2085 Lyrics
(You work hard for now, just now, just now)
(You work hard for now, just now, just now)
[Verse 1]
If somebody told me I'd die at forty
I wouldn'ta spent my time in bed
Writin' my dumb songs and my growin'-up songs
I shoulda just grown up instead
[Refrain]
(You work hard for now, just now, just now)
[Verse 2]
Now all of the interns are no longer interns
How long have I been outta town?
'Cause sometimes I wonder if I had kissed her
How different life would be right now
[Pre-Chorus]
I smile when I cry to hide what I felt
"I'm doin' fine," speak for yourself
I shoulda just asked for help
[Chorus]
Hey
It's 2085 and we're old as shit
Whatever
Hey
I'd hate to have to die 'fore I gеt my head
Together, whatеver
(You work hard for now, just now, just now)
[Verse 3]
So finish your work now, it's gettin' warm out
If you got friends, don't let them leave
I turned twenty-somethin', it didn't mean nothin'
'Cause not one of them were there to see
[Refrain]
(You work hard for now, just now, just now)
[Verse 4]
And go tell your grandson to go tell his grandson
You don't have to try so hard, ya know
'Cause I spent my whole life tryna be so liked
That only made 'em hate me more
[Pre-Chorus]
Did I make you proud? Did I screw this up?
Sing with me loud, it's all that I've got
To know if I did or not (Okay, okay)
[Chorus]
(Hey, hey) Hey
It's 2085 and we're old as shit
Whatever
Hey
I'd hate to have to die 'fore I get my head
Together, together, together, whatever
(You work hard for now, just now, just now)
Whatever
(You work hard for now, just now, just now)
Whatever
[Bridge]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
You gotta get better, you're all that I've got
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Don't take forever, you're not here for long
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ah-ah-ah
You gotta get better, you're all that I've got
Ah-ah-ah-ah
[Verse 5]
I wish I was me, whoever that is
I could just be and not give a shit
Hey, I'll be whatever makes you a fan
'Cause I don't know who the hell I am
[Verse 6]
I think it's too late to figure this out
If I could be me, I would've been it by now
Maybe I'm a stone or big as my house
It looks like our time is runnin' out
So if this is me, then I'll do my best
I'll take all the shit so you'll never have to
You can be you, and I'll be the rest
Yeah, maybe that's who the hell I am
[Outro]
Ah-ah-ah-ah, oh-oh-oh-oh
You gotta get better, you're all that I've got
Ah-ah-ah-ah, oh-oh-oh-oh
Don't take forever, you're not here for long
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da
You gotta get better, you're all that I've got
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da
But don't take forever, you're not here for long
Mm-mm-mm-mm, mm-mm-mm-mm
I gotta get better, I'm all that I've got
Mm-mm-mm-mm, mm-mm-mm-mm
For two or three minutes, then I'm gone
About
“2085” is the final track on AJR’s album The Maybe Man. Clocking in at just over five and a half minutes, it is the group’s longest solo release to date. The song was teased via social media on November 4th in the final leadup to the album release on November 10th.
“2085” takes listeners to the future – more specifically the titular year – where all 3 brothers in AJR would be elders, inching closer to mortality, previously established with their late dad in the previous song, “God is Really Real”. After reflecting on the past, the song turns into a reprise of the opening track “Maybe Man”, where the narrator concludes that life is too short to search for who they are and decides to live all that’s left, as a euphoric climax brings the album full circle.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning