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You're happy all the time
I just don't understand why I can't be happy too
Your smiles are salt in the wound
A slap upon a back that's been toiling in the sun
When will I get mine?
Or must I be a god-fearing, white american?
Oh everything is fine
As long as you're a god-fearing, white american
Why should the thieves have all of the fun?
Selling us water by the river, they don't speak for everyone
I'm ready to run and you're making me crawl
Selling me water by the river, they don't speak for me at all
The man about the town
The beauty queen, the paragon of civilization
But shadows cling to us all
Even those convinced that they're sheltered and immune
When will I get mine?
Or must I be a god-fearing, white american?
Why should the thieves have all of the fun?
Selling us water by the river, they don't speak for everyone
I'm ready to run and you're making me crawl
Selling me water by the river, they don't speak for me at all
I just don't understand why I can't be happy too
Your smiles are salt in the wound
A slap upon a back that's been toiling in the sun
When will I get mine?
Or must I be a god-fearing, white american?
Oh everything is fine
As long as you're a god-fearing, white american
Why should the thieves have all of the fun?
Selling us water by the river, they don't speak for everyone
I'm ready to run and you're making me crawl
Selling me water by the river, they don't speak for me at all
The man about the town
The beauty queen, the paragon of civilization
But shadows cling to us all
Even those convinced that they're sheltered and immune
When will I get mine?
Or must I be a god-fearing, white american?
Why should the thieves have all of the fun?
Selling us water by the river, they don't speak for everyone
I'm ready to run and you're making me crawl
Selling me water by the river, they don't speak for me at all
Lyrics submitted by abbnormal
Track duration: 04:17
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The First part of the lyrics (You're happy all the time... toiling in the sun) consist of two people. One person who follows religion, and does exactly what he is suppose to do. And another man who becomes extremely questionable of religion and it's purpose (basically becoming atheist). The singer looks at the religious person and wonders why the religious person is always happy and finds purpose in what he does while he can't be happy because he lost all purpose in doing the right things. In the singer's perspective the things that the religious person does is like salt in a wound, which I interpreted as trying to help others but in fact either making there situation worse or not allowing it to heal itself. A slap upon a back could be a metaphor for ruining or meddling with a person's tan, or their current situation. Helping others all the time might not actually be good for the other person and it might in fact damage yourself too.
Then in the next lines (When will I get... white american). He's asking when will he get purpose from all these "kind" acts. Or must he really be a god fearing white american and believe that he has to do it for God in order to reach purpose in his current life. Life is easier for a God fearing white American because they have reason to back up their kind deeds. Having a God watching over them knowing that their deeds of kindness are being seen and counted as something gives them the purpose to do it.
The chorus is the lines that captured my heart (Why should the thieves have all of the fun?...ect)
This basically is the speaker trying to rationalize why should the thieves or the people who sin, and do the wrong things, have all the fun? Why should they be happy doing whatever pleases them while we just sit here and always do the right thing? Selling us water or good that is not for everyone basically says the thieves or the wrong doers all sell water to a small group of people, who the thief thinks actually deserves the water.
The next part of the chorus the singer is trying to run and join the fun, but the religious person’s beliefs of equally treating everyone is making the singer crawl. The singer hesitates to join the fun because the religious person’s beliefs seem rational and justice. Selling water to everybody but it doesn’t speak for him because the water (justice) is given to everybody regardless of what they had done or if they would appreciate the water in the first place.
The next part (Man about the town… sheltered and immune) Talk about how everybody has shadows and imperfections, wants and needs that cling to us, yet we still have this belief that we are safe and immune.
The singer then asks when will he get this feeling of secureness and immunity or must he turn into a believer of God to achieve this.
This song basically is the singer's questioning of the purpose of morality. He is stuck between his old concept of being objective and helping everybody and a new subjective view of morality.
He is leaning towards this old idea but is currently trying to understand why the old idea of morality, one he's been following all his life, is wrong or flawed.
Please keep in mind, I’m not mocking anybody who believes in religion when I heard the demeaning words of must I be a God fearing American, I got an extremely negative context towards religion.
and If you have any comments or suggestions to tweak my interpretation don't hesitate.
I just don't understand why I can't be happy too.
Your smiles are salt in the wound
a slap upon a back that's been toiling in the sun.
Oh when will I get mine?
Or must I be a God fearing, white American?
Oh everything is fine
as long as you're a God fearing, white American.
Why should the thieves have all of the fun?
Selling us water by the river, they don't speak for everyone.
I'm ready to run and you're making me crawl
selling me water by the river, they don't speak for me at all.
You're the man about the town,
the beauty queen
the paragon of Civilization.
But shadows cling to us all
even those convinced that they're sheltered and immune.
Oh when will I get mine?
Or must I be a God fearing, white American?
Why should the thieves have all of the fun?
Selling us water by the river, they don't speak for everyone.
I'm ready to run and you're making me crawl
selling me water by the river, they don't speak for me at all.
They don't speak for me at all.
The anti-corporation lyrics "selling us water by the river, they don't speak for everyone" is about how corporations have such a large influence in American politics yet their interests are not in line with interests of most Americans.
Initially, I thought this was about immigration being a problem, but then after a few more times, it sounds like it's coming from the other angle, in a sense. I think Incubus is trying to say that the people who work really hard or the most, get the most taken away, unrightfully and are waiting for their piece of the pie, by saying:
"When will I get mine?
Or must I be a god-fearing, white American? "
In addition, we are being sold or offered things we already deserve or worked for in the first place. (I believe that it applies to people in all walks of life, not just a specific race/ethnicity within our country.) I get that from the verse:
"Why should the thieves have all of the fun?
Selling us water by the river, they don't speak for everyone
I'm ready to run and you're making me crawl
Selling me water by the river, they don't speak for me at all "
This verse caught my attention the most, and I think that it means that there is good and bad in us all, even those 'in charge' or the people we think are so great and iconic that we look up to. Kind of like, we-all-bleed-the-same-color:
"The man about the town
The beauty queen, the paragon of civilization
But shadows cling to us all
Even those convinced that they're sheltered and immune."