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Never Is Enough Lyrics

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 work real hard
I could mow your backyard

I could go to Europe
Travel with my friends
I could blow a thousand deutschmarks
To get drunk in a pub with some Australians
Buy a giant backpack
Sew a flag on the back

Think never is enough
Yeah never is enough
You never have 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 wanna do that stuff

I think never is enough
Yeah never is enough
You never have to do that stuff

The world’s 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 wanna do that stuff

(REPEAT CHORUS & MIX WELL)
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14 Meanings

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Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

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.

Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

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.

Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

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.

Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

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).

Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

in other words "playin my guitar and building castles in the sun and singing FUN FUN FUN!!!!!!!!!!!" YAY

Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

i agree with estella open fire

Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

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.

Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

The "Fun Fun Fun" line, of course, is a Beach Boys reference, which then loops the band back around to "Brian Wilson," heh.

Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

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

Cover art for Never Is Enough lyrics by Barenaked Ladies

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.