Five for Fighting Songs - Superman (It's Not Easy) Lyrics

Five for Fighting - Superman (It's Not Easy)

Five for Fighting - Superman (It's Not Easy) Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: America Town
Released: 2000

Superman (It's Not Easy) Lyrics

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane
I'm more than some pretty face beside a train
And it's not easy to be me

Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd, but don't be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won't you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream
It's not easy to be me

Up, up and away, away from me
It's all right, you can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy, or anything

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me
Inside of me
Inside me
Yeah, inside me
Inside of me

I'm only a man
In a funny red sheet
I'm only a man
Looking for a dream

I'm only a man
In a funny red sheet
And it's not easy

Its not easy to be me

Writer/s: ONDRASIK, JOHN
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Superman (It's Not Easy) Song Chart

This song about trying to fit in was written from Superman's point of view. The superhero is portrayed as misunderstood and not as powerful as people see him: "I'm only a man in a funny red sheet." Superman may be invincible, but he has feelings too, and while he's off saving the world he sometimes wonders if anyone thinks about what he is going through.

The song reflects what John Ondrasik (who is Five For Fighting) felt at the time - he released his first album, Message for Albert, in 1997 and it went nowhere. Explaining what led him to write the song, which appeared on his next album, Ondrasik told us it was "frustration about the inability to be heard."

He later explained: "I've learned 10 years later that it's pretty damn easy to be me. I could never write that song now." (Here's our full John Ondrasik interview .)

This became very popular after the September 11 attacks. The reflective tone fit very well with the mood of the United States, and many radio stations put it in heavy rotation. Ondrasik heard from emergency workers and others who found it a source of comfort after the attacks.

Ondrasik performed this song on October 20, 2001 at the "Concert For New York," a tribute to the police, firefighters, and rescue workers involved in the World Trade Center Attacks. It was a very touching moment, and he called this performance "the most important thing I'll ever do musically." Ondrasik stood next to James Taylor and Pete Townshend at the end of the show when they all sang "Let It Be."

The video was done in one shot using a motion control technique where a robotic camera is used to create smooth movements, stopping at key points along the way. It was shot in front of green screens so the backgrounds could be composited in later.

The clip starts with a shot of John Ondrasik's pregnant wife, who is holding their young child. At the end of the video, they show up again on a bed, and we see Ondrasik join them.

Ramaa Mosley , who directed the video, told us: "When I wrote the idea for the video I knew that John was married and his next baby was on the way. I knew that while on the road he really missed his family, so I came up with the idea of the video ending with him reunited with them. It just felt like 'Superman' was a metaphor for John going out into the world to accomplish big things but always carrying his family in his heart."

The band name comes from a hockey term. If you get a penalty for fighting, you serve five minutes in the penalty box. The band is actually just Ondrasik.

Superman does not appear in the lyrics and the character was not used in any promotional materials for it. Since Superman is owned by DC Comics, Ondrasik had to be careful not to violate the copyright. Chuck Berry found this out when he had to turn over royalties for "Run Rudolph Run" to the owners of the Rudolph character, as his song told a detailed story about the reindeer.