Ice Water

It sound to me that "Ah, you'll swim And I will drink myself to Death" is actually:

"I will swim and I will drink myself to death."--the very much romanticized feminist suicide, drowning. Recall for a moment Virginia Woolf's suicide or the suicide at the end of Kate Chopin's The Awakening.

I also think that the line "Of course she lied anyway" suggests, not that the speaker is lying about being raped, but that she's drawing attention to the fact that rape victims are so often not taken seriously, thought to be lying.

I think that "Who doesn't lie?" is a retorical question. Of course we all lie, but who has more motivation to lie after a rape accusation? The rapist is the one most likely to lie, but the victim is so aften questioned, instead.

"Like I heard her Backwards saying I can take one thousand Showers And never be clean"

By this, I think Chan is saying that this person who she's speaking with feels dirty, in the metaphorical sense obviously. I don't see this song rape-related actually. I just think it's about somebody's insecurities. Whatever this person did, she feels that there is no possible way to redeem herself.

"Of course she lied away"

I think this may be more literal than what everyone else is saying. I think Chan is saying that in result to feeling this way, she killed herself.

"She is ten times heavier Stronger, then you found The grave Or ever was"

This girl has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She's barely managing, and eventually she won't be strong enough. She'll have more stuff to deal with than you ever will with your life.

"He's got it down name You know what I need Who doesn't lie? You know what I mean"

You all seem to think she's referring to rape. But once again, I see this more literally. Who doesn't contemplate suicide at least once? Who doesn't dream of an eternal sleep?

"If I'm never in Without you Like you don't know"

The girl speaking to Chan about her suicidal thoughts. She needs Chan's support. She needs somebody to be in it with her - to understand. Nobody understands the pain this girl is going through.

"I am so, angry I am so, at ease I feel just like Some great big disease"

First off, I just want to say I love the way Chan sings "some great big disease." So much emphasis. :D Secondly, this girl is at comfort with how angry and depressed she is. For those who have suffered from depression, they would know how somebody can just become accustomed and at ease with how upset they are. But it doesn't prevent them from feeling contagious; as if they're making everyone else's lives all the more miserable.

"I think you need Ice water"

Ice water being medication. My former doctor told me that medicine is in ways like a liquid, you swallow it and it makes you hydrated. Just enough power to bring you through for the next hours.

"But the only thing that You really hate Is all its emptiness"

The girl taking the medication hates it. But Chan tells her, "You don't hate it. You just how it makes you feel shallow on the inside." Anti-depressants are known to numb feelings rather than make you happy.

"Ah, you'll swim And I will drink myself to Death"

I 100% agree with leothes. This girl will commit suicide by drowning herself. However, I don't think she'll drink alcohol in the process. I think that Chan was so upset by her friend's death that she will drink her feelings away. Any proper fan of Cat Power knows that she was an alcoholic.

"If I'm never in Down with you Like you don't know"

If she hadn't promised to help, to support her friend, she would not necessarily kill herself, but punish herself and beat herself over for not doing anything about it. And nobody would know the pain she goes through.

But that's just how I see it.

The meaning could be that she has lots of guilt/lying and she's trying to wash it all off "I can take one thousand Showers And never be clean" I don't know just an idea.. I mean the rape meaning is alright too

The correct lyric is "If I'm ever in doubt of you... like you don't know."

misera, that's the exact impression I got when I first heard this song. Just the line "I can take 1,000 showers and never be clean" says it all to me. I think the rest of the song follows up, too. I think "I am so angry, I am so at ease, I feel like some great big disease" sounds very reminiscent of a rape. The confusion and self-loathing in the lyrics could be quite a few things, but I believe your guess is accurate.

I've always thought that this song was about her alcohol abuse... how she drank alcohol as if it were water, and how she drinks it as if it could solve all of her problems.

Also I think it's "If I'm ever in DOUBT with you"

so pretty. so very pretty.

great song.

I don't know what this song is about, but when I listen to it I feel overwhelmingly sad.