Hey God Descrepency

This is completely unnecessary, but I've gotta bring this up as I don't think it has been yet.

In Hey God, the lyrics go: "Born into the ghetto 1991, just a happy child playin' beneath the summer sun/Vacant lot's his playground, by 12 he's got a gun..."

These Days came out in 1995. If that kid was born in 1991, how is he 12 already?!? I know this is pointless and the lyrics can be read anytime, but this is just one of those little things that bugged me.

What do you think?

I guess if you want to be technical, it doesn't fit. But the storytelling is kinda all over the place there, and the lyrical standpoint seems like an all-knowing omniscient thing. It's kinda like for the verses the narrator is a fly on the wall and in the chorus he/she is an actual person praying to God. When Jon was writing it, he must've been looking to the future or something. Although the "1991" part seems like a filler there, and could've easily been replaced and we wouldn't need to worry 'bout this.

Maybe this was my brain trying to fix the discrepancy, but I always thought it went like this. "Born into the ghetto. 1991, just a happy child playing underneath the summer sun. A vacant lot his playground, by 12 he's got a gun..."
IE: The kid is born in the ghetto. In 1991, he's a happy child playing. In 1995, he's 12 and has a gun.

By 12 he's got a gun, meaning that it's the norm and not nessesarily taking place in the year the song was written. Just my point of view......

It's not inaccurate... 'by 12 he's got a Gun'... meaning that in the future he's going to inevitably have a gun.

By the way, The odds are bet against him, junior don't make 21....

Given that he was born in 1991 he's only 2 years off 21!

Is Junior going to make it?

That is the way I always interpreted it too. This kid born in the ghetto is meant to be like any other kid in God's eyes, but invariably has no future so "what the hell is going on?" It's not so much about one specific kid, but rather, a pattern over time.

I picked up on this when I first listened to the album in the year 2000. I thought even if the song had been written today it still wouldn't make sense. I understand what Crushden is saying how in 1991 he's just a happy child playing, but the way the song is sung it definately sounds like the kid was born in 1991. I guess it must apply to the latter lyric though to make any sense. Either that or it's just bullshit writing, which would go against the grain of TD, as it's not a bullshit album.

It's not just your point of view, it's fact.

There is no discrepancy here. No problem with the lyric. He was born in 1991, by the time he is 12 years old he will have a gun.

That´s how it is. I´ve never seen a discrepancy in there.

I read just like you