Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
Don’t chase ghosts, don’t get too close,
Don’t get caught, don’t get spent
Don’t get bought
Don’t sell out, don’t get bent
Don’t fuck your best friend
If everything is just the way it should be
Why am I why am I still hungry
Be like water
Don’t be shy, don’t shut your eyes
Don’t get high
Expand your mind.
Don’t keep in touch, don’t touch yourself
Don’t ever want to be somebody else.
When everything is bad as it can be
Never be, never be angry
Be like water
Must be the answer you want
I’m not your slave
I’m not the one who burnt you out
Fucked you up and put you on
Broke you down
Ask someone else
To be that someone
I can’t be that someone who can
Be like water
Why can’t I be the answer you want?
Don’t get caught, don’t get spent
Don’t get bought
Don’t sell out, don’t get bent
Don’t fuck your best friend
If everything is just the way it should be
Why am I why am I still hungry
Be like water
Don’t be shy, don’t shut your eyes
Don’t get high
Expand your mind.
Don’t keep in touch, don’t touch yourself
Don’t ever want to be somebody else.
When everything is bad as it can be
Never be, never be angry
Be like water
Must be the answer you want
I’m not your slave
I’m not the one who burnt you out
Fucked you up and put you on
Broke you down
Ask someone else
To be that someone
I can’t be that someone who can
Be like water
Why can’t I be the answer you want?
Lyrics submitted by 16996602
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
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
Show Me a Little Shame
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
He certainly did earn that reputation.
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Interesting to mention that although Anorexia is probably not the subject of this song it does fit the theme very well. The author is wondering why "I can never be good enough no matter how hard I try". This is the sort of thinking that permeates the distorted thinking of those with eating disorders. No matter what they try or do, (in their own minds) they are never good enough. If you tell someone with an eating disorder she is beautiful (with utter honesty in your words) he/she will be irrationally convinced of your insincerity.
I agree with the "simplicity" interpretation. That water represents something with a smooth flow and "easy going". Where the water parts, it later becomes part of a larger whole once again once its passed its obstacles. She's wondering why if she tries so hard to be a good person she doesn't feel as if she's finally become whole.