Steely Dan – Things I Miss the Most

Know something about this song or lyrics? Add it to our wiki.
Send "Things I Miss the Most" Ringtone to Cell

I don't mind the quiet
Or the lonely nights
I don't miss the funky attitudes
And I don't miss the fights
I lie on the couch 'till suppertime
And hunker down and read the Post
And that's when I remember the things I miss the most:

The talk
The sex
Somebody to trust
The Audi TT
The house on the Vineyard
The house on the gulf coast
These are the things I miss the most

I kinda like frying up
My sad cuisine
Gettin' in bed and curling up with a girlie magazine
But sometimes in the corner of my eye
I see that adorable ghost
And then ba-boom I remember the things I miss the most

The talk
The sex
Somebody to trust
The comfy Eames chair
The good copper pans
The '54 Strat
These are the things I miss the most

I had a little birdy friend
By morning she was gone
Birdy good-bye
Birdy bye-bye

I'm learning how to meditate
So far so good
I'm building the Andrea Doria out of balsa wood
The days really don't last forever
But it's getting pretty damn close
And that's when I remember the things I miss the most:

The talk
The sex
Somebody to trust
The Audi TT
The house on the Vineyard
The house on the gulf coast
These are the things I miss the most


Send "Things I Miss the Most" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by Novartza

Track duration: 03:59


Things I Miss the Most song meanings
Add your thoughts

8 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:He's bored and lonely after a divorce where he lost a measurable amount of material things.

    But, he repeats the talk, the sex, and somebody to trust, whereas with the material goods he interchanges them.

    I agree with BigFire, it sounds like he's making model ships and 'learning how to meditate' to keep his mind off of what he actually misses the most.
    Flag CrustyPunkon October 12, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's interesting to me the sly humor in this song, of framing a song ostensibly about divorce, in terms of (for the most part) objects. The truest, least irony-laced aspect of the song, for me, is the general tone of loss and reminiscence... a running theme with SD and one that they expounded upon nicely with this song (and this album).
    Flag caucasianon January 08, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the divorce interpretation is more plausible. "The Audi TT...The house on the Vineyard...The house on the gulf coast"- houses and cars are things that are commonly lost in divorce settlements. If it were the wife/gf dying, why would the narrator have lost these things?
    Flag CousinDupreeon September 30, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Maybe the song is about a divorce, but the line "But sometimes in the corner of my eye
    I see that adorable ghost" makes me think that his wife died. Both are plausible...
    Flag Dudelike89on March 07, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:SS Andrea Doria is an Italian ocean liner that crashed into MS Stockholm in 1956. Guess our narrator is having problem spending his time meaningfully that he's now building models.
    Flag BigFireon March 31, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:yeah this song sounds like someone reminiscing about an ended relationship but after saying things they miss like talk and sex they really just miss all the stuff. the car the vineyard etc.
    Flag Mateon March 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:yeah this song sounds like someone reminiscing about an ended relationship but after saying things they miss like talk and sex they really just miss all the stuff. the car the vineyard etc.
    Flag Mateon March 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Since no one has commented on this song, I will offer mine up to the group. I interpret this as a divorce song. The protagonist is reminiscing about what he did and didn’t like about his lost relationship. The line “somebody to trust” is so important to any lasting relationship.

    I am not a huge fan of the post-1970’s Steely Dan records (a bit too jazzy for my tastes) but this song is a real gem. The lyrics/vocals and musical groove presented in this song are perfectly paired. Who does this better than Becker and Fagan?
    Flag grogleyon January 02, 2007   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!

Back to top
explain