Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
What, am I to wake up suddenly and then
Enroll at the local college
Earn me a degree and I could work weekends?
If I've worked real hard
I could mow your back yard
I can go to Europe, travel with my friends
I can blow a thousand Deutsche marks
To get drunk in a pub with some Australians
Buy a giant backpack
Sew a flag on the back
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
I never had to spend a summer planting trees
I never worked my way through a forest inch by inch
Doubled over on my hands and knees
I never spent a single day in retail
Telling people what they want to hear
Telling people anything to make a sale
Eating in the food court
With the old and the bored
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
The worlds your oyster shell
So, what's that funny smell?
You eat the bivalve anyway
You're sick with salmonella
You get your PhD
How happy you will be
When you get a job at Wendy's
And are honored with employee of the month
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
Enroll at the local college
Earn me a degree and I could work weekends?
If I've worked real hard
I could mow your back yard
I can go to Europe, travel with my friends
I can blow a thousand Deutsche marks
To get drunk in a pub with some Australians
Buy a giant backpack
Sew a flag on the back
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
I never had to spend a summer planting trees
I never worked my way through a forest inch by inch
Doubled over on my hands and knees
I never spent a single day in retail
Telling people what they want to hear
Telling people anything to make a sale
Eating in the food court
With the old and the bored
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
The worlds your oyster shell
So, what's that funny smell?
You eat the bivalve anyway
You're sick with salmonella
You get your PhD
How happy you will be
When you get a job at Wendy's
And are honored with employee of the month
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
I never want to do that stuff
I think never is enough (yeah, never is enough)
You never have to do that stuff
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!
More Featured Meanings
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
Grand Theft Auto
Insane Ian
Insane Ian
The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
I think this song is about how you shouldn't take life so seriously. People work all their lives and never hve anything to show for it. I think BNL is trying to show that it's better to live life to the fullest and not worry about things so much. People that worry about the future end up wasting their lives. I think that's what this song is really all about.
I think it's about people trying to fit into the mold of what they feel they're "supposed" to be. Going to college just because that's what people DO after high school, taking a semester abroad and backpacking through Europe, working in fast food and retail (and if you're Canadian, planting trees, I guess?)...these are all such typical middle-class-youth experiences. And the song says that you don't HAVE to do those things just because everyone else does. And furthermore, they're not a guaranteed ticket to success.
I absolutly LOVE Barenaked Ladies :D They are my all time favorite. Their songs are different and their music just doesn't compare to the words. The combination just makes it cool to listen to, they talk about real stuff in funny perdiciments. They make serious stuff worth while to rethink and laugh about.
maybe..it's about them being so famous that they don't have to do normal things like mowing the lawn or working at Wendy's (I think ed worked there).
in other words "playin my guitar and building castles in the sun and singing FUN FUN FUN!!!!!!!!!!!" YAY
i agree with estella open fire
I think this song is about working your ass off and not getting jack. its saying, im not going to do this anymore, i dont have to go through all this stuff to get to where i want to be.
The "Fun Fun Fun" line, of course, is a Beach Boys reference, which then loops the band back around to "Brian Wilson," heh.
i think it has the apparent meaning of saying that these things aren't the ticket to happiness, but also the sarcastic/ironic meaning (like most bnl) that this person wishes they had done some of these things because while they are not a ticket to happiness, appathy isn't a better solution
It's about someone who doesn't want to do the stuff that other people do. He doesn't want to work in retail, doesn't want to work at Wendy's, doesn't want to go to college or university, because he doesn't believe these things will bring him success.
However, this song is a bit silly. Every study shows that people with a Ph.D will generally get a good job. It's not a sure thing though. I've seen people with Ph.D's working at meat packing plants.
It's also strange, that the singer says "I never want to do that stuff" but he never says what he does want to do.