we get drunk

So what we smoke weed

We’re just having fun

We don’t care who sees*

So what we go out

That’s how its supposed to be

Living young and wild and free

*I am guessing they would care if the police saw.

Uh, Uh huh

So what I keep ‘em rolled up

Saggin’ my pants not caring what I show*

Keep it real with my niggas*

Keep it player for the hoes*

And look clean don’t it?

Washed it the other day, watch how you lean on it

Give me some 501’s jeans on and roll joints bigger than King Kong’s fingers*

And smoke them hoes down ’till they stingers

You a class clown and if I skip for the day I’m with you bitch smokin’ grade A

****So many asterisks so little time. One quick thing: I don’t mean to be nit-picky but aren’t sagging pants totally 2011 and how do these rap artists not know that when I do? BAM.

Yeah, uh you know what?

It’s like I’m 17 again

Peach fuzz on my face

Lookin’, on the case

Tryna find a hella taste

Oh My God, I’m on the chase

Chevy, its gettin’ kinda heavy, relevant, sellin’ it

Dippin’ away, time keep slippin’ away

Zip in the safe, flippin’ for pay

Tippin’ like I’m drippin’ in paint

Up front four blunts, like “Khalifa put the weed in a J”

I am pretty sure they are so stoned in this verse they themselves have no idea what the hell it means.

So what we get drunk

So what we smoke weed

We’re just having fun

We don’t care who sees

So what we go out

That’s how its supposed to be

Living young and wild and free

Yea, roll one, smoke one

When you live like this you’re supposed to party

Roll one, smoke one, and we all just having fun

So we just, roll one, smoke one

When you live like this you’re supposed to party

Roll one, smoke one, and we all just having fun

And so on and so forth…

Talking Points:

1. Currently the use of marijuana is illegal. And I don’t want to get all preachy mom on you here but you are no rap star. And? Unless you are a rap star, shouting from the rooftops that you are smoking weed will not make you popular, it will get you arrested. Smoking pot also makes you stupid. It’s a scientific fact, not just a momfact. So, my advice would be, enjoy the song, sing it as loud as you can in all your uncool coolness, but do the opposite.

2. Using words like niggas and hoes? Really bad idea. One will get your ass kicked the other will hopefully leave you dateless and/or friendless. Also? If I ever hear you use either of those words you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together watching Fried Green Tomatoes. 

3. “When you live like this your supposed to party.” Good news for you kid. You don’t live like “this.” You don’t and never will get paid millions of dollars to get high or to pretend that you get high and sing about it. So go study, go to college and get a job. It lasts longer than a few years of spouting off music about smoking weed.

Moms, whatever you do, don’t wax on poetic. Make your point and then just wait and see if they will talk. You will never know what they were going to say if you aren’t quiet long enough to hear it.

They may only give you an, “OK Mom,” and then, “Are we done?” And that is just fine. You have planted a seed. No conversation with your teen is ever a waste of time. Sometimes the conversation is nothing more than them hearing what you are saying.

Other Songversations:

LMFAO: Yes

Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks