Green attended Emerson College briefly in 1998 before leaving to concentrate on his music, going on to co-found the anti folk group The Moldy Peaches with Kimya Dawson. In 2004 The Moldy Peaches went on hiatus and both Green and Dawson embarked on solo careers.
Green released several albums on Rough Trade Records. Among his better known songs are "Jessica" (about singer Jessica Simpson), "Novotel", "Friends of Mine", "Dance with Me", "Carolina" and "Emily", and, in Britain, his cover of The Libertines track "What a Waster".
Prior to Jacket Full of Danger in 2006, all of Green's albums had been released on the 22nd of the month. His latest album was released on March 18, 2008 and is titled Sixes & Sevens. Titles include "Morning After Midnight", "Twee Twee Dee", and "Drowning Head First", the latter a duet between Green and his girlfriend.
In January 2008, The Moldy Peaches began having a resurgence in popularity, due to their music being included in the hit indie film Juno.
What a Waster
Adam Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You pissed it all up the wall
Round the corner where they chased her
There's tears coming out from everywhere
The city's hard, the city's fair
Get back inside you've got nothing on
No you mind yer bleedin own you two bob cunt
She writes down all her dreams
Reads like the book of revelations
Or the Beano or the unabridged ulysses
Oh I really wanna know
So tell me, where does all the money go
where does all the money go
Straight, straight up her nose
And I never really liked it any way
So much preferred it the other way yeah
What a divvy what a fucking div
Talking like a moron, walking like a spiv
I was laying in bed paying my rent
Knocking on the door for something
That she lent her brother
Meanwhile from under the covers she says
Save me from tommorow, save me from tommorow
Oh no, Oh no not me
And I never never liked it any way
So much preferred it the other way yeah
Never really liked it any way
So much preferred it the other way yeah
What a waster, what a fucking waster
You pissed it all up the wall
Round the corner where they chased her
There's tears coming out from everywhere
The citys hard the citys fair
Get back inside you've got nothing on
No you mind yer bleedin own you two bob cunt
What a waster, what a fucking waster
You pissed it all up the wall
Round the corner where they chased her
There's tears coming out from everywhere
The citys hard the citys fair
Get back inside you've got nothing on
No you mind yer bleedin own you two bob cunt
The song What a Waster by Adam Green is a commentary on the hedonistic lifestyle and the consequences of it. The lyrics are an insult to the reckless behavior of someone who has wasted their life, money, and opportunity on drugs and other destructive behavior. The opening line "what a waster, what a fucking waster" sets the tone for the mood of the song. The use of profanity emphasizes the frustration and anger towards someone who has made a mess of their life.
The chorus "where does all the money go, straight up her nose" is referring to the drug habits that have resulted in financial ruin for the person in question. The line "round the corner where they chased her, tears coming out from everywhere" describes the scene of someone who has hit rock bottom and is being chased by their problems. The verse "when she wakes up in the morning, she writes down all her dreams" refers to the futile attempts by the person to escape their harsh reality through escaping into their dreams.
The lyrics imply a sense of regret, and the dissatisfaction with the current life. The line "and I never really liked it any way, so much preferred it the other way" suggests that the singer may have previously existed within the same lifestyle but became disenchanted with it. Overall, What a Waster is a scathing critique of the destructive nature of excess and selfishness.
Line by Line Meaning
What a waster, what a fucking waster
The subject of the song is being called out for being a waste of life.
You pissed it all up the wall
All of the potential and opportunities that the subject had has been wasted away.
Round the corner where they chased her
Someone who the subject knows has been chased by someone or something around the corner.
There's tears coming out from everywhere
People around the subject are upset and disappointed in them.
The city's hard, the city's fair
The city the subject is in is tough and unforgiving.
Get back inside you've got nothing on
The subject is being told to go back inside because they have nothing to offer.
No you mind yer bleedin own you two bob cunt
The subject is being told to mind their own business and is being referred to as a worthless person.
When she wakes up in the morning
A female character in the song wakes up in the morning.
She writes down all her dreams
The female character writes down her dreams every morning.
Reads like the book of revelations
The female character's dreams are highly detailed and significant to her.
Or the Beano or the unabridged ulysses
The content of the dreams are compared to children's books or classic literature.
Oh I really wanna know
The artist expresses a strong desire to know something.
So tell me, where does all the money go
The singer is asking where all of the money goes that the subject wastes away.
Straight, straight up her nose
The money is being spent on drugs that the female character is using.
And I never really liked it any way
The singer never liked the way things were going with the subject.
So much preferred it the other way yeah
The artist preferred things to be a different way than how they currently are.
What a divvy what a fucking div
The subject is being called a fool.
Talking like a moron, walking like a spiv
The subject is acting foolish and shady.
I was laying in bed paying my rent
The singer was in bed paying their rent.
Knocking on the door for something
Someone is knocking on the door for something, possibly from the female character.
That she lent her brother
The female character loaned something to her brother.
Meanwhile from under the covers she says
While under the covers, the female character speaks to someone.
Save me from tommorow, save me from tommorow
The female character is asking for help with the future.
Oh no, Oh no not me
The artist is saying that they do not want to be involved/help.
Contributed by Nora S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
unemmatitled
@312time I completely agree. I like how even when Pete or Carl are singing this song acousticaly (like this, just a voice and a guitar), you can still hear the passion in their voices, you can tell that they believe in what they're singing.
thedancingone
thats fair I think, even though I only know about Adam Green because he's friends with the libertines and did this cover and the Libertines are my favorite band. I've grown to love Adam for his own unique style, which is different from the libertines but a good contrast that allows for conversation. It's like a foreign exchange program. I met Adam Green in NYC and he was so nice, and I love him.
Eszter Baltimore
I'm really helplessly in love with the Libertines, but I pretty like Adam's cover of What A Waster as well.. Love the Babyshambles Sessions!
jrgbello
Great cover, and finally I can understand the lyrics. :D
Hal Fish
nobody can match the libs passion but a decent cover
muchtoocrazy
omg, one of my favorite bands and one of my favorite singers. I am a very happy person right now. :)
Arnar Einarsson
Ok, I wanna say something totally different from what everyone are saying. I kinda like this version. It's got a nice feel to it. Just Adam Green and an acoustic guitar, I like it. Now get this, I'm not saying it's better than the Libertines version, and I won't do that. The Libs version is the best one. But I very much disagree with some of you who say it's shite.
thekillers1stfan
ot as good as the original (which happens to be my favorite libertines song)
mkultra thanks
I love listening to this song while I’m thinking about what a piece of shit I am. “Better luck next time, don’t worry so much” Dan Deacon
Matthew Alistair
love the libertines