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Reelin' In The Years Lyrics
Your everlasting summer
You can see it fading fast
So you grab a piece of something
That you think is gonna last
Well you wouldn't even know a diamond
If you held it in your hand
The things you think are precious
I can't understand
Are you reelin' in the years
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
Are you reelin' in the years
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
You been tellin' me you're a genius
Since you were seventeen
In all the time I've known you
I still don't know what you mean
The weekend at the college
Didn't turn out like you planned
The things that pass for knowledge
I can't understand
Are you reelin' in the years
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
Are you reelin' in the years
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
I spent a lot of money
And I spent a lot of time
The trip we made to Hollywood
Is etched upon my mind
After all the things we've done and seen
You find another man
The things you think are useless
I can't understand
Are you reelin' in the years
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
Are you reelin' in the years
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
You can see it fading fast
So you grab a piece of something
That you think is gonna last
Well you wouldn't even know a diamond
If you held it in your hand
The things you think are precious
I can't understand
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
Since you were seventeen
In all the time I've known you
I still don't know what you mean
The weekend at the college
Didn't turn out like you planned
The things that pass for knowledge
I can't understand
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
And I spent a lot of time
The trip we made to Hollywood
Is etched upon my mind
After all the things we've done and seen
You find another man
The things you think are useless
I can't understand
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
Song Info
Copyright
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Writer
Donald Jay Fagen, Walter Carl Becker
Producer
Gary Katz
Release date
Mar 01, 1972
Sentiment
Positive
Submitted by
abfab On May 21, 2002
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
This is a fantstic song. The guitar work made it on the list of top 100 guitar solos of all time as voted by Guitar World magazine readers. I'm surprised that no one has contributed as to what they think the song means. Ok, this is what i think the song means. My comments are in brackets.
Your everlasting summer You can see it fading fast
(The writer of this song is writing this song for a girl whom he loves but the girl has chosen someone else. The first two lines in about how the girl can feel that she is aging. "Summer" here refers to the prime of our life, i.e. 15-30 years of age. The girl here is, perhaps, fast approaching her 30s.)
So you grab a piece of something That you think is gonna last
(The girl quickly grabs on to a man whom she thinks she would be able to spend the rest of her life with.)
You wouldn't know a diamond If you held it in your hand
(Here the writer of the song refers to himself as a diamond, how he believes that he is the best person or her, but she doesn't know shit. She wouldn't know the material value of a wad of cash or a diamond if hit her in the face, just as she doesn't know how good the song writer is for her.)
The things you think are precious I can't understand
(The song writer disagrees with the man she has chosen and doesn't understand what he sees in him.)
CHORUS: Are you Reelin' In The Years? Stowin' away the time
(The chorus here is basically the song writier asking the girl whether years of partying and making the wrong choices have taken their toll on the girl.)
Are you gatherin' up the tears? Have you had enough of mine?
(Here the song writer is asking if she looks back proudly at the hearts she's borken, at the number of man who were crazy for her. It also asks her if she had enough of the attention and love he showered on her, and the tears he cried for her.)
You been tellin' me you're a genius Since you were seventeen In all the time I've known you I still don't know what you mean The weekend at the college Didn't turn out like you planned The things that pass for knowledge I can't understand
(Here the song writer is generally critical of the girl, of her self-assured wisdom. Crudely-speakng, he thinks the girl is full of herself, thinks that she is smart, but that is quite far from the truth. It also hints that all the ideals that she has during her younger years (college, seventeen) have turned to dust.)
I spend a lot of money And I spent a lot of time The trip we made in Hollywood Is etched upon my mind After all the things we've done and seen You find another man The things you think are useless I can't understand
(This part is the song writer's reminisences on the good times that he and the girl spent, the things that they have gone through, the memories that would forever be in his mind). Those memories are now corrupted by what the song writer thinks is the wrong man chosen by the girl.)
Overall, this song is quite straight forward. This is my take on it. Hope to see some other interpretations of this song.
@SRV Blues I agree with that, but furthermore I think it's about the guy's own confusion and self-delusion. He can't understand or accept that she prefers someone else, and he can't see that it's because he's a controlling and over-critical asshole.
@SRV Blues I agree with that, but furthermore I think it's about the guy's own confusion and self-delusion. He can't understand or accept that she prefers someone else, and he can't see that it's because he's a controlling and over-critical asshole.
@SRV Blues Very good interpretation. To take it one level deeper, consider that this song is much like Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven. It is about Christ and his bride, so the voice of the singer is Jesus... and that is very hard for a lot of people to take, but it is the reason you can listen to such songs over, and over and over again. See www.inthatdayteachings.com for such insight. Christ-in-You calls to everyone, you know?
