I believe this song is about one friend's attempt to comfort another friend after a bad drug trip. The lines "When the demon ( "jones" ) is at your door, in the morning it won't be there no more, ( just try to sleep through it or somehow get through it so you can kick this thing)", and "I can tell you all I know: the where to go, (where to attend a meeting), the what to do, (seek outside assistance, go to rehab). You can try to run but you can't hide from what's inside of you,( you're an addict)"
all give away the meaning - in my opinion. Not to mention, the conversational lyric of the title, referring to the fact that any good friend would tell you the truth about what you keep doing to yourself. After all, Steely Dan songs are littered with various drug references.
I believe this song is about one friend's attempt to comfort another friend after a bad drug trip. The lines "When the demon ( "jones" ) is at your door, in the morning it won't be there no more, ( just try to sleep through it or somehow get through it so you can kick this thing)", and "I can tell you all I know: the where to go, (where to attend a meeting), the what to do, (seek outside assistance, go to rehab). You can try to run but you can't hide from what's inside of you,( you're an addict)" all give away the meaning - in my opinion. Not to mention, the conversational lyric of the title, referring to the fact that any good friend would tell you the truth about what you keep doing to yourself. After all, Steely Dan songs are littered with various drug references.