This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Doc and Sally inside
They're cooking for the down five
Who's staring at Miss Rayon
Who's busy licking up her pig pen
I'm searching for my mainline
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
Oh, just like Sister Ray said
Whip it on
Rosie and Miss Rayon
They're busy waiting for her booster
Who just got back from Carolina
She said she didn't like the weather
They're busy waiting for her sailor
Who's big and dressed in pink and leather
He's just here from Alabama
He wants to know a way to earn a dollar
I'm searching for my mainer
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
I couldn't hit it sideways
Oh, just like Sister Ray said
Play it on
Cecil's got his new piece
He cocks and shoots it between three and four
He aims it at the sailor
Shoots him down dead on the floor
Oh, you shouldn't do that
Don't you know you'll stain the carpet?
Now don't you know you'll stain the carpet
And by the way, have you got a dollar?
Oh, no, man, I haven't got the time-time
Too busy sucking on a ding-dong
She's busy sucking on my ding-dong
Oh, she does just like Sister Ray said
I'm searching for my mainline
I said I c-c-c-ouldn't hit it sideways
I c-c-c-c-c-c-couldn't hit it sideways
Oh do it, do it, oh just, just, just do it, bless Sister Ray sir, go on!
Oh
Now, who is that knocking?
Who's knocking at my chamber door?
Now could it be the police?
They come and take me for a ride-ride
Oh, but I haven't got the time-time
Hey, hey, hey, she's busy sucking on my ding-dong
She's busy sucking on my ding-dong
Oh, now, do it just like Sister Ray said
I'm searching for my mainline
I couldn't hit it sideways
I couldn't hit it sideways
Oh, now, just like
Oh, just like
Oh, just like
Oh, just like
Oh, just like
Oh, just like
Doc and sally inside, now move it along!
Cooking for the down five
Who's staring at Miss Rayon, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it!
licking up pig pen
I've been s-s-s-s-searching for my mainline
I couldn't hit it sideways
I couldn't hit it sideways
Just like
Oh, just like, do it, do it, do it!
Just like
Just like that
Just like
Now Rosie and Miss Rayon
They're busy waiting for her booster
She's just back from Carolina
She says she's bound to meet a sailor
I said you haven't got the time-time
You're busy sucking on my ding-dong
You're busy sucking on my ding-dong
Now, just like Sister Ray said
I'm searching for my mainline
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
Whip it on me Jim, whip it on me Jim
Whip it on me Jim, whip it on me Jim
Said I couldn't hit it sideways, oh, do it!
Yeah, just like, yeah just like Sister Ray said
I said now Cecil's got his new piece
He cocks and shoots it, bang! between three and four
He aims it at the sailor
He shoots him down dead on the floor
Oh, you shouldn't do that, don't you know you'll hit the carper, don't you know you'll mess the carpet
Oh, she hasn't got the time-time
Busy sucking on his ding-dong
She's busy sucking on his ding-dong
Yeah, just like Sister Ray said
I'm searching for my mainline
Couldn't hit it sideways
Couldn't hit it sideways
Now just like
Now just like
Now just like, like Sister Ray said, now do it to him!
Doc and Sally inside
They're busy cooking for the down five, oh
Who's staring at Miss Rayon
Busy licking up her pig pen
I'm busy searching for my mainline
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
Now just like
Now just like
I said oh, oh, just like
Am-ph-ph-ph-ph-phetamine
They're cooking for the down five
Who's staring at Miss Rayon
Who's busy licking up her pig pen
I'm searching for my mainline
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
Oh, just like Sister Ray said
Whip it on
Rosie and Miss Rayon
They're busy waiting for her booster
Who just got back from Carolina
She said she didn't like the weather
They're busy waiting for her sailor
Who's big and dressed in pink and leather
He's just here from Alabama
He wants to know a way to earn a dollar
I'm searching for my mainer
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
I couldn't hit it sideways
Oh, just like Sister Ray said
Play it on
Cecil's got his new piece
He cocks and shoots it between three and four
He aims it at the sailor
Shoots him down dead on the floor
Oh, you shouldn't do that
Don't you know you'll stain the carpet?
Now don't you know you'll stain the carpet
And by the way, have you got a dollar?
Oh, no, man, I haven't got the time-time
Too busy sucking on a ding-dong
She's busy sucking on my ding-dong
Oh, she does just like Sister Ray said
I'm searching for my mainline
I said I c-c-c-ouldn't hit it sideways
I c-c-c-c-c-c-couldn't hit it sideways
Oh do it, do it, oh just, just, just do it, bless Sister Ray sir, go on!
Oh
Now, who is that knocking?
Who's knocking at my chamber door?
Now could it be the police?
They come and take me for a ride-ride
Oh, but I haven't got the time-time
Hey, hey, hey, she's busy sucking on my ding-dong
She's busy sucking on my ding-dong
Oh, now, do it just like Sister Ray said
I'm searching for my mainline
I couldn't hit it sideways
I couldn't hit it sideways
Oh, now, just like
Oh, just like
Oh, just like
Oh, just like
Oh, just like
Oh, just like
Doc and sally inside, now move it along!
Cooking for the down five
Who's staring at Miss Rayon, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it!
licking up pig pen
I've been s-s-s-s-searching for my mainline
I couldn't hit it sideways
I couldn't hit it sideways
Just like
Oh, just like, do it, do it, do it!
Just like
Just like that
Just like
Now Rosie and Miss Rayon
They're busy waiting for her booster
She's just back from Carolina
She says she's bound to meet a sailor
I said you haven't got the time-time
You're busy sucking on my ding-dong
You're busy sucking on my ding-dong
Now, just like Sister Ray said
I'm searching for my mainline
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
Whip it on me Jim, whip it on me Jim
Whip it on me Jim, whip it on me Jim
Said I couldn't hit it sideways, oh, do it!
Yeah, just like, yeah just like Sister Ray said
I said now Cecil's got his new piece
He cocks and shoots it, bang! between three and four
He aims it at the sailor
He shoots him down dead on the floor
Oh, you shouldn't do that, don't you know you'll hit the carper, don't you know you'll mess the carpet
Oh, she hasn't got the time-time
Busy sucking on his ding-dong
She's busy sucking on his ding-dong
Yeah, just like Sister Ray said
I'm searching for my mainline
Couldn't hit it sideways
Couldn't hit it sideways
Now just like
Now just like
Now just like, like Sister Ray said, now do it to him!
Doc and Sally inside
They're busy cooking for the down five, oh
Who's staring at Miss Rayon
Busy licking up her pig pen
I'm busy searching for my mainline
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
I said I couldn't hit it sideways
Now just like
Now just like
I said oh, oh, just like
Am-ph-ph-ph-ph-phetamine
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
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.
cecils got his new piece.. he cocks and shoots it bang between three and four. he aims it at the sailor..shoots him down dead on the floor.. oh you know you shouldn't do that..dont you know you'll stain the carpet? ..and by the way i got a dollar.. LOVE that part of the song. and people i think most versions are different. like any other artist lou pronounced stuff differently in different versions. sometimes added a few words here and there. paul kelly does it ALOT too.