Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
When I drink
I say things I don't want to say
I do things I don't wanna do
I talk mean to you
But if I think
I just might get something out of this
My parents taught me to learn when I miss
Just do your best
Just do your best
It's the only way to keep that last bit of sanity
Maybe I don't have to be good but I can try to be
At least a little better than I've been so far
'Cause when I drink
I hear things that aren't really there
I feel things when I shouldn't really care
Have fist fights with the air
But if I think about someone besides myself
I lived through the silver and the bell
With something to tell
Just do your best
It's the only way to keep that last bit of sanity
Maybe I don't have to be good but I can try to be
At least a little better than I've been so far
But when I drink
I spend the next morning in a haze
But we only get so many days
Now I have one less
Just do your best
It's the only way to keep that last bit of sanity
Maybe I don't have to be good but I can try to be
At least a little better than I've been so far
Oh, at least a little better than I've been so far
I say things I don't want to say
I do things I don't wanna do
I talk mean to you
But if I think
I just might get something out of this
My parents taught me to learn when I miss
Just do your best
Just do your best
It's the only way to keep that last bit of sanity
Maybe I don't have to be good but I can try to be
At least a little better than I've been so far
'Cause when I drink
I hear things that aren't really there
I feel things when I shouldn't really care
Have fist fights with the air
But if I think about someone besides myself
I lived through the silver and the bell
With something to tell
Just do your best
It's the only way to keep that last bit of sanity
Maybe I don't have to be good but I can try to be
At least a little better than I've been so far
But when I drink
I spend the next morning in a haze
But we only get so many days
Now I have one less
Just do your best
It's the only way to keep that last bit of sanity
Maybe I don't have to be good but I can try to be
At least a little better than I've been so far
Oh, at least a little better than I've been so far
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
Jesse with the long hair....
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Siberian Kiss
Glassjaw
Glassjaw
its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
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.
when rules change
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
High life
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
I think this song has a much deeper meaning. It might sound like a fun drinking game, but I think the artist is trying to make something hopeful out of a bad circumstance--alcoholism.
He loses fists fights with the air, is mean, rude, and wakes up in a haze.
"I've been through the silver and the bells": I believe means he's been to AA meetings. Silver coins for sobriety (30/60/90 days, etc.) and bells, as many AA meetings are held in church basements, and churches have bells that go off every hour.
I think he's rejecting AA's ideas, because he said "he's lived through it", which implies a negative experience with it.
"Just do your best": No one is perfect, but do a little better, every day, for your own sanity.
This is certainly not a "happy" song-- he becomes delusional, emotional, and angry, fill of regrets. I think he's trying to make the best out of a crappy situation, with humour (the "I hear things that aren't really there-- la la la").
But he IS making the best of the situation: Have humour and do your best.