It's not easy having yourself a good time
Greasing up those bets and betters
Watching out they don't four-letters
Fuck and kiss you both at the same time
Smells like something I've forgotten
Curled up died and now it's rotton

I'm not a ganster tonight
Don't want to be a bad guy
I'm just a loner, baby
And now you've gotten in my way

CHORUS
I can't decide
Whether you should live or die
Oh, you'll prob'ly go to heaven
Please don't hang your head and cry
No wonder why
My heart feels dead inside
It's cold and hard and petrified
Lock the doors and close the blinds
We're going for a ride

It's a bitch convincing people to like you
If I stop now call me a quitter
If lies were cats you'd be litter
Please everyone isn't like you
Dancing jigs until I'm crippled
Slug ten drinks I won't get pickled

I've got to hand it to you
You've played by all the same rules
It's takes the truth to fool me
And now you've made me angry

CHORUS

Oh, I could throw you in a lake
Or feed you poisoned birthday cake
I won't deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone
Oh, I could bury you alive
But you might crawl out with a knife
And kill me when I'm sleeping
That's why

CHORUS



Lyrics submitted by GoldenGal_42

Track duration: 02:47


I Can't Decide song meanings
Add your thoughts

48 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:This is one of the most commented songs that the Scissor Sisters have on this site. The reason is of course that it is ambiguous (in places) and is pretty unpleasant!

    It is difficult to argue that the song is anything but someone who is going to kill someone else - likely to be a man only because most people who regularly kill are men. I do not believe that it can be about a break-up as there is nothing hinted at in the lyrics that can suggest this. However there are some tantalizing lyrics that make it hard to understand, and contradictory - hence the differences registered in interpretation.

    The lyrics have a strong structure: ABB in each verse. Hence it is informative to ask "who" is being addressed? It is tempting to think that it is to the victim, but I think it can be argued that the BB lines at least are an internal monologue. These lines are responses to the killers statements: Viz

    It's not easy having yourself a good time
    (Greasing up those bets and betters)
    (Watching out they don't four-letters)


    Note: Brackets included to make the point.
    In these lines the killer is admitting that it is not easy doing what he does. His internal monologue is telling him that he has to be nice to people who bet, and ensure that the don't swear (although I liked the craps version of four letters I could find no reference to this on the internet)

    If we apply this structure to each of the verses we have a clear statement as to what is going on. Take the next part of verse 1:

    Fuck and kiss you both at the same time
    (Smells like something I've forgotten)
    (Curled up died and now it's rotten)

    Seems pretty clear now that it is a lover that is being killed. What is interesting is that serial killers and sociopaths generally cannot form relationships easily with people. They are in essence missing the thing that makes a person a person, so they often study other people and copy their behaviors (this is mentioned in the books and TV series Dexter, but is also in other sources as well. E.g. Look at the case of the Son of Sam). So here the person is engaged in sexual relations with his partner, but actually his internal monologue is saying that he has never had feelings for the person.

    I'm not a ganster tonight
    Don't want to be a bad guy
    I'm just a loner, baby
    And now you've gotten in my way

    Seems pretty clear to me. This is not of the structure ABB, and hence is not an internal monologue. This is him - a gangster. Does he want to be bad guy? Difficult to tell. He could be just lying to himself- - actually he does want to be the bad guy. Either way not much meaning there. Interesting that he says he is a loner, and that the other person has got in the way. What form of being in the way does not matter. It could be that they are just "there" and he can't continue with the way things are. Some people think that being dumped by a text message is bad. This is much worse!

    So onto the chorus. I think again pretty obvious . The Lock the doors and close the blinds/We are going for a ride is a great piece of symbolism. Locking a door and closing the blind conjures an image of a room and building. Going for a ride therefore does not mean that there are going to get into a car. The "ride" is a metaphor for the journey of him killing/torturing the other person.

    Back into the verse now ABB structure again:

    It's a bitch convincing people to like you
    (If I stop now call me a quitter)
    (If lies were cats you'd be litter)

    Well we know that he will find it difficult to convince people to like him, as per all sociopaths. He has a problem though - he is conflicted between killing, and not going through with it - which means he is a quitter. But the next line is very telling: he knows that he is a pathological liar - the "you" in this case is the killer NOT the victim.

    Please everyone isn't like you
    (Dancing jigs until I'm crippled)
    (Slug ten drinks - I won't get pickled)

    This is the only piece that works better if the whole song is an internal monologue. Pleasing everyone - is this the killer or the victim? Dancing jigs - this is surely to fit in. Similar the Slug ten drinks line is showing that he will do anything to fit in, and he always ensures is is control.


    I've got to hand it to you
    You've played by all the same rules
    It's takes the truth to fool me
    And now you've made me angry

    These lines suggest that perhaps the victim is a competitor. Is the fuck and kiss in the verse 1 a metaphor?

