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I Don't Know What It Is Lyrics
I don't know what it is
But you got to do it
I don't know where to go
But you got to be there
I don't know where to fall
But I know that its comfortable where
I don't know where it is
Putting all of my time
In learning to care
And a bucket of rhymes
I threw up somewhere
Want a locket of who
Made me lose my perfunctory view
Of all that is around
And of all that I do
So I knock on the door
Take a step that is new
Never been here before
Is there anyone else here too
In love with beauty
Playing all of the games
Who thinks three's company
Is there anyone else who wears slightly mysterious brusies
I don't know what it is
Take a lookin around
At friendly faces
All declaring a war on far off places
Is there anyone else who is through with complaining about what's
Done unto us
So I knock on the door
And I am on the train
Going god knows where to
To get me over
To get me over
Give me heaven or hell
Calais or Dover
I was hoping the train
Was my big number
Stopping in Santa Fe and the arches of Topeka
Though I'm chugging along, put away by the crossing hand
We'll be heading for Portland, or Limburgh or Lower Manhattan
Find myself running around
I don't know what it is so get me over
I don't know what it is so get me over
I don't know what it is so get me over
To get me over
You gotta do it.
You gotta be there.
But you got to do it
I don't know where to go
But you got to be there
I don't know where to fall
But I know that its comfortable where
I don't know where it is
In learning to care
And a bucket of rhymes
I threw up somewhere
Want a locket of who
Made me lose my perfunctory view
Of all that is around
And of all that I do
Take a step that is new
Never been here before
Is there anyone else here too
In love with beauty
Playing all of the games
Who thinks three's company
Is there anyone else who wears slightly mysterious brusies
I don't know what it is
At friendly faces
All declaring a war on far off places
Is there anyone else who is through with complaining about what's
Done unto us
And I am on the train
Going god knows where to
To get me over
To get me over
Calais or Dover
Was my big number
Stopping in Santa Fe and the arches of Topeka
Though I'm chugging along, put away by the crossing hand
We'll be heading for Portland, or Limburgh or Lower Manhattan
Find myself running around
I don't know what it is so get me over
I don't know what it is so get me over
To get me over
You gotta do it.
You gotta be there.
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From his website: "When I first came up with the lines, “I don’t know what it is, but you got to do it/ I don’t know where to go but you got to be there,” I was at this party for The Strokes in New York. There was this prevailing sense of, “We’re not quite sure what’s happening or what is cool, but we know that it’s somewhere around here, in this room.” It was this vague confusion, with everybody kind of sniffing for blood. It wasn’t that it was a bad party, or that I don’t like The Strokes; I just think there’s a lot of confusion right now in the music business. Then, later on, I realized the song was really personal. I didn’t know where I was, and I didn’t know I was actually lost. It wasn’t about the party at all; it’s about searching but not knowing what you’re searching for. There’s the train motif, being on this train heading for either oblivion or salvation – and just holding on for dear life. That song came down from some mountain somewhere, because it was right after I wrote it that I sort of packed it in."
That's really neat what he says about this song. Thanks for posting that!
"I was hoping the train Was my big number Stopping in Santa Fe and the arches of Topeka"
^The lyric should be "and the Atchison Topeka".... the Atchison Topeka and the Santa Fe was a railroad that went out west...
This is a reference to the Judy Garland movie called "The Harvey Girls", and her 'big number' in the movie was "Atchison Topeka and the Sante Fe" (every movie she was in had a big song/choreography number)
Another interesting fact about the big train/song scene was that she learned what she was supposed to do with the music and in the scene, went on a trip for about 2 weeks or a month or something, then when she came back she did it in ONE take!