Everlast – What It's Like Lyrics - Genius

2025, In ReviewFeaturedChartsVideosPromote Your MusicSign Up22What It’s LikeEverlastProducersDante Ross, John Gamble & 2 moreTrack 4 onWhitey Ford Sings the Blues Sep. 8, 19981 viewer220.2K views61 Contributors

What It’s Like Lyrics

“What It’s Like” is the fourth track and lead single of Everlast’s 1998 album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues. “What It’s Like” tells tales of people who face adversity and asks the listener to sympathize and… Read More [Verse 1]We've all seen the man at the liquor store beggin' for your changeThe hair on his face is dirty, dreadlocked and full of mangeHe ask a man for what he could spare with shame in his eyes"Get a job, you fucking slob" is all he replies[Pre-Chorus]God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes'Cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues[Chorus]Yeah, then you really might know what it's like (What it's like)Yeah, then you really might know what it's like (What it's like)Yeah, then you really might know what it's like (What it's like)Then you really might know what it's like[Verse 2]Mary got pregnant from a kid named Tom who said he was in loveHe said "Don't worry about a thing, baby doll, I'm the man you've been dreamin' of"But three months later he say he won't date her or return her callsAnd she swear, "Goddamn, If I find that man I'm cuttin' off his balls"And then she heads for the clinic and she gets some static walkin' through the doorThey call her a killer and they call her a sinner and they call her a whore[Pre-Chorus]God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to chooseYou might also like[Chorus]Then you really might know what it's like (What it's like)Then you really might know what it's like (What it's like)Then you really might know what it's like (What it's like)Then you really might know what it's like[Bridge]I've seen a rich man beg, I've seen a good man sin, I've seen a tough man cryI've seen a loser win and a sad man grin, I heard an honest man lieI've seen the good side of bad and the down side of up and everything in betweenI licked the silver spoon, drank from the golden cup and Smoked the finest greenI stroked the baddest of dimes at least a couple of times before I broke they heartYou know where it ends, yo, it usually depends on where you start[Verse 3]I knew this kid named Max, who used to get fat stacks out on the corner with drugsHe like to hang out late, he like to get shit-faced and keep pace with thugsUntil late one night there was a big gun fight and Max lost his headHe pulled out his chrome .45, talked some shit and wound up deadNow his wife and his kids are caught up in the midst of all of this painYou know it crumbles that way, at least that's what they say when they play the game[Pre-Chorus]God forbid you ever had to wake up to hear the news'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to lose[Chorus]Yeah, then you really might know what it's like (What it's like)Yeah, then you really might know what it's like (What it's like)Yeah, then you really might know what it's like (What it's like)To have to lose22EmbedCancel

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AboutSong Bio5 contributors

“What It’s Like” is the fourth track and lead single of Everlast’s 1998 album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues. “What It’s Like” tells tales of people who face adversity and asks the listener to sympathize and empathize with others who are unfortunate.

It remains Everlast’s most successful solo release, reaching the top 40 in several countries including a #13 peak in the US in the spring of 1999. It also topped the US Rock and Alternative Songs charts.

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Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Ask a questionwhat are the baddest dimesGenius Answer2 contributors

Slang for a woman who is a “perfect ten.”

Who produced “What It's Like” by Everlast?When did Everlast release “What It's Like”?Who wrote “What It's Like” by Everlast?Whitey Ford Sings the Blues (1998)Everlast

1. 1. The White Boy Is Back
2. 2. Money (Dollar Bill)
3. 3. Ends
4. 4. What It’s Like
5. 5. Get Down
6. 6. Sen Dog
7. 7. Tired
8. 8. Hot to Death
9. 9. Painkillers
10. 10. Prince Paul
11. 11. Praise the Lord
12. 12. Today (Watch Me Shine)
13. 13. Guru
14. 14. Death Comes Callin’
15. 15. Funky Beat
16. 16. The Letter
17. 17. 7 Years
18. 18. Next Man

The Best of KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas (1999)Various ArtistsHamlet 2 (Music from the Motion Picture) (2008)The Ralph Sall ExperienceShamrocks & Shenanigans (2004)House of PainBig Shiny 90's (2002)MuchWhatever: The ’90s Pop & Culture Box (2005)Various ArtistsThe Best Of Summer [NOR] (2000)Various ArtistsExpand CreditsProducersDante Ross, John Gamble, Stimulated Dummies & EverlastWriterEverlastViolinAlen Agadhzhanyan & Jacqueline SuzukiStrings ArrangerGiovanni Loria & Stimulated DummiesMixing EngineerJamey Staub & Stimulated DummiesGuitarEverlastKeyboardsStephan CulloBassBen BocardoCelloElizabeth WrightViolaJohn WangEngineerJohn GambleRecorded AtSD50Released onSeptember 8, 1998Songs That Sample What It’s LikeMy Room by FJ OutlawSongs That Interpolate What It’s LikeWest Coast by Monolyth & Beanpole RecordsView What It’s Like samplesTagsRapRockFolk PopFolkFolk RockBoom BapSoul RapAlternative RapAcousticTrip-HopPop RockHip-HopAlternativeBlues RockRap RockExpand CommentsAdd a commentSign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.Sign Up