    The last piece of the song is perfect in its comedy:

    Oh, I could throw you in a lake
    Or feed you poisoned birthday cake
    I won't deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone
    Oh, I could bury you alive
    But you might crawl out with a knife
    And kill me when I'm sleeping

    This sets the scene for the killer to be a psychopath. It is him thinking through what he can do, and the downsides! Not much to it, but a great set of lyrics.

    The song's jaunty carnival tune is at opposites to the lyrics. When I first heard the song, I did not listen hard to the lyrics and just liked the happy tune. It was only listening to it closely that I realised what is about! This gives a degree of credence to the deception/internal monologue argument. Also it makes it clear that the killer is a psychopath - the music is deceptive, and so is what he says to what he is thinking!
    Flag rmaxon November 19, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't think there's too much to this song.

    A generally awful human just wants to have a little fun tonight, decides to pay off people so he can kidnap them with no suspicion, rapes them, tortures them, kills them.

    Someone stumbles upon the body they forgot to dispose of, and now the killer is spending the night deciding to whether or not to kill this guy, he comes up with a bunch of excuses for his actions, maybe asking the guy who caught him not to go to the police, or maybe he's just making small talk to the unlucky dude.
    Flag godanddevilon June 01, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Since "Watching out they don't four-letters" immediately follows a clear reference to gambling: "Greasing up those bets and bettors," I think the "four letters" is craps. Without going into too much detail on the game, the average craps bettor will be betting the pass line. This is both one of the mathematically best bets and one that gives you a lot of entertainment from a single bet, since whether you win or lose usually is not determined for at least several rolls of the dice. The only way to lose a pass line bet instantly is if the dice add up to 2,3, or 12. These three numbers are called "craps," hence the name of the game. Craps players are often superstitious - if craps comes up more than once or twice, the table is said to be "cold" and people are likely to leave the game.

    Therefore, I think the first few lines mean something like:

    "It's not easy having yourself a good time
    Greasing up those bets and bettors"

    It's not easy to have a wild party
    you have to convince people (bettors) to be willing to do crazy things (bets)
    and make sure if they get in trouble (lose, craps, "four letters"), that it at least doesn't happen immediately

    Although I kind of like the mobster ordering a hit on someone interpretation as well, in which case the first three lines would be literal (don't want people leaving the game before they've gambled away most of their money.)
    Flag tjd5388on April 30, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:"If lies were cats, you'd be litter" [....] "It's takes the truth to fool me, And now you've made me angry"
    So.. is the person he's singing to a liar or NOT a liar?

    A couple errors here and there, like it should be "pleasing everyone isn't like you" rather than "please, everyone isn't like you."


    This is basically a love song about a love hate romance between two psychopaths who are similar to one-another, and it's left to our own interpretation as to whether or not the speaker is way more of a psychopath, or about the same, as the one he's speaking to. Basically, hoyay foeyay. Very catchy and cute, can't help but smile a lil when I hear it.
    Flag Foggypebble2on February 23, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Every since I saw someone associate this with BBC Sherlock's Moriarty I can't think of it any way. Especially the line "you'll probably go to heaven, please don't hang your head and cry." Moriarty says multiple times "You're ordinary — you're on the side of the angels."
    Flag wthsahufflepuffon February 08, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's just a joke about a psychopath kidnapping a girl and trying to kill her.
    Flag Plottoberryon October 14, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:The first time I heard this song, it actually reminds me of the book "Disco Bloodbath" - a detailed biography of James St. James' "Club Kids" days and how everything spiraled into self destruction and murder.
    Flag talkingcockon September 14, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I find this song to be a little silly. I imagine a guy who has a girlfriend, but eventually loses his loyalty to her.

    "Fuck and kiss you both at the same time; smells like something I've forgotten"

    Usually the girl's passive but now she's fighting fire with fire, and imitating what he does by mingling with others and ignoring him. It's pissing him off and "figuratively" he wants to kill her. But as much as he wants to, his feelings for her are being rekindled.

    "I won't deny, I'm gonna miss you when you're gone"

    The guy also knows that he's being a crappy lover and doesn't blame her for ditching him.

    "I've gotta hand it to you, you play by all the same rules."

    So it's a love song about an unfaithful someone with mixed emotions about their lover turning on them. "Ah, this is so much fun. BITCH WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? But that's what I'M doing, isn't it? WAIT'LL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!! Oh come back! YOU ARE SO DEAD! But I love you! *SOB*"

    So yea, I have fun listening to this with that story in mind <) <--cyclops smile
    Flag TuffTootinon September 07, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:It seems like this song is about a man who lives a life of hedenism, and he has a signifigant other who doesn't share in his indulgences. He is trying to decide whether he should kill her or just put up with her.
    Flag Hazencruzon June 29, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I totally love the Scissor Sisters and this is my favourite of their songs, especially the third verse! I am also a major Doctor Who fan and it was really cool when the Master was tauntingly singing this to the Doctor in Last of the Time Lords in series 3!
    Flag manic4manicson May 30, 2011   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