Morissette assumed creative control and producing duties for her subsequent studio albums, including Under Rug Swept (2002), So-Called Chaos (2004), Flavors of Entanglement (2008), and Havoc and Bright Lights (2012). Her ninth album, Such Pretty Forks in the Road, was released in 2020. Morissette has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and has been dubbed the "Queen of Alt-Rock Angst" by Rolling Stone.
Read the full article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alanis_Morissette
Studio albums
Alanis (1991)
Now Is the Time (1992)
Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998)
Under Rug Swept (2002)
So-Called Chaos (2004)
Flavors of Entanglement (2008)
Havoc and Bright Lights (2012)
Such Pretty Forks in the Road (2020)
Not the Doctor
Alanis Morissette Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want to be your glass of single malt whiskey
Hidden in the bottom drawer and
I don't want to be a bandage if the wound is not mine
Lend me some fresh air
I don't want to be adored for what I merely represent to you
I don't want to be your babysitter
You're a very big boy now
I didn't carry you in my womb for nine months
Show me the back door
Visiting hours are nine to five and if I show up at ten past six
Well, I already know that you'd find some way to sneak me in and oh
Mind the empty bottle with the holes along the bottom
You see it's too much to ask for and I am not the doctor
I don't want to be the sweeper of the egg shells that you walk upon
And I don't want to be your other half, I believe that one and one make two
I don't want to be your food or the light from the fridge on your face
At midnight, hey
What are you hungry for?
I don't want to be the glue that holds your pieces together
I don't want to be your idol
See this pedestal is high and I'm afraid of heights
I don't want to be lived through
A vicarious occasion
Please open the window
Visiting hours are nine to five and if I show up at ten past six
Well, I already know that you'd find some way to sneak me in and oh
Mind the empty bottle with the holes along the bottom
You see it's too much to ask for and I am not the doctor
I don't want to live on someday when my motto is last week
And I, I don't want to be responsible for your fractured heart
And it's wounded beat and
I don't want to be a substitute for the smoke you've been inhaling
Well, what do you thank me
What do you thank me for?
Visiting hours are nine to five and if I show up at ten past six
Well, I already know that you'd find some way to sneak me in and oh
Mind the empty bottle with the holes along the bottom
You see it's too much to ask for and I am not the doctor
The song Not the Doctor by Alanis Morissette is about a woman who refuses to be someone's savior or emotional crutch. She sings about not wanting to be the filler in someone's life, the one who fills the void that solely belongs to them. She doesn't want to be their babysitter, their mother, or their idol either. Alanis asserts her independence, refusing to take responsibility for a man's fractured heart or be a substitute for the things he's been inhaling. She doesn't want to be the glue that holds his pieces together and rejects the idea of living for someday, while her motto is the last week.
The song is a powerful message to anyone who tries to place their emotional baggage onto someone else. Alanis tells us that she doesn't want to be someone's escape, their fixer, or the one who saves them. The lyrics express her desire for self-prioritization and a recognition that self-care not only helps oneself, but also serves as an act of love towards others. In not taking on the burdens of others, one is respecting their autonomy and promoting growth and independence.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to be the filler if the void is solely yours
I don't want to be with you just because you need someone around. I want to be with you because we both love each other equally.
I don't want to be your glass of single malt whiskey, hidden in the bottom drawer
I don't want to be your secret, hidden away from everyone else. I want to be able to share our relationship openly.
And I don't want to be a bandage if the wound is not mine
I don't want to try to fix problems that are not mine to fix. I want to support you, but you need to take responsibility for your own issues.
Lend me some fresh air
I need a break from this relationship. I need some space to breathe and figure out what I really want.
I don't want to be adored for what I merely represent to you
I don't want you to love me just for what I can do for you or what I can represent. I want you to love me for who I am as a person.
I don't want to be your babysitter, you're a very big boy now
I don't want to feel like I need to take care of you all the time. You need to be able to take care of yourself.
I don't want to be your mother, I didn't carry you in my womb for nine months
I don't want to feel like I need to always take care of you or be responsible for you. That's not my role in this relationship.
Show me the back door
I want to leave this relationship. I need to move on and find something that is truly fulfilling for me.
Visiting hours are nine to five and if I show up at ten past six, well, I already know that you'd find some way to sneak me in
Our relationship is not healthy. We have established boundaries and limitations, but you still try to push past them.
Mind the empty bottle with the holes along the bottom. You see it's too much to ask for and I am not the doctor
You have your own issues and problems that you need to deal with, and I can't fix them for you. I'm not a trained professional; I'm just your partner.
I don't want to be the sweeper of the egg shells that you walk upon
I don't want to have to constantly tiptoe around you and your feelings. I want us to be able to communicate honestly and openly with each other.
And I don't want to be your other half, I believe that one and one make two
I don't want to feel like I need to complete you or be your other half. We should both be whole individuals who come together to form a partnership.
I don't want to be your food or the light from the fridge on your face at midnight, hey. What are you hungry for?
I don't want to just be something that you use to fulfill your own needs. I want us to both come to the relationship with equal feelings and desires.
I don't want to be the glue that holds your pieces together. I don't want to be your idol, see this pedestal is high and I'm afraid of heights
I don't want to feel like I need to be responsible for holding your life together. I'm not perfect, and I don't want to be put up on a pedestal. I'm just a human being.
I don't want to be lived through a vicarious occasion
I don't want to feel like you are living your life through me or our relationship. You need to have your own experiences and feelings outside of our relationship.