@SRV Blues Very good interpretation. To take it one level deeper, consider that this song is much like Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven. It is about Christ and his bride, so the voice of the singer is Jesus... and that is very hard for a lot of people to take, but it is the reason you can listen to such songs over, and over and over again. See www.inthatdayteachings.com for such insight. Christ-in-You calls to everyone, you know?
@SRV Blues @losttango eh, gotta disagree with you losttango. Sure the line about wasting money on the girl is a little past entitled, but the line about "things passing for knowledge I don't understand" settles the point for me that he wasn't somebody who was conditioned by this idea that the things he told he should do in life are what's right for a lot of people.
@SRV Blues @losttango eh, gotta disagree with you losttango. Sure the line about wasting money on the girl is a little past entitled, but the line about "things passing for knowledge I don't understand" settles the point for me that he wasn't somebody who was conditioned by this idea that the things he told he should do in life are what's right for a lot of people.
He's out there making music and found success doing what he's passionate about as opposed to this idea that he should "go to college; be responsible; get a family; be an...
He's out there making music and found success doing what he's passionate about as opposed to this idea that he should "go to college; be responsible; get a family; be an engineer, etc." And instead of searching for other alternatives besides college that's going to give her meaning in life, she tries to find that meaning in another man.
He finds that she's fallen under the narrative that things will work out, but now that she fears she may not be sexually viable for a man she wants because age is fast approaching her, she makes an irrational decision to be with a man who instead isn't truly compatible with her on a deeper level. She doesn't understand the disconnect so when she's older this realization will be too painful for her when she realized she made a mistake.
I don't find this song to be some sort of revenge against the girl he once loved; it's possible he still most definitely has feelings for her. The song is a catharsis for the fact that what's happened is irreversible because the connection between them has been torn apart.
That's my two cents.
@SRV Blues ah those borken hearts
@SRV Blues ah those borken hearts
@SRV Blues Wow, all these years and you have shone a fresh new light on this toon... it amuses me how SD can create such a jolly, dance-tune with such heartbreaking lyrics. All those chumps tripping the light fantastic oblivious that the gal they are dancing with might just be like our gal in the song... me included. I played her their records countless times but she only saw the happy pop. Maybe that guy they sing about truly did turn out to be "the one".... our poor guy just had to face up to those "years" being gone and...
@SRV Blues Wow, all these years and you have shone a fresh new light on this toon... it amuses me how SD can create such a jolly, dance-tune with such heartbreaking lyrics. All those chumps tripping the light fantastic oblivious that the gal they are dancing with might just be like our gal in the song... me included. I played her their records countless times but she only saw the happy pop. Maybe that guy they sing about truly did turn out to be "the one".... our poor guy just had to face up to those "years" being gone and find someone who appreciates his view of life. Twinges of jealousy there perhaps?
@aspiringmusician It depends, I suppose, on whether you think Fagen is singing as himself or as a character/unreliable narrator. I tend to think the latter, and that he does so in other Dan songs as well as this one.
@aspiringmusician It depends, I suppose, on whether you think Fagen is singing as himself or as a character/unreliable narrator. I tend to think the latter, and that he does so in other Dan songs as well as this one.
What I love is how didactic and certain so many of the commenters are about the meaning of the song. I think its a great song, and I love the lyrics. What so many call cynical, I just consider intelligent.
My guess its that it's about Dorothy White. The weekend in the college didn't turn out like you planned could be a reference to the drug bust at Bard in (I think) 1969 where she, Becker, Fagan, and some 50 Bard students were busted by G. Gordon Liddy & the local sheriff. White was in the sweep, but was not bailed out by the college as all the others were, since she was visiting and not a student. Basically, a reheash of "my old school" is how I hear it.
"You've been telling me you're a genius since you were seventeen..." is just perfection. The only thing I hate about that line is that someone else said it. Ooh , I knew girls who needed to hear that.
call me crazy but this song is rather simple to understand...
call me crazy but this song is rather simple to understand...
a young man starts the song by talking about a girl who is immature and is childish rather growing up. She goes to school at the end of summer where she will leave her younger boyfriend. she holds onto him cause she thinks it will last.-- he then reflects on how he wants to marry her but she would not know what to do if he asked her. he then states shes not a goldigger because money cant buy her heart.
a young man starts the song by talking about a girl who is immature and is childish rather growing up. She goes to school at the end of summer where she will leave her younger boyfriend. she holds onto him cause she thinks it will last.-- he then reflects on how he wants to marry her but she would not know what to do if he asked her. he then states shes not a goldigger because money cant buy her heart.
he then asks if shes living in...
he then asks if shes living in the moment and soaking in this part of her life. because most people just live fast and work too hard. he thinks she is taking life for granted
the girl has been telling him shes smart and she wants to go to college to get an education. he doesnot agree with her at all. her first semester of college didnt go like she wanted to. he thinks college is overrated and doesnt agree with her once again.
then back to the chorus again....
he tells his story about how he put alot of time into her and he relish's the years they have spent together..she found a guy who does not care for her. he doesnt understand how she leaves him when he cares for her so much and the other man she found is a loser.
might be a little ramble in there but it sounds like a dream that went sour.
