I Wish I Was A Girl
Counting Crows Lyrics
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He tells you I'm not sleeping in my hotel room alone
With nothing to believe in
You dive into the traffic rising up
And it's so quiet
You're surprised
And then you wake
For all the things you're losing
You might as well resign yourself to try and make a change
I'm going down to Hollywood
They're gonna make a movie from the things that they find
crawling round my brain
I wish I was a girl so that you could believe me
And I could shake this static everytime I try to sleep
I wish for all the world that I could say,
"Hey Elizabeth, you know, I'm doing alright these days."
The devil's in the dreaming
You see yourself descending from a building to the ground
You watch the sky receding
You spin to see the traffic rising up
And it's so quiet
You're surprised
And then you wake
For all the things I'm losing
I might as well resign myself to try and make a change
But I'm going down to Hollywood
They're gonna make a movie from the things that they find
crawling round my brain
I wish I was a girl so that you could believe me
And I could shake this static every time I try to sleep
I wish for all the world that I could say,
"Hey Elizabeth, you know, I'm doing alright these days."
In one of these dreams, you forgive me
It makes me think of the bad decisions that keep you at home
How could anyone else have changed?
All these wrong conclusions that leave you alone
How could everyone rearrange?
How could everyone else have changed?
What I see I believe
For all the things I'm losing
I might as well resign myself to try and make a change
Well, I'm going down to Hollywood
They're gonna make a movie from the things that they find
crawling around my brain
I wish I was a girl so that you could believe me
And I could shake this static everytime I try to sleep
I wish for all the world that I could say,
"Hey Elizabeth, you know, I'm doing alright these days."
But I can't sleep at night
The lyrics of Counting Crows’ song “I Wish I Was A Girl” presents a narrative that is laced with dreamlike imagery from start to finish. In the first verse, the singer is woken up from a dream by the devil who whispers that he is not sleeping alone in his hotel room. The lyrics continue on to describe a feeling of being “surprised” by the quiet traffic while he is awake compared to the loudness of his dream. The second verse follows a similar structure and revisits the same dream of falling from a building.
Within the scope of the song, the lyrics reveal a sense of disillusionment and loneliness that are found in the everyday experiences of modern society. The singer longs to be someone else, even if he had to become a her, so that the world would believe in him. After dwelling in the sense of feeling lost and insignificant, the singer reaches the conclusion that he must make a change. This change, however, is elusive and ill-defined.
Overall, the song’s lyrics present a vivid picture of a dream-like state of being between wakefulness and sleep, searching for a sense of purpose and connection. The lyrics of the song suggest that these feelings are a part of a larger human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
The devil's in the dreaming
The negative thoughts in our mind get aggravated during our sleep
He tells you I'm not sleeping in my hotel room alone
The devil accuses the person sleeping alone in the hotel room of being unfaithful
With nothing to believe in
Life seems bleak and hopeless
You dive into the traffic rising up
Trying to distract oneself from troubles by getting busy with daily life
And it's so quiet
Even amidst the noise and chaos, mind remains calm
You're surprised
Still amazed at the self-control in the middle of chaos
And then you wake
Reality hits, and dream comes to an end
For all the things you're losing
Things are falling apart
You might as well resign yourself to try and make a change
Give up on the old ways and try something different
I'm going down to Hollywood
Trying to find a way to make a living in the entertainment industry
They're gonna make a movie from the things that they find crawling round my brain
Hoping to monetize the creativity in the head
I wish I was a girl so that you could believe me
Wishing for a change in self to be more trustworthy
And I could shake this static everytime I try to sleep
Desiring for peace of mind and a good night sleep
I wish for all the world that I could say, "Hey Elizabeth, you know, I'm doing alright these days."
Wishing to convey a sense of well-being to someone dear
You see yourself descending from a building to the ground
Another dream that depicts mental conflict and unrest
You watch the sky receding
Feeling small and insignificant amidst the largeness of the world
For all the things I'm losing
Everything seems to be slipping away
But I'm going down to Hollywood
A hope to start afresh and make a life in a new place
They're gonna make a movie from the things that they find crawling round my brain
Thinking big and hoping for someone to recognize the creative potential
In one of these dreams, you forgive me
Keeping hope alive for a change in the relationship
It makes me think of the bad decisions that keep you at home
Regretting decisions that have made things worse
All these wrong conclusions that leave you alone
All the assumptions that have pushed others away
How could anyone else have changed?
Why do things remain the same despite all the efforts to make changes?
How could everyone rearrange?
Wondering if it's possible for everyone to change for the better
What I see I believe
Believing in what's visible instead of imagination
But I can't sleep at night
Despite trying to remain positive, deep-seeded worries and fears keep taking over
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID LYNN BRYSON, ADAM FREDRIC DURITZ, CHARLES THOMAS GILLINGHAM, MATTHEW MARK MALLEY, BEN G MIZE, DANIEL JOHN VICKREY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind