Hittin' on Nothing
The Detroit Cobras Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep your lies
Keep all of your promises
Save that jive
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
Unless you got something for me
You know you promised me diamonds,
I'll never forget
And I ain't seen hide nor hair
Of a diamond yet
All I get is (talk, talk, talk)
Get your papers and (walk, walk, walk)
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
Unless you got something for me
You promised me a mink coat,
For my birthday
I ain't seen mink, rabbit or rat
Make it any old way
I'm so tired of your (talk, talk, talk)
Hit the road, Jack and (walk, walk, walk)
No more talk (talk, talk, talk)
Get your bags and walk (walk, walk, walk)
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
Unless you got something for me
Hey, hey
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
Unless you got something for me
Hit the road,
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
Unless you got something for me
Uh huh,
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
Unless you got something for me
Hey, Hey
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
Unless you got something for me
The Detroit Cobras song "Hittin' on Nothing" is a classic rock n' roll tune that tells the story of a woman who is tired of her partner's empty promises and wants to see some tangible action. The lyrics cleverly play on the idea of "hitting" on someone, meaning flirting or seducing them, but in this case, the woman is calling out her partner for not actually delivering on any of his sweet talk. The opening lines, "You can keep your sweet talk, Keep your lies, Keep all of your promises, Save that jive," make it clear that the woman is no longer interested in hearing empty words, she wants real action.
The woman then goes on to recount the promises her partner has made to her, including diamonds and a mink coat, but she has not seen any of these things materialize. The chorus, "You ain't hittin' on nothin' Unless you got something for me," is a clear declaration that the woman is not interested in empty promises, she wants to see action and follow-through from her partner.
Overall, the song is a fun and catchy rock n' roll tune that speaks to the frustrations of broken promises and empty words in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You can keep your sweet talk,
Don't bother with your empty flattery,
Keep your lies
I know you're dishonest and I'm not interested in your deceitful behavior,
Keep all of your promises
I don't want to hear any more of your worthless commitments,
Save that jive
Hold on to your bogus talk and don't try to sell me on any more of your fake promises,
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
You're not making any progress with me,
Unless you got something for me
Unless you can back up your words with meaningful actions,
You know you promised me diamonds,
I remember vividly when you said you'd give me diamonds,
I'll never forget
That treasured memory is still fresh in my mind,
And I ain't seen hide nor hair
But I have yet to receive any evidence of that promise,
Of a diamond yet
You haven't delivered on that commitment,
All I get is (talk, talk, talk)
All you do is talk without taking any meaningful action,
Get your papers and (walk, walk, walk)
Leave my presence and don't come back until you can deliver on your promises,
You promised me a mink coat,
You also promised me a luxurious fur coat,
For my birthday
To be gifted on my special day,
I ain't seen mink, rabbit or rat
But I haven't received any type of fur coat,
Make it any old way
You clearly didn't care enough to get me the gift promised in the way promised,
I'm so tired of your (talk, talk, talk)
I'm fed up with your empty words and meaningless promises,
Hit the road, Jack and (walk, walk, walk)
Leave and don't come back until you can follow through on your commitments,
No more talk (talk, talk, talk)
I don't want to hear any more of your talk without action,
Get your bags and walk (walk, walk, walk)
Pack up your things and leave until you can deliver on your promises,
Hey, hey
Listen up,
Hit the road,
Get out of here,
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
You're making no progress with me,
Unless you got something for me
Unless you can prove your claims with results,
Uh huh,
That's right,
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
You're making no progress with me,
Unless you got something for me
Unless you can follow through on your promises,
Hey, Hey
Listen up,
You ain't hittin' on nothin'
You're not making any progress with me,
Unless you got something for me
Unless you can actually deliver on your commitments,
Contributed by Madelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.