Elliott Smith – Whatever (Folk Song in C)

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They come here alone and they leave in twos
Except for you and me who just came to use
If you're all done like you said you'd be
What are you doing hanging out with me

Why you tell me stuff that's so plainly untrue
If you'll be straight with me, I'll be straighter with you
If you're all done like you said you'd be
What are you doing hanging out with me

I've been wanting to do anything for a long time
But whatever you got right now will probably suit me fine
If you're all done like you said you'd be
What are you doing hanging out with me

I've been wanting to do anything for a long time
Whatever you're doing now would probably suit me fine
If you're all done like you said you'd be
What are you doing hanging out with me
What are you doing hanging out with me

Send "Whatever (Folk Song in C)" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by Cruel_Reality, edited by ghost06, Mellow_Harsher

Track duration: 02:18


Whatever (Folk Song in C) song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment:Come on people. This is his most explicit song about drug use. It's not about sex or alcohol. "To use" is only ever used with drugs. It's probably why this was never officially released - usually he was much more poetic and hidden in his drug references. What i like about this is the groundbreaking dark lyrics he combines with such a traditional conservative folk melody. It's typical of his sardonic sense of humour and irony that he gives it such a flippant title.
    Flag shamone12on October 15, 2012   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:It's about drugs you tards. stop reading into stuff that isn't there.

    More specifically, its about two friends who use, one of whom is relapsing after trying to quit.

    It's all right there in there lyrics, there's nothing to suggest love or anything like that. He probly wrote it about someone he didn't disliked enough to write a song about this scenario of minor annoyance.

    "Talking to his syringe?" come on people. Use your heads.
    Flag jhk6557369on February 13, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To me, the story goes like this:

    I bunch of junkies get together to go shoot heroine or something. After they shoot they all begin to pair off and leave to go have sex. Everyone is gone except one girl who's just hanging out hoping for the same thing to happen to her. Elliott is down with it (hatever you got right now will probably suit me fine), but wants her to be straight about it instead of pretending to be looking for more drugs.

    just what I see :)
    Flag doomsdayclockon September 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I am a recovered heroin addict and have been in and out of drug phases for a long time. This song may or may not be about heroin specifically but is not doubt about drugs. There is a better chance it is about heroin or harder drug use going by the way elliot describes it in the song. The song is PLAINLY about someone who is using with elliot but his telling him hes done with drugs.

    Except for you and me who just came to use


    ^i mean come on, the first two lines tell you the song is about two people using drugs.
    Flag brightlieson February 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is definitely about drugs. Elliott Smith was using both crack cocaine and heroin at this time. From my experiences with heroin; a lot of people who get into it and when they want to quit, they still hang around their friends that use which a lot of the time leads back to relapse. I feel what smith was saying was just this thing, and that if you are done using like you said you were, then what are you doing hanging out with someone who does. It's obvious if you've been there before.
    Flag delladelladelladellaon September 20, 2009   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    My Opinion:Does anyone else think that the guitar sounds kind of like the guitar in Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice it's Alright"? I don't know why, it's just when I first heard this song it made me thing of Bob's.
    Flag A655DeLarge321on February 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think that this song probably has some drug/alcohol references in it (came to use), but when I hear the first section to the song,

    They come here alone and they leave in twos
    Except for you and me who just came to use
    If you're all done like you said you'd be
    What are you doing hanging out with me?

    I think of this relationship between two people, the narrator being a guy who likes this girl but doesnt believe he is good enough for her (perhaps because he's into drugs, but anyways). They're in a place together, and everyone else is pairing up, but he and this girl haven't, and he cant quite piece it together that the girl might like him too, and is still there with him because of that. (What are you doing hanging out with me?)

    In the second part to the song

    Why you tell me stuff that's so plainly untrue?
    If you'll be straight with me, I'll be straighter with you

    In response to the question he posed, it sounds like the girl in the song is afraid to admit that she likes him to his face, and makes up some other reason... when the guy now calls her out he is basically saying we like each other so lets talk, if you can admit it, we can see where this goes.

    It's like he is posing the first questioon to her because he knows that they both have feelings for each other but they are both afraid of sharing it openly. He's giving her the opportunity to open up, and he will open up even more with her, but he needs her to go first.

    I like what people have said about Elliott being in the bar, that makes the most sense in the lyrics.
    Flag nf07zhon January 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To me, this song is not about drugs (no, i do not have stats like everyone else from when he started using them, just a fan of his music). I think of it in more of a promiscuous way

    going to a party alone - and everyone is looking for someone/relationship to take with them. now Elliott (or whoever its about) went to the party, messed around with some girl, and shes still around him.

    things plainly untrue - straight, straighter than you
    those lines to me, mean the girl is one of those 'i love you' types
    after doing what they did, she is telling him that she loves him, and he responds in an even more truthful manner, like 'tell you what, you dont love me, i dont love you, it just happened, not a big deal'

    iv been wanting to do anyhting
    she offered sex, and he acted on it, and now wants nothing to do with her - but she wants everything to do with him.


    dont be too hard on me - this is my first post =]
    Flag cruxofthebiscuiton October 26, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:> This song is in like, C#, except a little flatter
    I believe It's C# and tuned at 430Hz instead of the classic 440Hz.
    Flag allafon May 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:you know what bothers me about this song ? ITS A LIE. This song is in like, C#, except a little flatter, that really crushed my world xD

    I dunno, this pretty much relates to a bunch of things, I think it runs a bit deeper than drugs, mainly because it's titled "folk song in C[#]" and folk music tends to tell a story, and I don't know how much of a story you can get out of using.
    Flag talflickon May 15, 2008   Link

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