Tag Archives: YOLO

YOLO

This informant grew up in Bellevue, Washington and is a senior at USC.

Me: Can you tell me of an expression, or folk saying, that is commonly used today?

Informant: YOLO!

Me: Where did you hear that? And why do you use it?

Informant: Uh shit, I don’t remember who I heard it from but people say it all the time when they are gonna do something crazy or even really anything, its super overused.

Analysis: YOLO, or You Only Live Once, is a phrase that I had definitely heard before this communication but it was interesting that the informant had no idea where it originated from.  It came from a Drake song, but has since been transformed into an expression applicable in many situations.

Here is a link to the Drake lyrics: http://rapgenius.com/Drake-the-motto-lyrics