Weezer – Say It Ain't So

Know something about this song or lyrics? Add it to our wiki.
Send "Say It Ain't So" Ringtone to Cell

Somebody's Heine'
is crowdin' my icebox
somebody's cold one
is givin' me chills
Guess I'll just close my eyes
Flip on the tele'
Wrestle with Jimmy
Something is bubbling
Behind my back
The bottle is ready to blow
Say it ain't so
Your drug is a heartbreaker
Say it ain't so
My love is a lifetaker
I can't confront you
I never could do
That which might hurt you
So try and be cool
When I say
This way is a waterslide away from me
That takes you further every day
So be cool

Dear Daddy, I write you
In spite of years of silence
You've cleaned up, found Jesus
Things are good or so I hear
This bottle of Steven's
Awakens ancient feelings
Like father, stepfather
The son is drowning in the flood

Send "Say It Ain't So" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by oofus

Track duration: 04:17


Say It Ain't So song meanings
Add your thoughts

171 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:A lot of people seem to be confused about the "Flip on the tele: wrestle with Jimmy" line. Steve (his step-father) was having a struggle with alcohol at this time. Jimmy, in this case, is a reference to Jim Beam. This line is pretty straight forward at this point. His step-father, Steven, is watching television, while downing Jim Beam. Also, people are some how screwing up the "bottle of Steven's" line. The 's is there to show possession. The bottle belongs to Steven (his step-father.) This whole song is about the struggle with alcoholism.
    Flag notnatedon April 21, 2013   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Awesome song about seeing with and struggleing with alcohol its addiction and temptation.
    This is from a recovering addict/alcoholic of 26 years,(now 6 years sober as of 5/15/12) that has a long history of alcoholism on both sides of my family.
    Only I was too stupid to see myself falling into the abyss when I was younger.
    This song at least shows the awareness, of the dangers picking up that drink, knowing his past family history, and from what hes lived.
    So for you younger ones that think its kewl to drink every day/night...careful, especially if alcoholism runs in the family, coz before ya know it, you find yourself waking up NEEDING a drink to just get your day started.
    I remember saying to myself.....nope not me........
    Flip on the tele..wrestle with Jimmy....the idea of doing things...anything to keep his mind off of going to the fridge and grabbing that drink.
    The only thing an alkie thinks about is having that next drink. Fuck the problems....grab another drink.
    Flag HibernusMortison May 09, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Lyric Correction:Should be:

    "Flip on the Tele'
    Wrestle with Jimi"

    The Tele' is a Telecaster guitar. Jimi is Jimi Hendrix. A friend had to point this out to me a while back, but it makes much more sense this way. He's playing guitar to try to take his mind of his problems. It's funny, there're a couple of Hendrix riffs in the song :-)
    Flag joshson January 08, 2012   Link
    • 3 Replies
  • +3
    General Comment:my fave song by my fave band-hell, i even named my youngest Rivers! i'm not too sure what rivers was going for when he wrote it, but i DO know how it makes me feel....my dad was a raging alcoholic that was never around for he was too busy drinking, shooting pool, and whoring....when i was about ten, he remarried, cleaned up, found God, and then suddenly became too good for ME! 23 years later we barely talk, no matter how hard I try....so no matter what he was really trying to say, i know that every single time I hear this song (and i've been listening to it since i was 16) i swear he wrote it just for me....
    Flagged sarad77on September 01, 2011   Link
    • 2 Replies
  • 0
    General Comment:i come from an alcoholic family and my dad is one and this song really fucking hits home
    anyone who has ever experienced any alcoholism or addiction of any kind, whether it was first hand or not, knows exactly what this song is about....
    Flag whedonist21on April 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Anyone who can't see this as a work of genius to rank alongside Bach, yer fella Mozart, Kurt Cobain, Morrisey or Bob Dylan is an idiot. It's great because it's true. People, write about your dysfunctional families, or don't write at all!

    To write a song like this so young proves that genius touches too few, too seldom. But I just recorded a kick-ass cover version on GarageBand in two hours. Thank you, Rivers Cuomo.
    Flag FishesWillLaughon January 26, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I am currently reading a book about Weezer. The book contains quotes from Rivers explaining this song. When his mother and step-father were getting divorced he saw a Heineken beer in the fridge, which reminded him of the drinking problem his father developed directly before his parents' divorce. He knew that his mother would soon be getting divorced again. He said the sight of it gave him chills thinking back on his childhood. The first part, i guess, is addressed more to his step-father, with the ending a musical letter to his biological "daddy". I think someone actually quoted that book already. Anyway, Steven is his step-dad's name. Jimmy is his little brother's name.
    Flagged fysicson November 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is absolutely brilliant! The great thing is how these songs just come along right when they are most profound. That's what happen to me. I remember drinking a lot and feeling nervous quite a bit, just about the future or whatever the latest mishap I had run up on. Somehow instead of being a musician in a band or a filmmaker or something cool like that, you know something that would gel with my real disposition in life and even allow to the kind of partying lifestyle.. I don't know that I ever considering drinking a lot of partying to be a perjorative like everyone else in authority seemed to. I could never understand them or the world in general; it seemed like Greek to me. I did understand it but I didn't 'get' it. I also knew that there were dangers in doing too much of anything. I didn't really ever think of diving in face first into drinking, per se. Going for broke or whatever. There are probably, actually not probably because I know a few of the, people that just kept going on with what I was doing and never really got so quigged out about the whole thing like I did. I'm sure they adapted at least somewhat, and I don't know if what their life is like it what I would consider as being necessarily all that fun. Everyone has a job, obviously or there would be no income. This song is simple but deep..that's the best kind. It's about life. I recall one night I was at a wild party out in the woods at some place that we all went to. It was about to rain and there was a lot of lightening. I was talking to this older dude who seemed pretty cool.. don't know who he was at all. But I kept seeing lightening coming across the sky behind his head this whole time and it was really cool. Anyway, I was talking to him in this neurotic fashion like I just did just now.. and he basically looked at me and said, that's great.. just keep that up... keep thinking... You'll eventually figure everything out. That really stuck with me, after all these years. That's what it's all about. Confusion can be sorted out although it may take quite a few years and a great deal of clever thinking. It's worth it, for sure. Some of us have to understand life really well in order to function properly!
    Flagged caucasianon August 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think we can all agree on the basic meaning of this song:

    It's about someone reliving their years of childhood while under the shadow of at least one alcoholic.

    The descriptions in this song always got to me, because I would literally get those same chills. The cleaning up of his father years later is sarcastically congratulated, because the son is already damaged from it. Too little too late.

    QUESTION:
    I never understood the line "Wrestle with Jimmy" and I don't know what kind of alcohol "Steven's" is. Anyone know?
    Flag infraledon June 26, 2010   Link
    • 3 Replies
  • 0
    General Comment:Written (like most Weezer songs) by frontman Rivers Cuomo, the song came to be after he had all the music finished and one line, "Say it ain't so". Cuomo made a connection to an incident in high school where he came home and saw a bottle of beer in the fridge. He believed his mother and father's marriage ended because his father was an alcoholic and this made him fear the marriage between his mother and step-father would end this way as well.

    Yet again i use wikipedia! hah...
    Flag NinaBellaRomaon April 26, 2010   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