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Waste
Smash Mouth Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm looking at my watch
At all the time that's been stolen
When I was carrying you
It seems I've tripped and I've fallen
Don't want no one to ache
Oh, to be drunk and forgetful
To get out of this unscathed
Oh, to be free and inhuman

Some may say I love to play
When the chance is there to take

I'm mopping up the floor
From messy recipes of romance
I'm packing up the pots
Too many cooks in the kitchen

Some may say I love to let a good thing go to waste
I let it go to waste

Let a good thing go to waste, a good thing go to waste
Let a good thing go to waste, a good thing go to waste

I'm looking at my watch
At all the time that's been stolen
When I was carrying you
It seems I've tripped and I've fallen

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Waste" by Smash Mouth depict a person who is reflecting on their past relationship and the mistakes they made. The opening lines suggest that the singer has lost track of time and feels that time has been wasted. They reminisce about the moments when they were there for their partner, but they also acknowledge that they tripped and fell, possibly indicating that they were not enough for their partner or made mistakes that led to the demise of the relationship. The lyrics go on to express the singer's desire to forget the pain and move on, to "be free and inhuman."


The next lines suggest that the singer was possibly involved with multiple people, using the metaphor of "messy recipes of romance" and "too many cooks in the kitchen." They may have been indecisive about their feelings or played games, causing confusion and heartache.


The chorus repeats the phrase "let a good thing go to waste," emphasizing the theme of regret and missed opportunities. The singer acknowledges that they had something good, but they didn't appreciate it or held onto it tightly enough. The final lines suggest that the singer is still carrying the weight of these mistakes and hasn't fully moved on.


Overall, the lyrics of "Waste" convey the pain and regret that can come with failed relationships, as well as the realization of one's own shortcomings and mistakes.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm lookin' at my watch
I am checking the time to see how much of it has been wasted


At all the time that's been stolen
Reflecting on how much time has been lost in the past


When I was carrying you
In the past, when I was supporting you


It seems I've tripped and I've fallen
It appears that I have stumbled and lost control


Don't want no one to ache
I don’t want anyone to feel pain or discomfort


Oh to be drunk and forgetful
To be inebriated and free of regret or responsibility


To get out of this unscathed
To escape without any harm, injury or consequences


Oh to be free and inhuman
To have the freedom and lack of emotion that comes with being non-human


Some may say I love to play
Some people might think that I enjoy taking risks


When the chance is there to take
When an opportunity arises that could bring benefits or risks


I'm moppin' up the floor
I am trying to fix the aftermath of failed or messy love affairs


From messy recipes of romance
From the messy and complicated relationships


I'm packin' up the pots
I am getting rid of unnecessary or cluttering elements from my life


Too many cooks in the kitchen
There are too many people involved in creating something and it is causing problems


Some may say I love to let a good thing go to waste
Some people might say that I enjoy ruining or wasting something good


I let it go to waste
I have allowed something valuable or beneficial to be lost or ruined


Let a good thing go to waste a good thing go to waste
Repeated reminder that something good has been unnecessarily ruined


Let a good thing go to waste a good thing go to waste
Repeated reminder that something good has been unnecessarily ruined


I'm lookin' at my watch
I am checking the time to see how much of it has been wasted


At all the time that's been stolen
Reflecting on how much time has been lost in the past


When I was carrying you
In the past, when I was supporting you


Seems I've tripped and I've fallen
It appears that I have stumbled and lost control




Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gregory Dean Camp

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@JosephineYKim

I'm lookin' at my watch
At all the time that's been stolen
When I was carryin' you
Seems I've tripped and I've fallen
Don't want no one to ache
Oh, to be drunk and forgetful
To get out of this unscathed
Oh, to be free and inhuman
Some may say
I love to play
When the chance is there to take
I'm moppin' up the floor
From messy recipes of romance
I'm packing up the pots
Too many cooks in the kitchen
Some may say
I love to let
A good thing go to waste
I let it go to waste
Let a good thing go to waste
A good thing go to waste
Let a good thing go to waste
A good thing go to waste
I'm lookin' at my watch
At all the time that's been stolen
When I was carryin' you
Seems I've tripped and I've fallen
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Gregory Dean Camp



All comments from YouTube:

@killaofimmortality

RIP Steve Harwell, a person who I believe to be a sorely underappreciated vocalist and an icon of early 2000s music. This is my favourite Smash Mouth song and carries a persona meaning to me. I'll pray for you!

@ElMathieuBuLLgas

Melhor música da malhação, ohhh saudades! Só quem viveu essa época entende da saudade da infância! Coração chega chora , chorando!

@joaocarlosbuenodossantos2408

Nem dá pra explicar ne. É algo que só se sente e pronto! Demais...

@SirPhillip23

Adolescencia no meu caso. Mas a nostalgia é a mesma...

@ricardovieira413

Essa música é muito boa

@brunaalessandracampos7369

Verdade

@milacria

Grande verdade, não só essa mas todas as outras da mesma, I miss you de Blink123 também

22 More Replies...

@misszee007

RIP Steve. This album was part of the soundtrack during a very rough time in my adolescence. ❤❤❤I’m sorry U passed, you’ll always be our All Star.

@Gamerdude854

This is probably some of Smash Mouth's best work, it's incredibly underrated

@turkey3gwiddle

Yes, this song is beautiful!

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