Once upon a time, my advice to you would have been go out and find yourself a whore
But I guess I've grown up, because I don't give that kind of advice anymore

Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt

I was 27 when I figured out that blowing my brains wasn't the answer
So I decided, maybe I should find a way to make this world work out for me
And my good friend Paul was 83 when he told me; that "To love is to feel pain"
And I thought about that then and I've thought about that again and again

Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt

"To love is to feel pain" there ain't no way around it
The very nature of love is to grieve when it is over
The secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits
Better role them now before something else goes wrong
No, it's a wonderful world, if you can put aside the sadness
And hang on to every ounce of beauty upon you
Better take the time to know it there ain't no way around it
If you feel anything at all

Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt

So if what you have is working for you, or you think that it can stand a reasonable chance, and whatever's broken seems fixable and nothing's beyond repair
If you still think about each other and smile before you remember how screwed up it's gotten or maybe dream of a time less rotten
Remember, it ain't too late to take a deep breath and throw yourself into it with everything you got

It's great to be alive

Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt

I think this is one of the real gems from ABAAC. My first listen kind of sent my mind reeling, so I listened to it several times in a row.

Once upon a time, my advice to you would have been go out and find yourself a whore
But I guess I've grown up, because I don't give that kind of advice anymore
(This verse kind of speaks for itself. There are some things in life that sex, drugs, alcohol and money just can't fix.)

Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt

I was 27 when I figured out that blowing my brains out wasn't the answer
So I decided, maybe I should find a way to make this world work out for me
And my good friend Paul was 83 when he told me; that "To love is to feel pain"
And I thought about that then and I've thought about that again and again
(I was actually 23 when I figured out that blowing my brains out wasn't the answer. I didn't want to live, didn't want to die, so the only thing really left for me to do was find a way to make this world work out for me. Recovery has allowed me that. And love is a double edged sword. It just is.)

Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt

"To love is to feel pain" there ain't no way around it
The very nature of love is to grieve when it is over
The secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits
Better roll them now before something else goes wrong
No, it's a wonderful world, if you can put aside the sadness
And hang on to every ounce of beauty upon you
Better take the time to know it there ain't no way around it
If you feel anything at all
(My first favorite line in this song is "The secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits." So true about so many things in life. When to fight, when to give up. When to stay, when to walk away. Sometimes the only way through the sadness is by hanging on to the little things in life that mean something. Then one day you wake up on the other side of it all.)

Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt

So if what you have is working for you, or you think that it can stand a reasonable chance, and whatever's broken seems fixable and nothing's beyond repair
If you still think about each other and smile before you remember how screwed up it's gotten or maybe dream of a time less rotten
Remember, it ain't too late to take a deep breath and throw yourself into it with everything you got
(We've all been here. That point in a relationship where you can't imagine staying and you can't imagine leaving. The good times seem long gone but there's something that just won't let you walk away. You realize that either you're all in or all out.)

It's great to be alive
(My second favorite line. For anyone that's lived through hell, this line especially tugs at you.)

Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt / Gonna be a world of hurt

The definitive life-affirming song. It definitely came along at the perfect time in my life, and it may sound corny but it literally was one of the factors that kept me alive at that point. It doesn't get much better than this.

I was so happy to see it live on my europe tour...

One of those songs that can lift me up when I think to much, about life, lost love and more...

Few lines here are my favorites:

To love is to feel pain" there ain't no way around it
The very nature of love is to grieve when it is over


The secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits
Better role them now before something else goes wrong

If you still think about each other and smile before you remember how screwed up it's gotten or maybe dream of a time less rotten

Those lyrics are from the best of Patterson & the DBT. I relate to them so much and think about them sometimes, even when I'm not listening to the song. Right after Angels & Fuselage it's the best closing song from DBT albums if you ask me. It is the ending credits of "Blessing & a Curse" and one of the most beautiful songs Patterson ever wrote.

One of my favorites. That "It's great to be alive" line never fails to give me goosebumps.

