“The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby and the Range
Bruce Hornsby’s “The Way It Is” deals with the issue of social inequality, using primarily racial segregation as an example. Its three verses feature three distinct narratives, with the latter two focusing on racism.
First Verse
The first verse opens with a group of people “standing in line… waiting for the welfare dime”. These people appear to be recipients of government aid who are in queue to receive such. A rich man “hurries by” the group and while passing ‘catches the eye’ of a “poor old lady”. He then mocks her by telling her to “get a job”. This particular part of the song is likely symbolic of the well-to-do showing lack of sympathy or perhaps even being unable to sympathize with the less-fortunate, which can be classified as an overarching theme of the song.
Second Verse
The second verse is about a “little boy” who is instructed by an “old man” that he “can’t go where the others go”. This is likely an allusion to racial segregation, with the boy being Black and the old man White. In other words, the boy is restricted from going into certain areas “because (he) don’t look like they do”, as in those particular settings being open only to Whites. Such was a common practice during the first part of the 20th century in many parts of America. So the boy questions the old man concerning the validity of such “rules”. And the old man replies by stating “that’s just the way it is”, which we will get back to later.
Third Verse
And in the third verse Bruce mentions “a law passed in 1964”. This is likely a reference to a couple of statutes passed that year – the Civil Rights Act and Economic Opportunity Act – which were meant to counteract the selfsame “rules” mentioned in the second verse. And what the song appears to be saying is that even though such laws were passed which make people change how they behave on the surface, internally their thinking (i.e. racism) remains the same.
Chorus and Title “The Way It Is”
And this brings us to the chorus and title of this song. What Bruce Hornsby concludes concerning all of the aforementioned matters is “that’s just the way it is”. Or looking at this statement from a different angle, we all know these social ills and unjust mentalities exist but do not know where they originate from, as they have been present longer than any of us can remember. But he ends the chorus on a positive note by stating “don’t you believe them”.
In other words, all because a society (or culture) may be structured in such a way does not mean we have to resign ourselves to such negative ways of thinking. Rather the singer is challenging the listener to confront such realities in an effort to effect positive change specifically, once again, in terms of eradicating racial barriers.
Facts about “The Way It Is”
- This is the signature song of Bruce Hornsby’s entire musical career. Furthermore it ended up being his only track to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
- “The Way It Is” also topped the charts in Canada and the Netherlands. Also, it managed to break the top 10 in countries such as Belgium, Ireland and Spain.
- Bruce Hornsby wrote “The Way It Is” in its entirety. He also co-produced the song alongside Elliot Scheiner.
- This classic was released by RCA Records on 1 April 1986 as the second single from Bruce Hornsby and the Range’s debut album. That album shares the same name as the song.
- Since its release it has retained a presence in popular culture, largely due to the efforts of rappers who have sampled the track. For instance, “The Way It Is” was heavily utilized in Tupac Shakur’s 1998 posthumous hit single “Changes”.
Phil Collins’ “That’s Just The Way It Is”
English singer Phil Collins also has a political song titled “That’s Just The Way It Is“, which was released in 1990. The main theme of Phil’s song differs from that of Hornsby’s. But despite this, we strongly believe Phil took some inspiration from Hornsby’s when composing his.
BTW, the Phil Collins song in question is an anti-war song whose main theme focuses on the notorious Northern Ireland conflict.