Reelin in the years..I think of this phrase as someone who is done with fishing..done with the game..ready to settle down after years of having fun. Stowing away the time to me means she hasn't seen you/him for a long time, putting it away on purpose..gathering up the tears means she's done crying and had enough of mine means she'll not be listening to his anymore..This song is about someone the singer loves who is settling down with another man and he's giving his last farewells to her telling her how though he obviously loved/loves her, he never understood her and she obviously didn't value him
I am gonna add an alternative meaning. This song came out during the first wave of a huge nostalgia boom for simpler times. Happy Days was a new show on TV. Capitol Records had released "The Beach Boys Endless Summer" which went double platinum. Disco was rearing it's ugly head on the far horizon.
The first verse gives it away: "Your everlasting summer..." - obvious reference to "Endless Summer."
The "girl" in the song was a metaphor for the record buying public. Steely Dan had spent years becoming a top notch jazz/blues/rock act, and now the public wanted "endless summer" rather than progressive music.
"You wouldn't know a diamond if you held it in your hand, the things you think are precious, I don't understand." - compares the progressive music of Steely Dan to the simplistic music of the nostalgia boom.
"The college" likely refers to early 1970s college and freeform radio, where obscure artists were played, and the weirder, the better.
"Reelin' In The Years" - trying not to grow old by trying to relive endless summers of the past.
"You've been tellin' me you're a genius since you were 17" - obvious references to Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon.
"I still don't know what you mean." - I never got it. I'm into a different groove.
"The things you think are useless, I don't understand." - there was a conscious effort during 1974 - 1976 to reject all things progressive. Maybe it was the advent of the nation's 200th birthday? Maybe just a time? But, the record buying public came to feel that progressive was useless, and nostalgia was in.
Fortunately, the public came to their senses about 1978. But, can you sense the disdain the the SD lyrics, as they rag on the record buying public, who they compare to a wayward girl who can't make up her mind?
This may not be the correct interpretation, but it makes sense to me. Add to it that SD never wrote about the obvious, but about the obscure. Attributing these lyrics to a real girl just doesn't jive with their style.
interesting take, @donutbandit! there are a FEW SD songs that aren't obscure (IMO)say,"King Of The World" and "Hey Nineteen", but i hope i find some other takes you have the songs of the Masters Of Mystique".
interesting take, @donutbandit! there are a FEW SD songs that aren't obscure (IMO)say,"King Of The World" and "Hey Nineteen", but i hope i find some other takes you have the songs of the Masters Of Mystique".
Kind of off the mark a bit... all the references you noted... "Endless Summer", "Happy Days" and even disco did happen until at least 1974. Song has nothing to do with commercial nostalgia... perhaps some Fagen/Becker personal nostalgia or melancholy.
Kind of off the mark a bit... all the references you noted... "Endless Summer", "Happy Days" and even disco did happen until at least 1974. Song has nothing to do with commercial nostalgia... perhaps some Fagen/Becker personal nostalgia or melancholy.
@donutbandit I don't Steely Dan was being that deep as to bury a metaphor about the music industry inside this song. It's about a girl - like most SD songs. Fagen's disappointments with women.
@donutbandit I don't Steely Dan was being that deep as to bury a metaphor about the music industry inside this song. It's about a girl - like most SD songs. Fagen's disappointments with women.
The lyrics on this song are absolutly brilliant, they wrote amazingly sarcastic and rare lyrics, they are very unique, and plus the guitar is awesome!
Surprised only 3 comments on this song so far.
"The things you think are useless I can't understand"
It hit me on a recent listen. It's obvious. The girl finds another man and casts the old, useless one aside. He's talking about himself.
Come on guys!
cbeatley is the only one who's got it right. Fagan is singing about his girlfriend Dorothy White - the one who was caught up in a pot bust the weekend she visited Fagan at Bard's college in Annandale New York [...the weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned. It's the same story he wrote about in "My old school."
She's also the one he was dating since she was 17 [...You been tellin' me you're a genius Since you were seventeen].
And she's the one who went with him to Hollywood in 1972 when Fagan and Becker went out there to make music [...The trip we made to Hollywood Is etched upon my mind].
