Okay what is it tonight?
Please just tell me what the hell is wrong
Do you want to eat, do you want to sleep, do you want to drown?
Just settle down, settle down, settle down

I'll give you candy, give you diamonds, give you pills
Give you anything you want, hundred dollar bills
I'll even let you watch the shows you want to see
Just marry me, marry me, marry me

I'm so sick of you tonight
You never stay awake when I get home
Is something wrong with me, something wrong with you?
I really wish I knew, wish I knew, wish I knew

I'll give you candy, give you diamonds, give you pills
I'll give you anything you want, hundred dollar bills
I'll even let you watch the shows you want to see
Because you'll marry me, marry me, marry me
Marry me, marry me, marry me

I was young, I learned a game
When love and happiness were the same
Now I'm older and I don't play
I found out the hardest way
I got wasted, she got mad
Called me names and she called her dad
He got crazy and I did too
Wonder what I did to you?

I gave you candy, gave you diamonds, gave you pills
I'll give you anything you want, hundred dollar bills
I even let you hear the songs I want to sing
I'll give you anything, anything, anything

Anything... anything


Lyrics submitted by oofus

Anything, Anything (I'll Give You) Lyrics as written by John Mills Easdale

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Anything, Anything song meanings
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32 Comments

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  • +6
    General Comment
    This obviously is about a dying relationship, but I think what is most obvious is the singer's desperation and impotence in fixing the problem. There's nothing he can do, and his solutions all seem woefully inadequate. His suggestions are all gifts, which in my experience are never enough to fix anything, and also, "I'll let you watch the shows you wanna see." His solution is giving her the remote. It's a desperate, kind of pathetic suggestion. He's lost, he's confused, he's alone.
    Kimnon September 17, 2005   Link
  • +3
    My Interpretation
    It seems pretty obvious. This song is about a failing relationship. The narrator clearly loves the girl in the song very much but has no idea how to keep her happy. He tries anything and everything to keep her happy to the point of feeding her addiction and flaws. He's obsessed with her to the point that he's actually pushing her away but doesn't realize it. He takes her growing rejection with anger and frustration. He starts to wonder if something is wrong with him or if the problem is her. By the end of the song he's started to drink his problems away but the reality is he's only made his frustrations flare while drunk and it erupts into a fight. She calls her dad and tells him what's happened. Her father shows up angry about the event and him and her boyfriend get into a fight over it. The last word before the final chorus is "Wondered what I did to you" but doesn't specify who's thinking it. That's perfect because it's clearly what's on both of their minds. The father is clearly concerned and is there to protect his daughter and the boyfriend is left confused on why things ended up the way they did despite his countless attempts to make things work out. The song is pointed at the girlfriend being the problem but the lyrics state that both are to blame for the failed relationship. There were problems on both sides.. it just... wasn't meant to be.
    TheCultureson August 29, 2014   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    i've heard this about edie sedgwick.... and being that she is on the cover of one of their albums...maybe it is..
    theyfellnx3loveon July 18, 2006   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation
    I know this isn't the true meaning, but I like to think of it this way. His girlfriend has clinical depression and he truly has no idea what to do to make it better. He asks her questions in an attempt to find a cure (e.t. Do you wanna eat? Do you wanna sleep? I'll even let you watch the show you wanna see.) Eventually, he's exhausted and doesn't want to play these mind games anymore. He just wants her to "tell him what the hell is wrong" and even suggests drowning herself if things are THIS difficult. It's understandable, I suppose. People without mental illness will never quite understand it's extents. He wants to make her happy, so he offers her gifts (candy, diamonds, even pills). He will give her as much money as she needs. Even through all of this, he is madly in love with her and practically begging her to marry him. Now, he's getting pissed. She never waits up for him or does anything genuinely nice for him and he doesn't even know why (Is something wrong with me, something wrong with you? I really wish I knew, wish I knew, wish I knew). At least, if he knew why she was being cold, how she truly felt inside, he could help her. The second chorus is the same as the first, except now it says "Because you'll marry me", meaning she probably felt bad because he thought she hated him and she accepted purely out of pity. In the bridge, he talks about a "game" he played when he was young, "where love and happiness were the same". Now, being an adult, things are different. Love is difficult and it doesn't always make you happy. He also said, "I found out the hardest way", meaning, he found out how awful a heartbreak can feel by having an unrequited love. He can't handle this on/off love anymore. He has to lose himself for a night. So, he goes out, gets drunk, and, in the process, pisses off his girlfriend. He probably verbally, or maybe even physically (due to intoxication), abuses her, causing her to call her dad. He goes insane because he wants to protect his little girl, but he (the bf) is still pissed because he knows he was provoke. In the end, he loses her and simply states, "I would do anything, anything, anything". Sorry for the essay. I'm an author, it's what I do. d8
    TurtleRockeron September 11, 2016   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    Agree with most, it's pretty obviously about a relationship gone wrong, as are many of the songs on the Cinema Verite album. I think what makes this song so enticing is the raw emotion and the degree to which the lyrics are matched by the tone of the singer. He isn't whining but he is expressing desperation. It matches the frenetic pace, and the eerie and consistent riff that persists throughout the song, along with the emotional torture for the singer. It's truly a masterpiece.
    adzreon June 10, 2020   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    Linkin Park's lead singer Chester Bennington did this cover with his old band Grey Daze. It is awesome. Go download it.
    TankAsson July 09, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    This song is, in my opinion, the most brutally honest depiction of the real emotion involved in relationships. It reminds me a bit of my last serious relationship, actually. Most of the time we were completely addicted to each other, but occasionally, one of us would be feeling a bit funny and the other one of us would just plead for anything to make it better. It's a very desperate song, but relationships are desperate. I love love love this song.
    georgiadon August 17, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    something corporate does a great cover of this song. go download it now. you'll thank me later.
    startingsocostudenton March 06, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    i heard something corporate cover this at the hob concert on friday night. they do a great job of it, and yes you should download it.
    weatherpatternson May 26, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Words cannot describe how much I love this song.
    Chloe le Fayon July 08, 2002   Link

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