She comes out on Fridays every time
Stands out in a line
I could've been anyone she'd seen
She waits another week to fall apart
She couldn't make another day
I wish it was anyone but me
I could have been anyone you see
She had something breakable just under her skin

[Chorus]
American girls all weather and noise
Playing the changes for all of the boys
Holding a candle up to my hand
Making me feel so incredible

She comes out of closets every night
Then she locks herself away
Where she could keep everything from me
I could have been anyone you'd seen
she's nothing but porcelain underneath her skin

[Chorus]

Little shiver shaking me every day
But I could get the same thing anywhere
So if she goes away
Well, it's all right and I'm OK
"Hey" she said, "Come back again tonight"
And I said "I might, I might, I might"
She said "well that's all right"
If it's alright with you
It's alright with me

I waited for an hour last Friday night
She never came around
She took almost everything from me
I'm going through my closet,
trying on her clothes almost every day
I could've been anyone you see
I wish it was anyone but me
There's nothing but pills and ashes under my skin

[Chorus]

If I made you cry, please tell me why
Cause I'll try again if you let me try
American girls all feathers & cream
Coming into bed so edible

[Repeat: x2]
American girls oh
American girls
American girls
Oh, oh, oh, oh

You make me cry,
you make me cry,
you make me cry
Yeah, ya made me cry
You make me cry
Hey, miss American girl
Oh, oh, oh, yeah



Lyrics submitted by Inejah

Track duration: 04:34

"American Girls" as written by Daniel John Vickrey, Adam Duritz, Matthew Malley, David Bryson, Charles Gillingham, David A Immergluck, Ben G Mize

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


American Girls song meanings
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44 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I just want to say thank you for those to took the time to actually analyze this song.
    Flag neversaycant1on April 21, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:He meets this girl, and confused as to why she picked him. She comes across as someone who can be easliy hurt or damaged

    "American girls are weather and noise
    Playing the changes for all of the boys
    Holding a candle right up to my hand
    Making me feel so incredible"

    he is saying how girls are unpredictable, and will adapt to what they think a guy wants and can make a guy feel like a million bucks.

    "Little shiver shaking me everyday
    But I could get this same thing anywhere
    So if she goes away
    Well, it's alright and I'm ok
    Hey, she said come back again tonight
    And I said, I might, I might, I might
    She said, well that's alright
    If it's alright, it's alright with you
    If it's alright, if it's alright with me"

    Here he is saying how you get that feeling, but he trys to delude himself saying any girl could make him feel this way, if she leaves him.

    "I waited for an hour last Friday night
    She never came around
    She took almost everything from me
    I'm going through my closets
    Trying on her clothes, almost everyday
    I could have been anyone you see
    I wish it was anyone but me
    Nothing but pills and ashes under my skin"

    Here she does leave him and it makes him a wreck, he cant get her out of his head, turned to drugs ect.

    "If I make you cry, you tell me why
    I'll try again, if you'll let me try"

    He will try anything to get her back, blaming himself though likely its not him.

    "American girls are feathers and cream
    Coming to bed so edible"

    And here he shows how he would fall for it all over again, that girls are something that, even though he knows he is going to get hurt, he cant say no to trying.
    Flag frogger1225on June 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love this song. It is has the theme of being jaded, like most counting crows songs. He is speaking about how american girls can be unintuitive and it hurts men but also attracts them. Kind of a statemnt more about mental health then anything.
    Flag colorblindmindon November 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's a song about the emotional risk of falling hard for someone you're just having a casual fling with. The girl is fragile and flaky, and the singer first wants us to think the relationship is nothing special ("I could get the same thing anywhere"), but he actually is hooked on her. And when she stops showing up he sort of freaks out and ultimately realizes he "could have been anyone she's seen." Pills and ashes? He's in pain and feeling burned.
    Flag haydukeon June 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i like it a lot! jules rules!
    Flag grocks23on August 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Maybe I am just TOO sexual, but this almost seems like she was a virgin: "She had something breakable just under her skin."
    Flag blueoftheskyon February 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:First of all, I would like to join the legion of fans in adoring this song. However, that isn't really what songmeanings.net is about so I'll add my two cents as to what I think this song is about.

    When analyzing songs, we always take the lyrics and apply it to our own lives so despite my attempts at remaining unbiased, there will still be emotion left in my interpetation which in a sense is needed in making it more human. Anyways, I think this song is about the independance shown by some american girls. That they have such a power over guys such that they're "weather and noise" and play "the changes with all of the boys". I guess the singer is "alright" with how she acts and he's still captivated.

    I think he's contrasting the beauty of the american girl's "porcelain underneath her skin" with his "pills and ashes", implying that he's a product of somewhat abused medication and cigarettes. But what the hell, that's just how he likes it and the uninhibitable independantly vivacious american girl suits his taste in all of her unpredictabilities.
    Flag corrion8on June 22, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Nobody here is really talking about the lyrics! Damn, cause I really wanted to know if anyone agrees that the girl he is singing about is working at a strip club (she comes out on Fridays, playing the changes for all the boys, before she puts it all away etc) and that maybe he sees her insecurities off stage and her vulnerability on stage. Just a thought.
    Flag Pechorinon February 27, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:yeah as proof....heres a pic of them performing it southcn.com/ent/zhuanti/tribeca/…
    Flag Shukeon December 06, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:great song! i practically cried at the end....so emotional sometimes...but yeah the backups are sheryl crow, wow shes hott and has an amazing voice....
    Flag Shukeon December 06, 2005   Link

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