Horrible Kids

Set It Off's song 'Horrible Kids' delves deep into the harrowing experience of bullying and its profound impact on the victim. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a young individual who is relentlessly targeted by their peers. The opening lines, 'Watch your step around these words cause / They're gonna get you,' immediately set a tone of caution and fear, highlighting how words can be as harmful as physical actions. The repeated assertion that it's 'not a disease, it's just a game of pretend' underscores the trivialization of the victim's suffering by the bullies, who see their actions as mere child's play rather than the serious harm they inflict.

The chorus, 'Horrible Kids / Would you look what you did / It was your ignorance / That formed a beast with your wit,' serves as a powerful indictment of the bullies. It suggests that their ignorance and cruelty have transformed the victim into something they never intended to be—a 'beast' driven by pain and anger. This transformation is a direct result of the relentless torment they endure, pushing them to their breaking point. The imagery of holding a gun to the victim's head metaphorically represents the extreme pressure and hopelessness they feel, driven to the edge by their tormentors.

The narrative takes a poignant turn as it describes the victim's isolation and despair, 'Picture this he was all alone / Without a friend to call his own.' This loneliness is compounded by the societal pressures to conform, as seen in the lines about wearing the 'wrong clothes' and following the 'wrong trends.' However, the song also offers a glimmer of hope. The victim eventually 'saw the light' and 'gained the will to fight,' suggesting a journey towards self-empowerment and resilience. The repeated refrain of 'Look what we did!' in the closing lines shifts the blame from the individual to the collective, emphasizing that bullying is a societal issue that requires collective responsibility and action.