The song is life affirming in all the best ways. It's honest, to the point and at the end of the song you just feel cleansed. It kills me live. Every fucking time.

One of my favorite Patterson tracks, period. One of his finest moments lyrically.

I first heard the song at my first DBT show. Keep in mind, I only went to see DBT in the first place because RevTodd wouldn't leave me alone about it (thanks Todd!), and I knew very little material when they hit the stage. Oddly enough, it still ranks as my favorite DBT show just because all the elements that made me fall in love with the band came together at that show. "World Of Hurt" was one of those elements. I remember when Patterson got to the "It's FUCKING GREAT TO BE ALIVE" part, I knew I was part of something beautiful and powerful.

Song still hits me like a motherfucker. I don't think I've ever listened to it without getting at the very least a little misty-eyed...

jimmyjack wrote:One of my favorites. That "It's great to be alive" line never fails to give me goosebumps.

Yep, that one line sums up the song. But to fully get that line, I think you need to see Patterson deliver it live. IMO the studio version is kind of muted whereas the live version is a full on celebration of life.

Anyone have any info on who "Paul" is?

BTW great choice NGB.

I personally like the live version...."It's fuck'in great to be alive!" I don't think this vocabulary always adds to any particular rhetoric but in this case it just seems to underscore the emotion and IMO is most appropriate.

Literally brought me to tears the first time I saw it live.

The first few times I saw it live were Patterson solo shows. I'd almost given up seeing him do it with DBT. While it was amazing seeing him do it solo, that was nothing compared to the energy and passion of seeing it with DBT.

Definitely one of those songs that hits you like the first time every time.

The first time I heard this song was when my folks were getting divorced. I've never even approached the point of not wanting to live (I'm lucky enough to always find something I love no matter where I am in life), but it was a low point/rough patch in my life, and the optimism of this song really spoke to me. It taught me that you can always find a way to make things work, even if it's not what you anticipated.

It IS fuckin' great to be alive, even when it hurts.

I want to see this live SO BAD. The studio version, while great, doesn't do it justice compared to the youtube clips I've seen of the live performances

It's a beautiful song. The best on an underrated ABAAC. Great choice ngb, and a very poignant breakdown that you gave. This song always helps me think about a time less rotten.

I would like to write something about this song but I don't feel like crying right now. But I will say this: rock and roll saved my life twice. First, when I was a teenager looking for a purpose in life. And then, when I was 45 years old and on the edge of death. My best friend gave me some cd's to listen to in the hospital by a band I had heard a lot about but hadn't gotten around to listening to yet. At the time I was questioning whether or not the fight was worth it. I could just let the reaper take me, end up in heaven and not have to worry about a damn thing. No more doctors, no more hospital bills, no more child support. But those cd's and that band reminded me who I was and awakened something in me that I had forgotten about. I remembered who I was.

The first time I heard "World of Hurt" I listened to it about three or four times in a row. It was the last song on the first DBT album I ever listened to. Yes, I agreed, it is great to be alive. Then I listened to the other cd's, alone in a hospital, tubes in my arms and a catheter in my chest pumping four chemo drugs for 96 straight hours. Songs like "The Living Bubba", "Goddamn Lonely Love", "Daddy's Cup", "Let There Be Rock." At the end of the ordeal all of my hair was gone. I couldn't walk without assistance. I felt like absolute shit. But I knew one thing. It is fucking great to be alive.

RevMatt wrote:I would like to write something about this song but I don't feel like crying right now. But I will say this: rock and roll saved my life twice. First, when I was a teenager looking for a purpose in life. And then, when I was 45 years old and on the edge of death. My best friend gave me some cd's to listen to in the hospital by a band I had heard a lot about but hadn't gotten around to listening to yet. At the time I was questioning whether or not the fight was worth it. I could just let the reaper take me, end up in heaven and not have to worry about a damn thing. No more doctors, no more hospital bills, no more child support. But those cd's and that band reminded me who I was and awakened something in me that I had forgotten about. I remembered who I was.

