The Book

I think this song is about a woman (possibly Ms. Crow) scorned by a writer she had a three day one-night-stand with--obviously in Rome. It's a tad self explanatory. Anyway, she thought they really had something and yet he wrote down their experiences and made what they shared seem cheap and lowly. "You carry a pen and a paper, and no time and no words you waste" implies that he has either done this before or that he had it all planned out. "And I didn't know, By giving my hand, That I would be written down, sliced around, Passed down, Among strangers hands" hints more at the lowness of his writing and how the experience was written down, cut in the publishing process, and passed around for the general public to read. There are some lyrics missing here after the last chorus. They are: "And what do I get
Do I get revenge
While you let all out
Without any doubt How this will end

Sometimes it goes Sometimes we come To learn by mistake That the love you once made Can't be undone

Oh But three days in Rome I laid my heart out I laid my soul down alone I'll always remember Three days in Rome"

undoubtedly my favorite sheryl crow song. the chord progressions are amazing and the tale-spinning fashion of the lyrics are the ideal scorned lover fodder. i always thought the worst way to get revenge on someone would be to write a song about how terrible they were to you.. onya, ms. crow! this guy, if it really happened, is probably cowering now.

listening to this song for 10 years now - just can add to the lyrics that they are the best about disappointement. Terrifying me still, love this song even when it's very sad.

P.S. Why no one writing any comment to this GREAT song. The LP "Sheryl Crow" was her best one I think (maybe Globe Session can reach it). so long

'You're a voyeur The worst kind of thief'

I think it's about leaving a relationship or encounter feeling completely stripped of dignity. She obviously feels exploited by this person who has completely marginalized their experience on paper

"to learn by mistake that the love you once made can't be undone" .... speachless.

If you've read Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth, it seems obvious that this is Sheryl Crow's version of what the character "The Monkey" (Portnoy's lover) would have written about those 3 days in Rome (which is the amount of time that they spend there in the book and where she is treated as indicated in the lyrics). Even more telling is the title of the song, "The Book". I've always wanted to find some fan site where I could ask if this was indeed what the song was about. If not, it's a hell of a coincidence.

"You're a voyeur The worst kind of thief"

For the longest time I thought she was saying "You're a lawyer, the worst kind of thief."