Meet you downstairs in the bar and heard
Your rolled up sleeves and your skull t-shirt
You say, "why did you do it with him today?"
And sniff me out like I was Tanqueray (yeah, yo)

Why you actin' like you're more trouble than Toney Starks?
You need to just walk away like Kelly Clarkson
I know we were free to sleep around town
But I figured you said that 'cause how I get down
Now, of course, you were out there messin' around
I would've told you
Once you ghost, you never go back
Try geein' me like I don't know how to mack
I'm a don, and
Top of the line I stay fly, and
Stop tryin'
To keep coverin' the lies, and
Using my credit cards to buy diamonds
We need to straighten this out
Get to the bottom of it all
Let's go before we start the war
Begin with two reasons why we need to talk
And stop poppin' up in my cribs all over New York, and
Death stalkin'
You such trouble and no good
Them fightin' words in my block, and we in the hood

I cheated myself
Like I knew I would
I told ya I was troubled
You know that I'm no good

You had to be a nasty girl and try to play me
Play me, play me, play me (nasty girl, nasty girl, nasty girl)
Try to play me (yeah)
Yo
A-yo, I knew you was trouble when I first laid eyes on you
Temperature so hot, the heat just rise with you
Lemme ride with you, talk about your mistakes
You cheated yourself, but these are the breaks
And it'll never be the same again 'cause of old boy
But, oh boy
Together we make so much joy
In the sands, and, oh, what a web we weave
But you played me so I had to roll up my sleeves
And hunt you down, holding the next man's stacks
Now you sorry and trying to bring that old thing back
Act like we can rekindle that flame
It's a shame
How you can't get me off the brain
He that lame
You love how I bring the pain
Got them rug burns stinging, and you saying my name
Say my name, uh
That's right, I'm high post
Get the champagne love, word up, we gonna toast

I cheated myself
Like I knew I would
I told ya I was troubled
You know that I'm no good

Yeah, yo you had to be a nasty girl and try to play me
Nasty girl, girl
You can't leave the kid
You can't leave the kid
Don't worry, I'm gonna be around forever
Nasty girl
Don't forget it I'm a be around forever
Don't forget it I'm a be around forever

Sweet reunion, Jamaica and Spain
We're like how we were again
I'm in the tub, you're on the seat
Lick your lips as I soak my feet

Yo, get to bath and bodyworks pumpin' the spice cream
Together like Cheech and Chong we make nice dreams
These fight scenes
I take the good with the bad
'Cause you give the best brains that I've ever had
Anything worth having is hard to keep
I love you like my coffee, so hot and so sweet
So let's stick it out so we never regret it
I could forgive the past, but I never forget it

I cheated myself like I knew I would
I told ya I was troubled
You know that I'm no good
I cheated myself like I knew I would
I told ya I was troubled
Yeah, ya know that I'm no good

I could forgive the past, but I never forget it
Nasty girl, nasty girl
Try to play me
Nasty girl
You had to be a nasty girl and try to play me
Nasty girl
Try to play me, try to play me
Nasty girl
I could forgive the past, but I never forget it


Lyrics submitted by Nyra, edited by deddles9, MsHoneyrose, ZillaLee, wilky61

You Know I'm No Good Lyrics as written by Amy Winehouse

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

You Know I'm No Good song meanings
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90 Comments

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  • +15
    General Comment

    This song is fantastic.

    Verse 1: a fight breaks out in the bar when her boyfriend confronts one of the gus she's sleeping with on the side.

    Verse 2: she's sleeping with her ex-boyfriend, but she can't get off unless she thinks about her current man. How romantic. Her boyfriend says it's okay for now, but it'll have to stop when they get married. She cries for him because she knows she'll never be faithful.

    Verse 3: she and her boyfriend have worked things out, but then he notices a carpet burn on her skin and knows she's been getting it on with another dude. Instead of making a big deal out of it, he just shrugs, which actually makes her geel even worse.

    I love how the song is less about her feeling bad about her behavior, and more about her just feeling bad for her boyfriend.

