Sublime: Wrong Way Meaning

Song Released: 1997

Wrong Way Lyrics

Annie's 12 years old, in two more she'll be a whore
Nobody ever told her it's the wrong way
Don't be afraid with the quickness you'll get laid
For your family get paid
It's the wrong way
I gave her all that I had to give
I'm gonna make it...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Apr 14th 2011 !⃝

   All you guys have 'parts' of the song right. Annie's 14 and, as we all know, whored out for money by her drunk dad and seven "horny" brothers. The singer meets her and deeply sympathizes with her, although he still has sex with her because he's "only a man" even though he knows it's the "wrong way". He gives her whatever money he can and he tries to help her, offering solutions such as help her getting revenge against her father by shooting him. They end up having a relationship and he proposes they run away and have a life together. She may still be prostituting herself, but he definitely isn't her pimp and may even be attacking or seeking out her past "customers." They eventually ran away, but he says that now he regrets it ("and straight to this very day it was the wrong way.") She leaves him despite all this and he comments that "she likes it the wrong way", meaning that she had grown so used or attached to her dysfunctional that she couldn't let it go.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jul 28th 2009 !⃝

   This song is about a 14 year old girl named Annie who is raised in harsh conditions with her "seven horny brothers" and her "drunk-ass dad". Her father forces her into prostitution so he can get money, and the singer meets her and falls in love with her. Even though he knows it's wrong, he ends up having sex with her anyway. He offers to help her, including by offering to kill her dad. They run away together, but she ends up leaving him, but he is still in love with her.

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Mar 30th 2010 !⃝

   "Wrong Way" is about Annie, a 14-year-old whore from Costa Rica that Bradley (lead singer of Sublime) met in 1991 when he went there to surf. He met her, fell in love and offered to take her back to the States for a "better life" and to take her out of that lifestyle. She was being pimped by her dad. They ended up going back to Cali, got married and had a baby (he makes reference to this in "Caress me down") but she kept on with her ways even though it was the wrong way. Annie moved back to Costa Rica with Maxine (their baby) shortly after Bradley's untimely death.
4. anonymous

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   Aug 12th 2011 !⃝

   the song was inspired by TAXI Driver I mean with Robert De Niro
5. anonymous

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   Aug 12th 2011 !⃝

   the song was inspired by TAXI
6. anonymous

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   Jan 17th 2011 !⃝

   Well everybody knows the basics, like she was put on the street by her dad. But i also think that she hated her life and family for it. The guy who's telling the story was a person she was having sex with who paid to have sex with her. Then she was crying and he knew it was wrong so he tried to help her but he still was a man and men are horny like all the time so it didn't help much.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. anonymous

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   Oct 21st 2010 !⃝

   This song is obviously about a girl who is forced into prostitution by her family in order to earn money. The narrator of this song helps save her from this, but in the end treats her badly too, and she runs away. The song focuses upon his regret at treating her badly, and just all the bad things in her life.
8. anonymous

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   Jun 25th 2010 !⃝

   In basic terms, it's an anti-prostitution sing; comparative to Sublime's Date Rape, which is obviously an Anti-rape song. Paralleling to the "wrong way" story, it's about a twelve-year-old girl, Annie, who is forced upon prostitution (commonly symbolized as the "Wrong Way) but "nobody told her it was the wrong way"(probably to manipulate her into not 'ratting' out her family, a common jurisdiction sex offenders place on their victims). The protagonist, the narrator, offers her protection but often crosses the line ,"but I take her to the can it's the wrong way". In the end, he invites her to live with him and stay away from her abusive family. She ends up leaving because "she only wants the wrong way" and cries "smear[ing] up her make-up" along the way, symbolizing the sexual burden and guilt to keep prostituting to keep her father and brothers pleased, as the narrator concludes he "never wanted"!
9. anonymous

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   Jun 25th 2010 !⃝

   In basic terms, it's an anti-prostitution sing; comparative to Sublime's Date Rape, which is obviously an Anti-rape song. Paralleling to the "wrong way" story, it's about a twelve-year-old girl, Annie, who is forced upon prostitution (commonly symbolized as the "Wrong Way). The protagonist, the narrator, offers her protection but often crosses the line ,"but I take her to the can it's the wrong way". In the end, he invites her to live with him and stay away from her abusive family. She ends up leaving because "she only wants the wrong way" and cries "smear[ing] up her make-up" along the way, symbolizing the sexual burden and guilt to keep prostituting to keep her father and sons pleased, as the narrator concludes it's "the wrong way"!
10. anonymous

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    Mar 30th 2010 !⃝

    this song is about Brad realizing how we as the human race are living the wrong way and how it was never meant to be like this. He uses the story to show how the dad uses his daughter for money as an example of how messed up society is.
11. anonymous

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    Aug 6th 2009 !⃝

    Annie's an underage prostitute for her broken family, which is the only thing she knows. The singer uses her and gets her to leave with him. She gets the chance to start new and chooses to live the way she used to. It's wrong, but the only thing she knew.
12. YourFan

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    Aug 2nd 2007 !⃝

    This song is about a girl named Annie, who was forced into prostitution by her family of "seven horny brothers" and her "drunk ass dad." and the narrator of this song rescues her and ends up having sex with her.
13. anonymous

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    Nov 29th 2006 !⃝

    I think this song is about a girl who is pimped out and raped by her father and brothers. She meets this man and he tries to help her, but they end up having sex and he tries to take her out of prostitution but she runs away because "she only wants the wrong way"
14. Cobainfan420

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    Aug 30th 2006 !⃝

    This song is about a girl who is pimped out and raped by her father/brothers. And she met this guy who wants to be her "friend" or pimp or whatever and gives her advice and tries to help her, tho he is strongly attracted to her. They end up having sex.
15. anonymous

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    Jul 10th 2005 !⃝

    This song is about a 14 year old prostitute that is pimped out by her father. The singer meets her and tries to help her, but he says he is only a man and can not resist having sex with her, even though it's the wrong way.
16. username

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    Jul 10th 2005 !⃝

    This song is about a 14 year old prostitue "...annies 12 years old in 2 more she'll be a whore...nobody ever told her its the wrong way" The man in the song falls in love with her (kinda sounds like Roxanne by the Police doesn't it?) and offers to shoot her dad and become her pimp. "I give her all that I had to give... still gonna make it hard to live..."

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