Please open the window
I need a way out of this relationship. I need to be able to move on and find something better for myself.
I don't want to live on someday when my motto is last week
I don't want to constantly be living for the future or holding onto the past. I want to focus on the present and what is happening right now.
And I, I don't want to be responsible for your fractured heart and its wounded beat
I don't want to feel like I need to fix your emotional problems or take responsibility for your hurt feelings. You need to take ownership of them yourself.
And I don't want to be a substitute for the smoke you've been inhaling
I don't want to be something that you use to distract yourself from your real problems or emotions. We need to be able to communicate and work through our issues together.
Well, what do you thank me? What do you thank me for?
What do you really appreciate about our relationship? Are you just using me, or do you genuinely care about me as a person?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Glen Ballard, Alanis Nadine Morissette
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DAN Lawson
I don't want to be the filler
If the void is solely yours
I don't want to be your glass of single malt
Whiskey hidden in the bottom drawer
I don't want to be your bandage
If the wound is not mine
Lend me some fresh air
I don't want to be adored
For what I merely represent to you
I don't want to be your babysitter
You're a very big boy now
I don't want to be your mother
I didn't carry you in my womb
For nine months
Show me the back door
Visiting hours are nine to five
And if I show up at ten past six, well I
Already know that you'd find some way
To sneak me in and oh
Mind the empty bottle
With the holes along the bottom, you see
It's too much to ask for and I
Am not the doctor, oh
I don't want to be the sweeper
Of the egg shells that you walk upon
And I don't want to be your other half
I believe that one and one make two
I don't want to be your food or the light
From the fridge on your face at midnight
Hey, what are you hungry for?
I don't want to be the glue
That hold your pieces together
I don't want to be your idol
See this pedestal is high
And I'm afraid of heights
I don't want to be lived through
A vicarious occasion
Please open the window
Visiting hours are nine to five
And if I show up at ten past six, well I
Already know that you'd find some way
To sneak me in and oh
Mind the empty bottle
With the holes along the bottom, you see
It's too much to ask for and I
Am not the doctor, oh
I don't want to live on someday
When my motto is last week, and I
I don't want to be responsible
For your fractured heart
And it's wounded beat
I don't want to be a substitute
For the smoke you've been inhaling, well
What do thank me?
What do you thank me for?
Visiting hours are nine to five
And if I show up at ten past six, well I
Already know that you'd find some way
To sneak me in and oh
Mind the empty bottle
With the holes along the bottom, you see
It's too much to ask for and I
Am not the doctor, oh
Nana86
I don't want to be the filler if the void is solely yours
I don't want to be your glass of single malt whiskey
Hidden in the bottom drawer
I don't want to be a bandage if the wound is not mine
Lend me some fresh air
I don't want to be adored for what I merely represent to you
I don't want to be your babysitter
You're a very big boy now
I don't want to be your mother
I didn't carry you in my womb for nine months
Show me the back door
Visiting hours are 9 to 5 and if I show up at 10 past 6
Well I already know that you'd find some way to sneak me in and oh
Mind the empty bottle with the holes along the bottom
You see it's too much to ask for and I am not the doctor
I don't want to be the sweeper of the egg shells that you walk upon
And I don't want to be your other half, I believe that 1 and 1 make 2
I don't want to be your food or the light from the fridge on your face
At midnight, hey
What are you hungry for
I don't want to be the glue that holds your pieces together
I don't want to be your idol
See this pedestal is high and I'm afraid of heights
I don't want to be lived through
A vicarious occasion
Please open the window
Visiting hours are 9 to 5 and if I show up at 10 past 6
Well I already know that you'd find some way to sneak me in and oh
Mind the empty bottle with the holes along the bottom
You see it's too much to ask for and I am not the doctor
I don't want to live on someday when my motto is last week
I don't want to be responsible for your fractured heart
And it's wounded beat
I don't want to be a substitute for the smoke you've been inhaling
What do you thank me
What do you thank me for
Visiting hours are 9 to 5 and if I show up at 10 past 6
Well I already know that you'd find some way to sneak me in and oh
Mind the empty bottle with the holes along the bottom
You see it's too much to ask for and I am not the doctor
BleakVision
It‘s a shame this song is not better known. Definitely my favorite from Jagged little Pill. The lyrics are simply brilliant.
thegreatsongtraveler
Absolutely agree. This is one of, if not the only song to not get radio airplay from her debut album and I find that astounding. The fact anyone’s debut album could have every song on every radio station in the world and the only track to not get airtime is arguably her most poetically brilliant lyrical masterpiece. People don’t realize the magnitude with which Jagged Little Pill turned the world on its head back in ‘95 or so when it dropped. This album is in the top 5 highest selling albums of all time and it was the first by AM.
In a cruel twist, her worldwide fame came early on and she shone so bright that her career stalled out because she set the impossible precedent of having to out-due her own genius. Lightning almost never strikes twice.
kesheena Washington
In 2023 this is still music
Kimmers
@thegreatsongtraveler Nah, Forgiven got exactly zero seconds of airplay.
Jim26D
I used to not like it but it and forgiven became my favorite ones
Michael Leary
I got you gimmie like a month or two
R.C. Curtright
16 year old me, “cool song”. 38 year old
me breaking free of cycles of codependency “holy shit, she nailed it with this song”.
Charles Dickson
Crazy part is she wrote these songs at 19.
Myesha
Yes👋🏾! This song makes so much more sense for me at 42 then it did at 16. I recognize her meaning so much more now
April Delacerda
❤️2032❤️