You Can't Count On Me
Counting Crows Lyrics
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But hey I got you down on your knees again
You watch the sky
It's a pale parade of passing clouds
That cover
The bed upon which we laid
In the dark
And the memories that I made
Of a laughing girl
But you're just my toy
And I can't stop playing with you, baby
[Chorus]
If you think you need to go
If you wanted to be free
There's one thing you need to know
And that's that you can't count on me
Coming along real good
But I still can't do most of the things I should
I watch the sky coming down to bury me and
I can't stop this crawling out of my skin
I know that you see yourself flying in
Out of the sky
Coming down
To carry me
But I won't come out
[Chorus]
No you can't count on me
I watched all of the same parades
As they passed on the days that you wish you'd stayed
All this pain gets me high
And I get off and you know why
[Chorus: x2]
Aw you can't count on me
No you can't count on me
The lyrics of the song 'You Can't Count On Me' by Counting Crows express a sense of frustration, confusion, and guilt. The singer acknowledges that changing anything in life can be difficult, but he has managed to bring the other person to their knees again. This could be interpreted both literally or metaphorically, but it suggests a power dynamic where the singer has control over the other person. As they lay in the dark, memories of a laughing girl flood his mind, but he emphasizes that she is just his toy, and he can't stop playing with her.
The chorus emphasizes the theme of uncertainty; the singer acknowledges that if the other person wants to leave or be free, they can't count on him. This suggests that the singer is unreliable and not a good partner. In the second verse, the singer talks about feeling trapped and struggling to do what he should do. He sees himself as crawling out of his skin and unable to escape this feeling. The other person may see themselves as a savior, coming down from the sky to rescue the singer, but the singer resists their efforts, refusing to come out.
Line by Line Meaning
Anythings hard to change
Changing anything is difficult
But hey I got you down on your knees again
I have the power to control you
You watch the sky
You look up to the sky
It's a pale parade of passing clouds
The clouds passing by are light in color
That cover
They cover
The bed upon which we laid
The bed where we once laid together
In the dark
At night when we couldn't see
And the memories that I made
The memories that I created
Of a laughing girl
Memories of a girl who used to laugh
But you're just my toy
You're just someone I play with
And I can't stop playing with you, baby
I can't stop using you for my own pleasure
If you think you need to go
If you feel like leaving
If you wanted to be free
If you desired your freedom
There's one thing you need to know
You need to understand one thing
And that's that you can't count on me
You can't rely on me
Coming along real good
Things are going well
But I still can't do most of the things I should
I still struggle with doing what I should
I watch the sky coming down to bury me and
I feel like the sky is collapsing on me
I can't stop this crawling out of my skin
I can't stop feeling uncomfortable in my own skin
I know that you see yourself flying in
You picture yourself soaring
Out of the sky
From above
Coming down
Descending towards the ground
To carry me
To lift me up
But I won't come out
I won't emerge from where I am
No you can't count on me
You cannot trust me
I watched all of the same parades
I witnessed the same events and activities
As they passed on the days that you wish you'd stayed
On the days when you regretted leaving
All this pain gets me high
The pain I feel gives me a sense of euphoria
And I get off and you know why
It gratifies me and you understand why
Aw you can't count on me
Sorry, but you cannot depend on me
No you can't count on me
You cannot trust or rely on me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES BOGIOS, DAVID LYNN BRYSON, ADAM FREDRIC DURITZ, CHARLES THOMAS GILLINGHAM, MILLARD POWERS, DANIEL JOHN VICKREY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ngurah Hartawan
YOU CAN'T COUNT ON ME
Anything's hard to change
But hey I got you down on your knees again
You watch the sky
It's a pale parade of passing clouds
That cover the bed upon which we laid in the dark
And the memories that I made of a laughing girl
But you're just my toy and I can't stop playing with you baby
If you think you need to go
If you wanted to be free
There's just one thing you need to know
And that's that you can't count on me
I'm coming along real good
But I still can't do most of the things I should
I watch the sky coming down to bury me...
And I can't stop this crawling out of my skin
I know that you see yourself flying in out of the sky
Coming down to carry me but I won't come out
So if you think you need to go
If you wanted to be free
There's one thing you need to know
And that's that you can't count on me
I watch all of the same parades
As they pass on the days that you wish you'd stayed
But all this pain gets me high
And I get off and you know why
So if you think you need to go
If you wanted to be free
There's just one thing you'll need to know
And that's that you can't count on me
Jack Pabich
Wow... This comment section is old... Counting Crows is one of the most unique bands I've listened to.
countingcrows123
I love this song and album. One of their best albums IMO.
Lavache Beadsman
The songwriting on this one is really good. I feel like a lot of people dismiss this band because of the pop-ish sound, but Durtiz can write some good tunes.
DAVE McRonald
I can say I've been through some pretty despicable tastes in music throughout my life. But the first band I ever loved was Counting Crows. To this very day, I still haven't given up on this band. I've given up on metal and many other forms of pissed off white boy rock, but there's something bringing me back to Counting Crows. They've survived the test of time. By the way, I counted Four Crows.
Abel Lopez
Fun: a post about giving up on other bands, but Counting Crows became your rock.
...on a song that has the title "you can't count in me".
Tony M
This band rocks!! We need all the 90's bands to reunite.
Janice Bowes
I bought this album in 2005 thinking it was a different band (that I was looking for) and after buying it I liked it better than that different band I was looking for. The songs have alot of mood in them.
Mary D
Excellent song, excellent Band!!!! My favorite!!
Erin Allen
love it!!
ragekawawa
That opening guitar is brilliant