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Zachary Stinson
Professor Uglow
ENGL 1302
April 15, 2016
100 Years to Live
In the year 2003, a band named Five for Fighting created a song. This song, while a little
old, holds just as much meaning now as it did 13 years ago. It speaks about how people grow
into each of the stages of life and how they feel throughout them. It shows that life is valuable
and to not waste what little time we have on Earth. As the song says, Theres never a wish better
than this, when you only got a hundred years to live (Five for Fighting). The name of this song
is 100 Years.
Five for Fighting, while may sound like a group with five members, is actually only a
single person with a talent for singing and piano. His real name is John Ondrasik, and the name
Five for Fighting really came from his love of hockey. It references the term used for the five
minute sit out penalty that results from fighting out on the ice, hence, Five for Fighting.
Throughout his childhood, he was always surrounded by music. This led to him being very
musically oriented at the early age of two years old. After being in the music business for a little
while, his future wife helped him reach out to a more professional degree. After his success with
the song Superman, he eventually went on to create many other songs including 100 Years. The
purpose behind this song specifically was to put emphasis on how the stages of life affect people
and how the older generation feels about the younger.

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The stages of life are defined by how people feel once they get to certain ages. While not
always true, most people will act in accordance to his or her life stage. In 2008, a man named
Thomas Armstrong wrote a book called, The Human Odyssey: Navigating the Twelve Stages of
Life. This book helps explain each of the stages of life that are used in the song Five for Fighting
wrote. The stages that were used in the song, according to the book, are adolescence, early
adulthood, midlife, mature adulthood, and late adulthood.
The first stanza of the song focuses on the adolescence stage in life. The lyrics, Caught
in between 10 and 20 (Five for Fighting), show that those in that stage are stuck in between
being children and young adults. The next set of lyrics, And Im just dreaming, counting the
ways to where you are (Five for Fighting), talks about how those in this stage of life are always
trying to move forward and get away from their adolescence. Thomas Armstrong explains this
part of life as the time period where people feel the most passion about life because of all of the
changes their minds are going through.
The second stanza of the song focuses on the early adulthood stage of life. This stage
shows all of the newfound freedom of adulthood and how people use this time to have the most
fun that they can. The lyrics, And she feels better than ever, and were on fire (Five for
Fighting), brings this to meaning. Adi Samraj, another book writer over the stages of life puts it
into a slightly different perspective, saying, The will is adapted to aspiration, or intuitive selftranscendence (Samraj). In other words, it is the time of self-growth and decision making.
The next section continues with the end of the early adulthood phase where creating a
family is the main concern, as per the lyrics, A family on my mind (Five for Fighting). The
other main part of the ending of this phase is that society no longer sees people as individuals,
but rather as a group. This is shown when the song says, Still the man, but you see Im a they

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(Five for Fighting). Armstrongs view on this is that it is the time of finding a home, a mate,
getting a good job, and setting up the rest of each persons own life.
The midlife stage in a man or womans life is the next stanza in the song. The basis
behind this section is the midlife crisis that many people go through while trying to find out
what their lives truly mean. The songs exact words for this are, Im heading into a crisis,
chasing the years of my life (Five for Fighting). As Armstrong puts it, it is the time of
contemplation. He says that it is a time where people will take a break from their daily duties and
responsibilities to see what their life means for them, and what it means for those around them.
As people leave this stage, they have a new understanding and are able to feel better about
themselves.
The next portion of the song is the mature adulthood phase. During this phase, life starts
to feel like it is speeding up due to them having seen their children grow up in what seemed like
such a short amount of time. This is emphasized in the song with the lyrics, Half time goes by
another blink of an eye, 67 is gone (Five for Fighting). This is also a time in someones life
where people would look to them for help to raise their own families, due to having already done
so. When the song says, Suddenly youre wise (Five for Fighting), it is referencing this
knowledge and experience.
The final phase that the song discusses is the late adulthood phase. During this phase,
people would have lived a full life and are getting ready for their end. This is the phase where
people try and close up anything that they left open in order to die peacefully without any
regrets. Unlike previous generations, this one isnt looking forward anymore. They have gone as
far as they could go in life. Instead, they just keep fighting for more time, as per the lyrics, And
Im dying for just another moment (Five for Fighting). This is the phase where people do what

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they can to help others not make the same mistakes they may have made. This is a phase of
deciding what legacy is left behind.
The chorus is repeated over the course of the song with a few variations four times. While
it makes a little sense during the beginning of the song, it doesnt truly hit home until the end.
When the chorus is sung, it is from the perspective of the elderly speaking to those that are
younger. It is saying that there is still time for them to live life to their fullest. During this part of
the song, it is trying to tell people that it truly is a gift to be able to live for the time we can, as
long or as short as it may seem, as per the lyrics, 15 theres still time for you, time to buy and
time to choose. Hey 15, theres never a wish better than this, when you only got a hundred years
to live (Five for Fighting).
Throughout the song, it makes those of all ages sit and think about their life. It makes
people think about how they have lived up to that point and what they plan to do in the future.
The way the music goes along with the lyrics sets the setting of sorts for a very emotional style
that touches even some of the most emotionally hardened individuals. Over all, it a powerful
song that will continue to make people value life for hopefully many years to come.

Word Count: 1257

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Works Cited
Armstrong, Thomas. The 12 Stages of Life. 2008. Web. 15 April 2016.
<http://www.institute4learning.com/stages_of_life.php>.
Five for Fighting. "100 Years." The Battle for Everything. cond. Gregg Wattenberg. By John
Ondrasik. 2003. Song.
. Biography. 2012. Web. 15 April 2016. <http://www.fiveforfighting.com/biography/>.
Samraj, Adi Da. The Seven Stages of Human Life. n.d. Web. 15 April 2016.
<http://www.beezone.com/AdiDa/7Stages/7_stages_of_life.html#firststage>.