I keep hearing you're concerned about my happiness.
All that thought you're giving me is conscience, I guess.
If I were walking in your shoes, I wouldn't worry none.
While you and your friends are worrying 'bout me, I'm having lots of fun.

Counting flowers on the wall,
That don't bother me at all.
Playing Solitaire till dawn,
With a deck of fifty-one.
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo.
Now, don't tell me I've nothing to do.

Last night I dressed in tails, pretended I was on the town.
As long as I can dream, it's hard to slow this swinger down.
So please don't give a thought to me, I'm really doing fine.
You can always find me here, having quite a time.

Counting flowers on the wall,
That don't bother me at all.
Playing Solitaire till dawn,
With a deck of fifty-one.
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo.
Now, don't tell me I've nothing to do.

Well, it's good to see you, I must go, I know I look a fright.
Anyway my eyes are not accustomed to this light.
And my shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete.
So I must go back to my room and make my day complete.

Counting flowers on the wall,
That don't bother me at all.
Playing Solitaire till dawn,
With a deck of fifty-one.
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo.

Now, counting flowers on the wall,
That don't bother me at all.
Playing Solitaire till dawn,
With a deck of fifty-one.
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo.
Now, don't tell me I've nothing to do.

Don't tell me I've nothing to do.



Lyrics submitted by OpinionHead

Counting Flowers on the Wall song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

21 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    People are trying to read way to much into this song. It's just a guy who's girl/wife left him & now he's depressed but trying to hide it from his ex.

    ghostwatchon May 12, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    .....I think it's actually about a guy saddened by a woman leaving him, but he doesn't want her to know and pretends to be all good and chippy but looks bad "I know I look a fright" it's so cheery yet the lyrics are of depression,

    "I'm not accustomed to this light"

    and he is also sad that he cannot go out to town

    "Last night I dressed in tails, pretended I was on the town. As long as I can dream, it's hard to slow this swinger down"

    but it's a ok....

    invisibleman54on June 02, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    InkTits, not every song we hear is about drugs

    MetallicaToTheEndon July 03, 2007   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    well i take the song literally just a guy who doesn't want to see a woman and doing everything else to avoid it

    mrkoolnerdon December 19, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Lezgurl you are right it is about a scizophrenic stuck on a binge in his room you can read about it anywhere online. An old scizophrenic friend of mine used to sing it all the time when he'd go ooff his meds that's how we knew he was off of them :)

    jepie30on January 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song pretty much means that he'd rather stay at home doing nothing than spend time with the person he's singing to. (: Amazing song. I love it.

    vaingloriousgirlon May 22, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Anyone ever heard of agoraphobia?

    "You can always find me here, having quite a time" never leaves the house

    "Well, it's good to see you, I must go, I know I look a fright" Would make a lot of sense if he met this person outside his house...

    "Anyway my eyes are not accustomed to this light. And my shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete" I could understand the light for a junkie, but the shoes?

    Seems like the guy never leaves his room - hotel room or otherwise. It seems like he really doesn't like the outside and even fears it (as he actually states he looks scared).

    That's just my explanation as to why he never leaves the house.. it is actually about an isolated man. "The song is a blackly humorous account of a strange man's isolated lifestyle and how he passes the time alone - including counting the number of flower patterns on the wallpaper" So apparently it is literal.

    Flashwcon September 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    InkTit, when trying to decipher the meaning of lyrics, it might help to look at the song as a whole instead of one line. Nothing else in the song suggests drugs at all.

    Flashwcon September 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    .....Flashwc, I never though of agoraphobia, which is a pretty good idea of it's meaning, my only thought is that "not accustomed to this light" would indicate that this is not a life he's led, and the same with "shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete" which is just as evident as the eyes, but I can see agoraphobia, I don't think he's (the singer/character) is "completely" isolated, as he is talking to someone, and the person shows concern or curiousity for at least asking him how he is and such, anyhow, that's that....

    invisibleman54on September 20, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    A friend told me this song is about masturbation, but I don't really agree. More likely it's just about doing nothing and wasting time, plain and simple, which I think almost any person can relate to. Maybe the hero of the song is a guy who is going through a particularly troubling (or just boring) part of his life, and it's driving him a little crazy. It's just about pointless activity, filling the hours and being in a weird state of peace with the process.

    captainkangarooon January 12, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.