Even Heroes have the right to dream/
It’s not easy to be me.

In Five For Fighting’s “Superman”, John Ondrasik imagines Superman voicing his insecurities as he flies and stops trains. He worries about kryptonite and feels silly in his red cape. He says, “It’s not easy to be me”, not because saving the world is a tough task, but because of silly feelings of insecurity.

The message is an important one: if Superman can feel insecure while saving the world, it is normal for me to feel insecure in my everyday life, as everyone experiences it-even superheroes.  It is clearly irrational for superman to feel insecure, so perhaps it is irrational when I have those feelings too.

The delicate piano playing creates a great sound that is antithetical to the Superman persona. Similarly, his tender vocals don’t sound like how we’d imagine Superman. This helps to hit the message home that perhaps we all feel uncomfortable inside our own skin. Perhaps it is a fundamental aspect of the human experience.

Superman (It’s Not Easy) Lyrics

I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naïve
I’m just out to find
The better part of me

I’m more than a bird, I’m more than a plane
I’m more than some pretty face beside a train
And it’s not easy to be me

I wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I’ll never see

It may sound absurd, but don’t be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me

Up, up and away, away from me
Well, it’s all right, you can all sleep sound tonight
I’m not crazy or anything

I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naïve
Men weren’t meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

I’m only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me
Inside of me
Inside me
Inside me
Inside of me

I’m only a man
In a funny red sheet
I’m only a man
Looking for a dream

I’m only a man
In a funny red sheet
And it’s not easy
It’s not easy to be me

Songwriters: John Ondrasik