I Can't Go For That
Daryl Hall & John Oates Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where does it stop
Where do you dare me
To draw the line
You've got the body
Now you want my soul
Don't even think about it
Say no go
Yeah, I'll, I'll do anything
That you want me to, yeah
I'll do almost anything
That you want me to, ooh yeah
But I can't go for that, no (no), no can do
I can't go for that, no (no), no can do
I can't go for that, no (no), no can do
I can't go for that
Can't go for that
Can't go for that
Can't go for that
I can go for being twice as nice
I can go for just repeating
The same old lines
Use the body
Now you want my soul
Ooh, forget about it
Now say no go
Yeah, I'll, I'll do anything
That you want me to, yeah
I'll do almost anything
That you want me to, yeah
But I can't go for that, no (no), no can do
I can't go for that, no (no), no can do
I can't go for that, no (no), no can do
I can't go for that
Can't go for that
Can't go for that
Can't go for that, yeah
Yeah, I'll, I'll do anything
That you want me to, yeah
I'll do almost anything
That you want me to, yeah
But I can't go for that, no (no), no can do
I can't go for that, no (no), no can do
I can't go for that, no (no), no can do
I can't go for that
Can't go for that
Can't go for that
Can't go for that, yeah
No, I can't go for that (no, no, no, no)
No, I can't go for that, no, no, no, no can do
I can't go for that (no, no, no, no), no, I can't go for that
I can't go for that (no can do)
No can do, I can't go for that
Forget about it, no (no, no, no, no)
Forget about it, no, no, no, no (no, no, no, no)
I can't go for that
Can't go for that, yeah (no can do)
Forget about it, no (no, no, no, no)
Forget about it, no, no, no, no (no, no, no, no)
I can't go for that (no can do)
No can do, I can't go for that
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no can do
I can't go for that (can't go for that, yeah)
No can do, I can't go for that
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no can do
I can't go for that
Can't go for that, yeah
No can do, I can't go for that
I can't go, no, can't go, no, can't go, go for that
I can't go for that (no can do)
No can do, I can't go for that
I can't go, I can't go, I can't go, go for that, yeah
No can do
No can do, I can't go for that
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no can do
The song "I Can't Go for That" by Daryl Hall reflects a situation where the singer is infatuated with another person's body but does not want to give his soul to them. The opening lines of the song, "Easy, ready, willing, overtime, where does it stop, where do you dare me to draw the line,” suggests the singer's willingness to indulge in physical intimacy with the person. However, he later asserts his boundaries and refuses to give his soul to them, saying "But I can't go for that, no (no) no can do."
The verses in the song convey the frustration that the singer feels as he tries to resist the other person's advances. He repeats the lines "I'll do anything that you want me to do, and I'll do almost anything that you want me to," highlighting his willingness to please the person, but ultimately asserts his limits.
The chorus of the song features a catchy rhythm that is repeated throughout. The repetition of the lines "Can't go for that, can't go for that, can't go for that" emphasizes the singer's refusal to compromise his values.
Overall, "I Can't Go for That" is a powerful song about boundaries and self-respect. It conveys the importance of defining and asserting one's limits despite the temptation of physical pleasure.
Line by Line Meaning
Easy, ready, willing, overtime
This person is enthusiastic and eager to please, even willing to overextend themselves to meet your demands.
Where does it stop
This person is unsure where your expectations end, and may be worried about being taken advantage of.
Where do you dare me
You are potentially pushing this person to their limits with your demands.
To draw the line
This person needs boundaries in their relationship with you, and may be hesitant to enforce them outright.
You've got the body
You are physically attractive to this person.
Now you want my soul
You are asking for too much, going beyond what this person is willing to give.
Don't even think about it
This person is saying 'no' to your request for their soul.
Say no go
This person is saying 'no' to your request for their soul.
I, I 'll do anything
This person is still eager to please and meet your demands.
That you want me to do
You are still making requests of this person.
And I'll do almost anything
This person is willing to compromise, but still has boundaries that they will not cross.
That you want me to, ooh
You are still making requests of this person.
But I can't go for that, no (no) no can do
This person has reached their limit, and cannot comply with your most recent request.
Can't go for that
This person is reiterating that they cannot comply with your request.
Can't go for that
Can't go for that
I can go for being twice as nice
This person is willing to compromise and meet you halfway.
I can go for just repeating
This person is willing to recycle old requests instead of pushing for something new and unreasonable.
The same old lines
This person is willing to recycle old requests instead of pushing for something new and unreasonable.
Use the body
You are using your physical attractiveness to get this person to comply with your requests.
Now you want my soul
You are asking for too much, going beyond what this person is willing to give.
Ooh, forget about it
This person is saying 'no' to your request for their soul.
Now say no go
This person is saying 'no' to your request for their soul.
No, no, no, no, no, no
This person is very clear that they cannot and will not comply with your requests anymore.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sara Allen, John Oates, Daryl Hall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joanietaylor-mitchell8559
When this came out I was dieing from stage 4 Breast Cancer..Now I'm celebrating 70th Birthday Season 2021. God Said Ni Can Do..Thanking Almighty God fir not just Salvation life Everlasting
@MrTsiolkovsky
You couldn't go for that.
@jamarfletcher4349
Love u baby
@tommyspring1904
Glad your here now! I survived cervical cancer stage 2 .. keep loving life sista!!
@antayat123
Beautiful!
@TheDarkDutchman
Wow! Glad you're still here!
@soul1380
That tinkling electronic keyboard really makes the song dreamy.
@Cosmopolitanovida
Cocaine?
@chuckythedoll4815
This song is still good. Because it is so well sung and the rhythm. Daryl was one of the best r&b singers out there.
@Chase_Jones
80's fans, there's an awesome original 80's inspired band today called Fire Tiger