Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” explores the damage caused by gossip, rumors, media scrutiny, and people who thrive on creating conflict. Through energetic vocals and infectious rhythms, the song encourages resilience against negativity while exposing how lies and unnecessary drama can trap and overwhelm individuals.
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ Lyrics
[Intro]
Ooh
[Pre-Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
[Chorus]
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Verse 1]
I took my baby to the doctor
With a fever, but nothin’ he found
By the time this hit the street
They said she had a breakdown
Someone’s always tryin’
To start my baby cryin’
Talkin’, squealin’, lyin’
Sayin’ you just want to be startin’ somethin’
[Pre-Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
[Chorus]
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Verse 2]
You love to pretend that you’re good
When you’re always up to no good
You really can’t make him hate her
So your tongue became a razor
Someone’s always tryin’
To keep my baby cryin’
Treacherous, cunnin’, declinin’
You got my baby cryin’
[Pre-Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’ (Hee)
You got to be startin’ somethin’
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
[Chorus]
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Post-Chorus]
You’re a vegetable (You’re a vegetable)
You’re a vegetable (You’re a vegetable)
Still, they hate you (Still, they hate you)
You’re a vegetable (You’re a vegetable)
You’re just a buffet (You’re just a buffet; You’re a vegetable)
You’re a vegetable (You’re a vegetable)
They eat off of you (They eat off of you; You’re a vegetable)
You’re a vegetable, ow
[Verse 3]
Billie Jean is always talkin’
When nobody else is talkin’
Tellin’ lies and rubbin’ shoulders
So they called her mouth a motor
Someone’s always tryin’
To start my baby cryin’
Talkin’, squealin’, spyin’
Sayin’ you just want to be startin’ somethin’
[Pre-Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
[Chorus]
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Post-Chorus]
You’re a vegetable (You’re a vegetable)
You’re a vegetable (You’re a vegetable)
Still, they hate you (Still, they hate you)
You’re a vegetable (You’re a vegetable)
You’re just a buffet (You’re just a buffet; You’re a vegetable)
You’re a vegetable (You’re a vegetable)
They eat off of you (They eat off of you; You’re a vegetable)
You’re a vegetable, ow
[Interlude]
Ow
(Hee-hee-hee-ha) Ooh
[Verse 4]
If you can’t feed your baby (Yeah, yeah)
Then don’t have a baby (Yeah, yeah)
And don’t think maybe (Yeah, yeah)
If you can’t feed your baby (Yeah, yeah)
You’ll be always tryin’
To stop that child from cryin’
Hustlin’, stealin’, lyin’
Now baby’s slowly dyin’
[Pre-Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
[Chorus]
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Bridge]
Lift your head up high
And scream out to the world
“I know I am someone”
And let the truth unfurl (Hee-hee-hee-ha)
No one can hurt you now
Because you know what’s true
Yes, I believe in me
So you believe in you
Help me sing it
[Outro]
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hoo-hoo)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hee-hee-hee)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hee-hee-hee)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Help me sing it, babe)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hee-hee-hee)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Yeah, sing it to the world)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Sing it out loud)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hoo-hoo)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Help me sing it)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hoo-hoo)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hee-hee-hee)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Help me sing it)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hoo-hoo)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hee-hee-hee)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Sing it to the world)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hoo-hoo)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hee-hee-hee)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hee-hee-hee)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Help me sing it, babe)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hee-hee-hee)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hee)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Yeah)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Sing it to the world)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Sing it out loud)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa (Hoo-hoo)
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa
Video of Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ Lyrics by Michael Jackson
Song Credits
- Song Name :– Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
- Singer Name :–Michael Jackson
- Producer:- Quincy Jones
- Album:– Thriller
- Release Date :– November 29, 1982
Song Bio of Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ by Michael Jackson
There’s a reason this track still opens karaoke nights and wedding dance floors more than four decades later. Released as part of Thriller on November 29, 1982, and shaped by Quincy Jones’s production, the song takes something painfully human — the sting of gossip and public judgment — and turns it into pure, danceable release.
Michael doesn’t just complain about rumors here. He builds a world where talk becomes a weapon, where a fever turns into a “breakdown” by the time it hits the street, and where someone’s tongue can literally become a razor. It’s sharp writing dressed up in one of the funkiest basslines of the decade.
A few things that make this track unforgettable:
- The “vegetable” chant turns cruelty into something almost cartoonish, poking fun at people who feed off drama
- The bridge shifts gears entirely, urging listeners to lift their heads and trust their own truth
- That closing “Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-koo-sa” chant, borrowed from Cameroonian artist Manu Dibango’s “Soul Makossa,” turns the ending into a communal chant rather than a comedown
By the time the song fades, it’s not really about the people spreading lies anymore. It’s about refusing to shrink because of them — which might be why, all these years later, it still feels like an anthem instead of a complaint.
