Sheryl Crow – If It Makes You Happy

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  My Interpretation:I think this song is about an abusive relationship or an unhappy relationship, and the girl is trying to convince herself and others that she is happy in this unhealthy relationship. The first two verses before chorus are talking about all the things she made up to tell her friends, all the "stories" she supposedly had to share involving her and her boyfriend, but in reality none of that actually happened. They never really did any of the things she said she did but she was just trying to convince her friends that this was a great relationship and she was genuinely happy. I think the chorus is her talking to herself or her friends trying to knock sense into her. She's pretty depressed and yet she talks about how great her relationship is, but in reality it is making her feel worse. They are questioning why she is so sad if this relationship makes her so happy. The third verse (after chorus) is talking about how she is getting really depressed. She is trying to justify it by saying "everyone has been here before, I'll be better soon." She realizes since she stayed in this bad relationship she "derailed her own train", as in it is her fault. The fourth verse is either talking about how she does everything for this guy and he treats her like crap and doesn't do anything in return, or she has made everything right and then she went back to him again. By this I mean, she scraped the mold off the bread (broke up with him), again to try to make things better. However, she has to keep doing it again and again because she keeps running back to him. Hope that makes sense? She admits that she still does "bad" things like getting stoned and she really isn't the kind of person a guy would want to take home or to show his parents? Confused on that verse a bit.

  Flag PinkInkon August 14, 2012   Link

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• 0
  My Interpretation:I think this song is about an abusive relationship or an unhappy relationship, and the girl is trying to convince herself and others that she is happy in this unhealthy relationship. The first two verses before chorus are talking about all the things she made up to tell her friends, all the "stories" she supposedly had to share involving her and her boyfriend, but in reality none of that actually happened. They never really did any of the things she said she did but she was just trying to convince her friends that this was a great relationship and she was genuinely happy. I think the chorus is her talking to herself or her friends trying to knock sense into her. She's pretty depressed and yet she talks about how great her relationship is, but in reality it is making her feel worse. They are questioning why she is so sad if this relationship makes her so happy. The third verse (after chorus) is talking about how she is getting really depressed. She is trying to justify it by saying "everyone has been here before, I'll be better soon." She realizes since she stayed in this bad relationship she "derailed her own train", as in it is her fault. The fourth verse is either talking about how she does everything for this guy and he treats her like crap and doesn't do anything in return, or she has made everything right and then she went back to him again. By this I mean, she scraped the mold off the bread (broke up with him), again to try to make things better. However, she has to keep doing it again and again because she keeps running back to him. Hope that makes sense? She admits that she still does "bad" things like getting stoned and she really isn't the kind of person a guy would want to take home or to show his parents? Confused on that verse a bit.

  Flag PinkInkon August 14, 2012   Link

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• 0
  My Interpretation:Remember hearing this song when i was a kid. it means something totally different now that im older however and i can seem to relate. It seems to be about a vice or habit of some sort that makes you feel happy at the moment, but depression also comes out in the song.
  
  Firstly "i belong, a long way from here". someone with depression usually feels as though they do not belong anywhere . " put a poncho, played for mosquitos and drank till i was thirsty again" Sometimes when youre all alone... and youve been drinking you wanna play your guitar and theres no one there to listen but..well... mosquitos i suppose.
  
  After that the verse about thrift stores sounds like some sort of adventure an alcoholic or drug addict would go on, (in their head or not). "ok i made this up, i promised you id never give up".. letting down your family and friends by drinking again.
  
  Chorus is pretty straight up. Next few parts sound like the description of a drug addicts life. "scrape the mold off your bread and serve you french toast again." and the last part sounds like a repeat of the first part... cuz the cycle just continues.... just my take on it...

  Flag Guitarist3on August 08, 2012   Link

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  My Interpretation:Sheryl Crow is singing this song to her boyfriend. In the first verse she describes the lifestyle the couple lives: poor, searching through thrift shops, playing music to nobody and drinking plenty of alcohol. She implies that the boyfriend wants something more out of life, but nonetheless he finds the relationship satisfying and enjoys spending time with her. Hence the words in the chorus: "If you're happy, why are you in wanting of a life you don't have?" essentially.
  
