# Lyrics to "Oughta Be"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-to-oughta-be/1033500>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 1, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-to-oughta-be/1033500 "2026-10-01T04:49:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-to-oughta-be/1033500/1 "2026-10-01T04:49:59Z")

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I originally posted this to Great Debates because I remember it was the designated place to put religious witnessing and stuff like that.

It’s a song, with lyrics, both of which I wrote but haven’t recorded yet. I just felt like posting the lyrics. But they are kinda “preachy” or at least might hit some people that way.

**What Exit** snagged it for not being appropriate for Great Debates. It’s a good call. It is first and foremost a set of lyrics to a song I composed and Cafe Society is a better home for it.

Oughta Be

Have you ever woken up  
from a Sunday morning suicide attempt  
And said “Why”  
And said “Why”  
And said “Why am I?”

I know exactly who I am  
And where I am  
What I wanna know is why  
Before I  
Depart again  
I wanna know why

Hey you out there, the one called God  
Are you out there? If you’re not you ought to be  
What about me? What about me? Do you care for me?

```
tune 1 not tune 2 yet

```

Hey God or Jesus I was told  
You came down and saved the world  
Then ran off to the sky  
Well look around, look at us on the ground  
Don’t be shy

```
different tune IV chord

```

They say you’ll come again some day  
To save the world anew,  
Set up some kind of glorious kingdom  
well I’ve got a question or two  
Do you have some type of complaint department  
Since you’re in charge of this mess

If you’re the one they say you are  
Why do you insist on staying far  
We’re not free and hell’s in session  
We got pain we got oppresion  
We got lives of misery

```
orig tune

```

Have you ever looked around  
After wallowing in your own misery  
And seen a world in pain  
And seen a world insane  
With no one that you tend to envy

Still feeling sorry for myself  
But discovering that I I got company  
You call this a design  
You think this is so fine  
It’s a failure as far as I can see

Free us all from prisons and  
Show us how to govern fair  
And just do  
What you plan to do  
And show us that you care

instrumental bridge?

So if you plan to save us all  
Why don’t you answer  
When we call  
Come on down, turn it around  
If you’re real we need you

Hey you out there, the one called God  
Are you out there? If you’re not you ought to be  
What about me? What about me? Do you care for me?

I heard a voice so soft and mild  
Saying “We take volunteers, my child, you see…  
What about thee? What about thee?  
Would you do that for me?”

It’s actually an autobiographical account. I know I’m a pretentiously arrogant person with my own opinions that I think everybody ought to pay attention to and all that. But it’s also about vulnerability and hope and stuff.

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-to-oughta-be/1033500/2 "2026-10-01T05:07:54Z")

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Hey, whatever keeps you alive.

I hope it helps to state your feelings.