The first time I heard "World of Hurt" I listened to it about three or four times in a row. It was the last song on the first DBT album I ever listened to. Yes, I agreed, it is great to be alive. Then I listened to the other cd's, alone in a hospital, tubes in my arms and a catheter in my chest pumping four chemo drugs for 96 straight hours. Songs like "The Living Bubba", "Goddamn Lonely Love", "Daddy's Cup", "Let There Be Rock." At the end of the ordeal all of my hair was gone. I couldn't walk without assistance. I felt like absolute shit. But I knew one thing. It is fucking great to be alive.

wow. I've nothing else to say.

great post, Rev.

The first time I heard this was a Patterson solo show before ABAAC came out. Even having never heard this before, this song instantly drew me in and the rousing "It's [f-ing] great to be alive" part just washed over me, chills up and down the spine, and just cleansed me. Such a powerful tune with as much catharsis and affirmation as can be found anywhere.

Well done NGB. It really is one of the greatest tracks. Played live at Brighton as an encore right after Carl Perkins, Neff's pedal steel was sending shivers down every spine. It built up slow and spooky then everyone yelled...IT's GREAT TO BE ALIVE !
It is living bubba proof that ABAAC is gonna come back to haunt all those who think it is a bad album.

Felt like digging this thread up. I'm convinced if you put this song on every morning and think about it for a minute, it will give you what you need it to that day.

Whoever desribed that version as "transcendant" was dead on. Montclair from a few months ago (louder and more reckless on the back end) is my other definitive version.

It's one of the songs that sum up why DBT shows are religious experiences.

Jonicont wrote:

Great work on that vid, Jonicont.

It ain't too late to take a deep breath
And throw yourself into it
With everything you got

Hell yeah

Listen to this version

I will never understand people talking and making idle small talk while Patterson Hood is singing an acoustic version of A World Of Hurt. Seriously...WTF.

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Felt like digging this thread up. I'm convinced if you put this song on every morning and think about it for a minute, it will give you what you need it to that day.

Absolutely agree!! The song has been a favorite of mine from my first listen. Speaks to me every time. So many great lines..."To love is to feel pain"

ABAAC was the first "new" album released after I discovered DBT. At the time I thought "doesn't exactly sound like what I just heard live at Langerado, but I like it."

The poignancy of this song (and all of ABAAC) is what speaks to me. Hearing it live is the best!

My most personal DBT song...Was very happy to see it live when I traveled after the band last year in europe (came specially from Israel for 6 shows, at 6 different cities, in two countries, all in one week). The performance of this song in Brighton, along with "Tornadoes" and the private soundcheck performance of A&F and ending my trip with A&F as well on my last show, were the highlights of my trip.

Back in April I tattooed part of the song on my arm. On a place I can always see. Just to remind me. Remind me every time I felt real bad and this song helped me. Remind me every time I still get down that things can get better and there are things worth living for, and that "It ain't too late to through yourself into it with everything you've got".

This is one of the songs I hear when I'm down and also when I'm happy. It gets the effect on both things. A piece of music that really "kept me alive" in some situations. And it's a part of me now

That is awesome TruckerTomer - good to see you post -
I get a tear in my eye everytime the band plays this number...Cooley's solo at the end is fantastic to boot....makes you realize just how special life is - the highs and the lows....and everything in between..Stay safe brother.....

Howlinwolf wrote:I get a tear in my eye everytime the band plays this number...Cooley's solo at the end is fantastic to boot....makes you realize just how special life is - the highs and the lows....and everything in between...

Couldn't have said it better myself!

I never get sick of hearing this song, and it always MAKES THE SHOW for me if they play it...

Howlinwolf wrote:That is awesome TruckerTomer - good to see you post -
I get a tear in my eye everytime the band plays this number...Cooley's solo at the end is fantastic to boot....makes you realize just how special life is - the highs and the lows....and everything in between..Stay safe brother.....

Thank ya! And well said!