  In the second verse she highlights his depression. Her lover is "listening to Coltrane", implying, albeit subtly, that he's depressed. Jazz has always had a depressed (oppressed, perhaps) undertone despite the sound.
  
  Crow then discusses her flaws, admitting she's not perfect. She's serving him mouldy french toast in bed (he's in bed because he's depressed), bringing him comics then even telling him directly "I'm not the kind of girl to take home." Aka: "I'm not some well-employed, beautiful, perfect, ideal, intellectual wife -- but this is the life we live, and I enjoy, and you should enjoy it too."

  Flag LaurieAndersonon June 03, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:This song is about having the lack of courage to make that move toward happiness; you can talk about what makes you happy, but if you won't take any steps in that direction, then you are too afraid and comfortable in your sadness. And maybe the thing or person isn't bad but you have convinced yourself of it.

  Flag LaurelGon November 04, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:maybe it is about asking yourself the question if you are really doing what you want to do

  Flag BrILjanTjeon October 19, 2011   Link

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• -1
  General Comment:Does every song really have to be about drugs? Yeah, getting stoned is mentioned, but that's a pretty simplistic interpretation. I actually think this song is more about depression. And the verses DO have meaning, it's just not straightforward. The chorus certainly is though. I agree with those who say the chorus means that even though something (drugs, a person, success) might make you temporarily happy or you try to convince yourself it's making you happy, it doesn't mean it's ultimately good for you. And maybe you're so caught up in it you can't see how you seem (sad) to someone outside your situation.
  
  I won't lie and say I know exactly what she meant in every part of the song, but in the first verse it seems she's saying she's been through a lot (and the "we" tips us off that she's had company), maybe good and bad, she's drank a lot, and the references to "Geronimo's rifle, Marilyn's shampoo, and Benny Goodman's corset and pen" is a clever way of saying they've gone after things that are hard or impossible to find or achieve. Or have they? She says she made this up. We know the narrator is unreliable now. Maybe something's wrong...
  
  The second verse is a bit clearer. Though we don't know who "you" is, she's saying this person is down in the dumps and "derail your own train" clarifies that he (or she) brought it on himself and might be wallowing in it. "Well, who hasn't been there before?" --- we all have low points in life, who says you're any worse off than a lot of other people? The rest of the verse is s strange, but by saying "scrape the mold off your bread and serve you French toast again" I think it's a funny way of talking about pretending to care. When you serve someone in bed, it's supposed to be a thoughtful and sweet gesture, but she's secretly using nasty bread. Haha. Such a weird lyric.
  
  The last verse's "Well, ok, we get along, so what if right now everything's wrong?" is a powerful end because she's saying that they're getting by, they survive she supposes, but still it's a bad way of living. Which ties in with the chorus.

  Flag NobleSpeckon May 30, 2011   Link

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• -1
  General Comment:my interpretation of this comes from relationships. if a boyfriend is acting shady like not answering his phone when you're supposed to hang out or getting mad for no reason, these situations make the girlfriend upset. but the girlfriend is in love with this boyfriend and tells everyone that he makes her so happy.. the friends would be thinking , well if he makes you so happy, then why are you so sad?

  Flag melmoon February 28, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:OK, so my interpretation is the song is about the cycles of depression some of us go in and out of. For some the cause of the cycle involves the music industry, as in Sheryl Crow, and for others it involves relationships. Whatever the situation, it does not bring eternal happiness and may often feel like a lost cause.
  
  We all have our drug. That drug that gets us out of the mental mess we get ourselves into. It can be drugs, sex, theft, speeding, TV, movies, books, etc. The lyrics in this song imply that during Sheryl's music tours its involves drinking herself into a stupor.... until she is thirsty for life again

  Flag rail72on November 05, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I thought it could be about drugs. Like how people are so happy and carefree on drugs but then they get addicted and deppressed & the drugs that were once making them so happy are just bring them down & ruining their life.

  Flag Natalerainon January 30, 2010   Link

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