The Rules of Life

From Weezerpedia
"The Rules of Life"
The Rules of Life cover
Demo by Rivers Cuomo
Album Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Format MP3
Recorded 2012
Writer(s) Rivers Cuomo
Status Released

"The Rules of Life" is a song written by Rivers Cuomo in contention for what would eventually become Weezer's ninth album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End. Dozens of demos of the song were released in 2020 as part of the digital compilation Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years.

Appearances

Background

Sometimes there’s just songs that are really difficult for me to finish a lyric. The one we may start today, ‘The Rules of Life,’ that’s another one. The chorus is great, but I can’t tell you how many verses I’ve written trying to figure out what my perspective is on that chorus. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but there’s just a massive amount of uncertainty sometimes. And sometimes I just don’t get it! Sometimes I have to set a song aside. I know it’s out there somewhere, but it hasn’t come yet, and we can’t do the song now. Sometimes it comes ten years later when I finally figure it out. I have a lot of pride about the records, and I don’t want to put it out if I know it could be better. Somebody else may be more practical and say, ‘This is fine, it’s good enough, it achieves our goal.’ I’m not like that. If I know it can be better, I’d rather put it on hold.

Rivers Cuomo, Entertainment Weekly, 2014[1]


"The Rules of Life" appeared as part of Ecce Homo, an early draft of Everything Will Be Alright in the End. The song is notable for its large number of lyrical revisions. The song's existence first became known in the mid-2010s, after fans attended listening parties. Some fan re-creations were recorded prior to the song's release.[2][3]

On November 20, versions 8, 38, and 41 of the song were sold on the demo storefront on riverscuomo.com as part of Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years. Later, more than 50 versions were made available as part of the bundle. An Ecce Homo draft included with Alone XI features the following note:

(Age 17): At graduation singing to other boys. Leaving the academy. Not going to college. Disillusionment with the life plan for success as set out by society.

Lyrics

The lyrical variants for "The Rules of Life" are too numerous to list here. For an exhaustive list, see Lyrics: The Rules of Life.

Ecce Homo 11.docx

Go to Carlthorp even if you’re freaky
Practice Czerny till your fingers bleed
Do some service, maybe candy striping
Things like that will round out your SATs

These are the rules of life
And we must comply if we wanna be written up in history
These are the rules of life
And we must abide if we wanna be everything we’re meant to be in life
These are simply the rules of life

Work at Berkshire, slowly move your way up
Federal Express don’t come overnight for free
Find a partner, someone to share your life with
Someone to soothe you when you catch a dread disease

And then they’ll fuck you, fuck you
Yeah, it’s just as simple as that, woah
Show them what you got
You little snot
Give it a go

Known recordings

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Rivers Cuomo heavy piano groove in Gb  I  vi 1.mp3 20062010 0:22 Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years Piano instrumental
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life.mp3 20112014 3:11 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life for vso.mp3 20112014 2:54 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life 2 vso.mp3 20112014 2:47 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life 3.mp3 20112014 2:52 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life THE RULES OF LIFE 3 FOR RC.mp3 20112014 2:57 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life 4.mp3 20112014 3:04 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       5.mp3 20112014 3:07 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life          6.mp3 20112014 2:47 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     7.mp3 20112014 3:12 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life 8.mp3 20112014 3:02 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life 9.mp3 20112014 3:08 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life 11.mp3 20112014 3:04 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     12.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life 13.mp3 20112014 3:03 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       14.mp3 20112014 3:07 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       15.mp3 20112014 3:03 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       16.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       17.mp3 20112014 2:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       18.mp3 20112014 2:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       19.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       19 1.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Duplicate of The Rules of Life       19.mp3
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       21  PRES.mp3 20112014 3:29 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       22.mp3 20112014 3:18 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       23.mp3 20112014 3:16 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       24.mp3 20112014 3:16 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       25.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       26.mp3 20112014 2:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       27.mp3 20112014 2:56 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       28    to par.mp3 20112014 2:52 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       29.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       31         s.mp3 20112014 2:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       32 1.mp3 20112014 2:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       32.mp3 20112014 2:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       33.mp3 20112014 2:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life   adolf    35.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       36.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       37.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       38.mp3 20112014 2:50 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       39 2.mp3 20112014 2:50 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       41.mp3 20112014 3:01 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       44.mp3 20112014 3:04 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       45.mp3 20112014 3:04 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The Rules of Life The Rules of Life       46.mp3 20112014 3:04 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life      48 drop your.mp3 20112014 3:04 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life      49 got my bla.mp3 20112014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     51 Get your bl.mp3 20112014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     52 carlthorp.mp3 20112014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     53 band.mp3 20112014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     54 hit the gri.mp3 20112014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     55 fix.mp3 20112014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     56.mp3 20112014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     57 1.mp3 20112014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
Weezer(?) The Rules of Life The Rules of Life     58.mp3 20112014 2:58 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Removed from bundle December 8, 2020
about this table

See also

References

  1. Anderson, Kyle. "In the studio: Weezer talks lyrics, the new album title, Ric Ocasek" Entertainment Weekly. 17 July 2014. https://ew.com/article/2014/07/17/weezer-new-album-title-ric-ocasek/
  2. AllThingsWeezer Archives. "Rules of Life - Social Exclusion" YouTube. 20 December 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgzywO95AUs
  3. Dom. "Weezer - Rules Of Life ( Full Fan Recreation )" YouTube. 23 March 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUHgJDnpuGA