My friend assures me "It's all or nothing"
I am not worried, I am not overly concerned
My friend implores me "For one time only, make an exception"
I am not not worried
Wrap her up in a package of lies, send her off to a coconut island
I am not worried, I am not overly concerned
With the status of my emotions "Oh" she says "You're changing"
But we're always changing
It does not bother me to say this isn't love
Because if you don't want to talk about it then it isn't love
And I guess I'm going to have to live with that
But, I'm sure there's something in a shade of grey or something in between
And I can always change my name, if that's what you mean

My friend assures me "It's all or nothing"
But I am not really worried, I am not overly concerned
You try to tell yourself the things you try tell yourself
To make yourself forget
To make yourself forget
I am not worried
"If it's love" she said
"Then we're gonna have to think about the consequences"
But she can't stop shaking, and I can't stop touching her and

This time when kindness falls like rain
It washes her away and Anna begins to change her mind
"These seconds when I'm shaking leave me shuddering for days" she says
And I'm not ready for this sort of thing

But I'm not gonna break and I'm not going to worry about it anymore
I'm not gonna bend and I'm not gonna break
I'm not gonna worry about it anymore
No, no, no, no
It seems like I should say "As long as this is love"
But it's not all that easy so maybe I should just
Snap her up in a butterfly net and just pin her down on a photograph album
I am not worried, 'cause I've done this sort of thing before
But then I start to think about the consequences
That I don't get no sleep in a quiet room and

This time when kindness falls like rain
It washes me away and Anna begins to change my mind
And every time she sneezes I believe it's love and
Oh lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing

She's talking in her sleep (rain falls down)
It's keeping me awake and Anna begins to toss and turn (rain comes falling down)
And every word is nonsense but I understand and (rain falls down)
Oh lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing (rain comes falling down)

Her kindness bangs a gong (rain falls down)
It's moving me along and Anna begins to fade away (rain comes falling down)
It's chasing me away (rain falls down)
She disappears and
Oh lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing


Lyrics submitted by dank, edited by iroc-z

Anna Begins Lyrics as written by Charles Thomas Gillingham Adam Fredric Duritz

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Anna Begins song meanings
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  • +2
    General Comment

    I've always felt as though the guy in this song was in love with a girl who's emotionally unstable, and who doesn't trust herself to love anyone. I feel as though when he talks about her talking in her sleep and how he can't sleep in a quiet room, he's wrestling with her instability and trying to convince himself that he can get past it, but he's having trouble coping with her demons and it leaves him in this awful sort of limbo... he loves her but can't get close to her. He wants to be the one to break through her walls, because he believes he can heal her, that he loves her enough to overcome all of that... but instead he's facing a less promising reality in which he realizes that there's no one who will get through to her until she's ready and can trust someone on her own.

    Ugh. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt.

    jazzinjameson March 04, 2002   Link

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