One of the trends spreading on TikTok in 2023 is about a short melody singing the words “Dumb way to die”, and not everyone knows the origin of this sound. The hashtag #dumbwaystodie is filled with videos made by creators who follow the trend of this song, referring to stupid behavior that people do, applied in many areas of life. However, there is an actual song, behind these simple lines, with catchy lyrics and a long story that dates back to 2012. Let’s find out.
You can find the sound used on TikTok for the “Dumb Ways to Die” trend Here.
Stupid way to die: song lyrics & stories
Stupid way to die was born in 2012 in Australia as part of a public campaign promoted by Metro Trains, Melbourne’s rail service. The campaign is meant to raise awareness about the fact that most fatal accidents are caused by behavior that can be avoided with a little attention. The advertising agency that idealized it, McCann, explains: “The goal of this campaign is to engage an audience that really doesn’t want to hear any message of salvation, and we think of stupid ways to die.”
A song was written specifically for the campaign, aired on local radio, and the official video was shared on YouTube. You can still watch it below. The protagonists of the video are a group of animated colored beans doing stupid things that can cost them their lives.
The song was also released on iTunes, associated with “Tangerine Kitty”: in fact, the music is actually Ollie McGill, member of the Australian band The Cat Empire, and the voice belongs to Emily Lubitz, vocalist of the band Tinpan Orange. Thanks to the song Stupid way to die and its catchy lyrics, the campaign went viral in 2012, and is estimated to have contributed to a 30% reduction in accidents occurring in the months following its launch.
Dumb Way to Die’s lyrics describe some of the absurd behavior that can lead to accidental death and can easily be linked to the decisions a person makes with his behavior. Most of them are obvious and surreal, like setting your hair on fire or using “your private parts as piranha bait”, but then the song also introduces some safety practices that should be maintained in metro stations, such as avoiding the edges of platforms when a train is approaching, and not never crossed the rails.
The campaign was so viral that a video game was made out of it, in 2013: it became a real franchise, with the fourth installment Dumb Ways to Die 4 set to be released in 2023, on iOS and Android. In 2022, the franchisor also released a branded NFT called BEANS: you can find them Here.
Complete lyrics for the song Dumb Ways to Die for funny reading, recommended while listening to the song. You can find it in full version below.
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Burn your hair
Stick the stick into the grizzly bear
Take expired medicine
Use your private parts as piranha bait
Stupid way to die
So many stupid ways to die
Stupid way to die
So many stupid ways to die
Remove your toast with a fork
Do your own electrical work
Teach yourself how to fly
Eat unrefrigerated pies two weeks old
Stupid way to die
So many stupid ways to die
Stupid way to die
So many stupid ways to die
Invite a psycho killer inside
Scratch the drug dealer’s new vehicle
Take off your helmet in space
Use your clothes dryer as a hiding place
Stupid way to die
So many stupid ways to die
Stupid way to die
So many stupid ways to die
Keep rattlesnakes as pets
Sell your two kidneys online
Eat a tube of super glue
“I wonder what this red button does?”
Stupid way to die
So many stupid ways to die
Stupid way to die-ie-ie-ie
So many stupid ways to die
Dress up like a deer during hunting season
Disturbing a wasp nest for no apparent reason
Stand on the edge of the train station platform
Drive around the boomgates at level crossings
Run across the track between platforms
They may not rhyme but they quite possibly do
The stupidest way to die
The stupidest way to die
The stupidest way to die-ie-ie-ie
So many are stupid
So many stupid ways to die