    Kyomaraon March 11, 2007   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    I think the middle of the second verse is -- Run out to meet you . . . chips and pitta . . . you say “were we married?” . . . cuz you're not bitter

    I think "Kyomara" is right on about the first verse. But the second verse I see this way -- she's temporarily separated from the guy in the first verse and when she's with an old boyfriend she can't get off unless she thinks about the "first verse" guy. She goes out to meet "first verse" guy for a bite to eat and he has finally forgiven her infidelity. He says, hey, it’s not like we were married and you broke our wedding vows so I guess I can get over it. She swears she'll be faithful from this point on (There will be none of him no more) because she was so heartbroken about their break up (I cried for you on the kitchen floor).

    In the third verse, they go away on a trip. Everything's going great. They are getting along just like they used to. Then he notices her carpet burn and realizes she's been at it again with another guy. He shrugs, like it doesn't matter. He expected this from her and she doesn't mean that much to him anyway. The fact that he doesn't care, or pretends he doesn’t care, wounds her deeply.

    I agree with "bald_head_ted." Part of her sorrow and regret in this song stems from knowing she might have had a future with this guy but for her self-destructive infidelity. She truly loves the guy; she just can’t seem to stop cheating.

    And I think she really does feel horrible for her actions, but she tries to dodge a little of the blame by saying "You know that I'm no good." That is, the guy knew what he was getting into.

    crabbygrrlon April 08, 2007   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    Difficult to believe she's actuallly no longer with us. Another talented musican gone due to excess and dependence. Very sad. As for the song, it's good. Not sure if A.W. wrote all or some of her own music, but many of her songs are quite good. This one sounds like a pat on the back to oneself for behaving poorly. It doesn't sound like a genuine "I'm sorry I let you, but mostly myself down"; rather, it sounds like a long-winded excuse....like, I don't trust myself to be strong and better, so I'll toss in the towel and make the most of my behavior. It's easier to mess up and apologize than it is to gather up the courage to change. It's a cowardly song, but it's excellent. RIP Amy.

    IllToast2Thaton May 11, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    yeah i was gonna say, it's 'tanqueray' not 'takeaway'.

    fleshetteson December 27, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    "Who truly stuck the knife in first?"

    Like, "who really did wrong first? Is it really my fault? Because you hurt me too." I don't know how else to explain it.

    "He's in a place but I can't get joy"

    Like he's really enjoying the sex and he's caught up. (in a place) "In a place" means in his own little world, not noticing anything else. Kind of like "in paradise". But she's not really enjoying it because she's thinking about her current boyfriend whom she's cheating on.

    Just wanted you help y'all because I know Amy's grammar isn't the best. Still love her though. She has an awesome voice.

    foundthevelvetsun7on April 27, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    LOL! "Sniffed me out like I was takeaway" would have been hilarious! I thought it might be a kind of perfume. Thanks for the help with that one, Ellie. Not my style of music at all, but I love this song. I relate to it, I guess is why.

    toad1eon October 22, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    What's 'lickle'?

    LifeCafeon November 24, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    quite a few mistakes here, but a pretty strong effort to decipher the lyrics. "You're rolled up sleeves and your skull t-shirt", "sniff me out like I was Tanqueray", "Upstairs in bed with my ex boy, he's in the place, but I can't get joy. Thinking of you in the final throws. This is when my buzzer goes", "Went out to meet your chips and bitter", "Then you notice lickle carpet burn, my stomach drop, yeah and my guts churn"...at least that's what I hear anyway. If anybody has the actual liner notes, what's that line after "you shrug, and it's the worst"?

    k_oss_mrldon December 06, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    cough "chips and pitta

    BillytheKid.on December 31, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I'm surprised by all the question marks surrounding the word likkle. I was more wondering about the carpet burns. In the context of the song u would think of scraped up knees from sex on the floor, but then yesterday i saw the video clip. When she sings this, the guy checks the inside part of her elbow, where smack users usually inject their thing. Carpet burns could then be the marks that heroine users often have there. Agree with everyone here though, one hell of a great song!

    arvind73on May 14, 2007   Link

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