1986 Harley Blowin' smoke and suckin' oil
My daddy said, "Buy it and you're crazy, boy"
Can't tell me nothin'

It took two months to fix it up
And one day to lay it down
I got a little hitch in my get-along now
Can't tell me nothin'

Talk is cheap
And free advice is worth the price you pay
I have to find out for myself the hard way
Can't tell me nothin'

Hometown homecoming sweet heart
Nobody thought I had a prayer
Her momma said, "Boy, don't you come around here"
Can't tell me nothin'

They say be careful what you wish for
I wanted to be her man
Now two babies and a trailer later here I am
Can't tell me nothin'

Talk is cheap
And free advice is worth the price you pay
I have to find out for myself the hard way
Can't tell me nothin'

They say that drinkin' will kill you
The same thing with rollin' smoke
But that's two of the three things that I like most
Can't tell me nothin'

I know what the good book preaches
But I know how I am
I sure hope somebody up there understands
Can't tell me nothin'
Can't tell me nothin'


Lyrics submitted by indefeat

Can't Tell Me Nothin' Lyrics as written by Richard C. Giles Steve Bogard

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Anthem Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Can't Tell Me Nothin' song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

6 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    i agree with mtu.

    really good song too. this is Taylor Swift's favorite song that she talks about in her song "Tim Mcgraw"

    mysweetoctoberon February 10, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I can't believe no one's commented this song. I love the way he's ignored everything anyone's ever said to him, and now he's happy. "They say be careful what you wish for I wanted to be her man Two babies and a trailer later here I am Can't tell me nothin"

    I guess the moral is to go with your instinct and not to follow orders, cos if it makes you happy, then who cares?

    nutty dolphinon September 11, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I disagree. I don't think the moral is 'go with your gut feeling and you'll be happy'. I think it's the opposite of that. The moral is 'told you so..', 'we warned you'. It's about a young man ignoring advice from his elders, thinking he knows what's best for himself and ending up making decisions that he later regrets:

    "I had to find out for myself the hard way".

    Mistakes he made:

    • Blowing a load of money fixing up a motorcycle that breaks down instantly.
    • Ending up stuck with a girl who wasn't right for him in the long term.
    • Becoming dependant on drink and tobacco to make him happy.

    He realises he's made bad decisions in his life, However he ultimately remains the same, stubborn in his ways and continues to refuse to listen to good advice. His excuse is, 'It's the way I am - I can't change because my nature". He feels he is unreachable. He has a belief in God, but won't let God help him out, thinking that even God couldn't change the person that he is.

    mtuon February 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i feel like this song sometimes... i know what people are tellin me to do is right but i jus do what i want.

    goldengramm15on October 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I absolutely looove this song!! I heard about it through Taylor Swift's song "Tim McGraw." There's a line, "When you think Tim McGraw/ I hope you think my favorite song/The one we danced to all night long." It turns out that song is this one. It's a great song, I think about ignoring what everyone else tells you to do and doing what you know is best for yourself, just being happy being who you are. It's not much of a song to slow dance to, though...

    anniewashere123on March 17, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    question what does the line ''I got a little hitch in my get-along now'' means

    dickface007on May 06, 2010   Link

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

Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.