How could it be any clearer? What is it about this that you guys don't get?
Did you know Chevy Chase played drums with the originals of Steely Dan?
Did Chevy Chase play drums for Steely Dan?
Did Chevy Chase play drums for Steely Dan?
Not really. As Donald Fagen has put it: “We went to college with Chevy and before we ever thought of the idea of Steely Dan we used to do pickup dates with Chevy on drums. He was a very good drummer.” Let’s fill that statement in with some more detail: the institution in question was Bard College, in upstate New York, in the late ’60s. Fagen led a band that cycled through a variety of names, including the Don Fagen Jazz Trio, the Bad Rock Group, and the Leather Canary. (Before you...
Not really. As Donald Fagen has put it: “We went to college with Chevy and before we ever thought of the idea of Steely Dan we used to do pickup dates with Chevy on drums. He was a very good drummer.” Let’s fill that statement in with some more detail: the institution in question was Bard College, in upstate New York, in the late ’60s. Fagen led a band that cycled through a variety of names, including the Don Fagen Jazz Trio, the Bad Rock Group, and the Leather Canary. (Before you snort in derision at that last name, ask yourself if Steely Dan is really that much of an improvement, nomenculturally.) Fagen recruited Walter Becker, two years younger, after hearing him play blues guitar in a student lounge; Chase was one of a variety of drummers who filled out that group.
But a bunch of things would happen before Becker and Fagen started Steely Dan: they would leave Bard in 1969 (Fagen graduating, Becker not), peddle songs at the Brill Building (they did manage to place one of their songs, “I Mean to Shine,” on a Barbra Streisand album), play as backing musicians on a tour with Jay and the Americans, and move to Los Angeles. Only then, over two years after leaving Bard, did Steely Dan start. So while Chevy Chase earned himself a footnote in rock history, he was in Steely Dan the way that a guy who played washtub in the Quarrymen, Lennon and McCartney’s teenage skiffle group, was in the Beatles. Or as Becker and Fagen might put it: They’re Steely Dan and he’s not.
Nice thoughts Donutbandit. I've heard a number of interpretations for this song and that one makes sense. Certainly Steely Dan was not cut from the usual rock'n'roll cloth. They were alternative before the term was used in music. Their chord progressions and the intricacy of their music is unmatched in the rock world. One theory I've heard for this song is that he is taking a fictional man and referring to the man's daughter. The chorus fits this very well and the lines about the college work with this theory. Just throwing it out there. The one thing you can be certain of with SD is that there are always going to be some deeper meanings when the lyrics seem shallow. They never did anything shallow.
i like the father/ daughter angle you came up with, @writer17. "The weekend at the college didn't turn out as planned", parents are known to take their teens to check out, or be interviewed for admission, and maybe she wasn't prepared, or her grade average didn't measure up to her own self-claimed "genius". so maybe then she decided she would be an actress and dad paid for lessons, but when she went to try out Hollywood, not only did she not cut it, she found some dirty old man/"producer" who became her father figure,replacing dear old dad......
i like the father/ daughter angle you came up with, @writer17. "The weekend at the college didn't turn out as planned", parents are known to take their teens to check out, or be interviewed for admission, and maybe she wasn't prepared, or her grade average didn't measure up to her own self-claimed "genius". so maybe then she decided she would be an actress and dad paid for lessons, but when she went to try out Hollywood, not only did she not cut it, she found some dirty old man/"producer" who became her father figure,replacing dear old dad...
@Writer17 This comment is for Ray, the WEEKEND is a sarcastic trope....I just figured this out.....after 30 years:
@Writer17 This comment is for Ray, the WEEKEND is a sarcastic trope....I just figured this out.....after 30 years:
"The weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned" it means the person spent a VERY SHORT TIME AT THE COLLEGE lol
"The weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned" it means the person spent a VERY SHORT TIME AT THE COLLEGE lol
Good song, yet not one of my favorites by the Dan. Hum, Donutbandit, the music business metaphor just can't fit : that song was issued in 1972 !!! And I never thought the Dan was progressive (except, maybe, on the song "Aja")... Then, why do you say that disco has a "ugly head" ? It's not just Boney M and all that crap, disco had deep underground roots, and great artists that had nothing to do with the mainstream shit : Loose Joints, Larry Levan, for example. Did you ever mention that on the album "Aja", there were great jazz/funk/disco musicians, say members of the Crusaders ? Hear the sound of songs like "Josie" or "FM", or the bass work on "Peg"... To end this, why do people think that every song, every sentence written by Fagen & Becker is "obscure" or "cryptic" ??? They also wrote songs whose meaning is really obvious and which don't need to be over-interpreted : this one, or "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Dirty Work"...