It Ain't Me
Annie Lyrics


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It don't mean a thing
If it ain't got that swing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
It don't mean a thing
All you got to do is sing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
It makes no diff'rence
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Ev'rything you got
Oh, it don't mean a thing
If it ain't got that swing




(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)

Overall Meaning

The song "It Don't Mean A Thing" by Annie Ross is a classic jazz tune that celebrates the importance of swing in music. The lyrics emphasize that regardless of whether a piece of music is sweet or hot, if it doesn't have that swing, it doesn't mean anything. The term "swing" refers to the rhythmic feel of music, which is characterized by a strong sense of pulse and a feeling of forward momentum. Without swing, music can feel flat and lifeless, lacking the dynamic energy that makes it truly memorable. This song is ultimately a tribute to the power of swing, urging listeners to embrace the groove and give everything they've got to create a sense of momentum and excitement in their music.


The lyrics are paired with upbeat, jazzy instrumentation, including swinging horns, a lively bassline, and catchy piano riffs. The song also features scat singing, a popular technique in jazz music that involves using non-sensical words and syllables to improvise a melody. This adds to the sense of playful, carefree energy that permeates the song.


Line by Line Meaning

It don't mean a thing
No matter what it is


If it ain't got that swing
Without that unique style and energy


(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
The repetition of these sounds emphasize the importance of the swing


Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
The repetition of these sounds emphasize the importance of the swing


It don't mean a thing
No matter what it is


All you got to do is sing
Singing with the swing is all that matters


(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
The repetition of these sounds emphasize the importance of the swing


Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
The repetition of these sounds emphasize the importance of the swing


It makes no diff'rence
It doesn't matter


If it's sweet or hot
Whether it is mellow or upbeat


Just give that rhythm
Put your focus on the beat


Ev'rything you got
Use all of your energy and passion


Oh, it don't mean a thing
It has no value


If it ain't got that swing
Without that unique style and energy


(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
The repetition of these sounds emphasize the importance of the swing


Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
The repetition of these sounds emphasize the importance of the swing




Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Duke Ellington, Irving Mills

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@xm377Moyocoyatzin

It was the girl who died... In case nobody figured that out. The lyrics point to the fact that she is not there, she's gone, i.e. dead. What hinted her death? She is not seen here: 0:15 she is completely unscathed here 0:36 after showing all the damage he sustained, notice her hands don't even have so much as a scratch, and then her obvious absence at the end.

He sees her while he's in limbo between life and death because she is already on the other side, looking over him on his bedside which is where we the audience also sees her like a sort of angel watching over him, she tries to keep him away from the light, away from crossing unto the other side and unto death, she does this through care and song so that he doesn't cross unto death as well. He sees her in his dreams and we see her on his bedside because she has transcended, she's moved on, she has died. The symbolism of the butterfly is change, metamorphosis. The caterpillar that becomes a butterfly, she is in a different state of being now. She lives only in his memory.

Metasymbolically both the lyrics and the video point to her absence. She is gone, and the void left by her absence is akin to her having died because in either case she is gone.

But I know I won't be home
And you'll be on your own

The lyrics alone talk about her leaving him. But the video plays with the idea of her leaving has the same impact as her dying and being forever gone from his life.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon request for more details I wrote the following in a response to another user but I will post it here for all to see:

1. 0:30 When the paramedics shock his heart back to life his consciousness awakens but in another realm, in another state of consciousness.

2. 0:40 He starts to walk towards the light at the end of the tunnel, about to cross to the other side himself.

3. 0:43 The doctor shines a light into his eye, in medical science this is a procedure in order to see if there is brain activity, to see if he's still there and not brain dead. He then sees another light up in the sky, as if the light the doctor shines in his eyes beckons his consciousness.

4. 0:45 This is another light, a new light above instead of ahead as when he was in the tunnel. Notice he is not standing on the tunnel anymore, he is on a road. A road symbolizes a path and a choice: does he keep going or does he take the road back to where he came?

5. Notice that up to this point the colors of both lights are hues of blue which is a cold color.

6. 0:49 Also note that at this precise moment is when the lyrics say "Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?" What does that tell you? The female vocals in tandem with the video speak of her being there for him both in life and in death, it's a double entendre. It means she is physically there to care for him through the night as well as her being there to care and walk with him through the "night" of consciousness, a metaphor for the limbo he is in between life and death at this point.

7. The color scheme here then cuts from cold blue to warm orange and yellows. She is tending to him while the morning light shines in and in the next scene we see him in a forest full of candles. The color is warmer, the forest is a symbol of the unconscious and the light of the candles may symbolize the warm and illuminating memories of happier times with her. Her spirit is warm and nurturing to his physical body and thus he is in a forest of memory with warm lights from those memories of her.

8. 1:00 to 1:06 We see a sequence of her in the physical world looking after him, we see for a very brief moment that she speaks to the doctor, could she be whispering thoughts into his own mind? Giving the doctor insight into how best to treat his broken body?

9. 1:07 In this very next scene notice the cold blue hue creeps back as he is going into the CT machine, notice that she isn't there, without her presence and without her warmth the cold returns.

10. 1:10 He's no longer standing in a road, he is now in an opening in the middle of a field, possibly lost or stuck, looking down without any sense of will or resolve.

11. 1:13 He is back in that cold tunnel, staring ahead into the light, his expression is not passive anymore, he has some expressed emotion which can either be surprise, shock, or longing.Whichever the case, he can feel again, he's not a passive vegetable.

12. 1:16 She comes from the light at the end of the tunnel. She came from the other side and runs towards him. She appears happy to see him but more than that, she walks around him looking him up and down as if assessing him the way a nurse looks up a patient. She then hugs him apparently happy to commune with him after only tending to his body and not being able to actually talk to commune with him. This is all happening while he is under the CT scanner, could she be probing his brain so the doctors can see his neurological progress?

13. 1:35 All those cold blue lights dangling in the dark could certainly be interpreted to be brain synapses or possibly the tangled mess of colder bad memories as opposed to the warmer lights in the forest, and she appears to be dancing and walking amongst them.

14. 1:51 We then see him walking from amongst the blue lights and back into that forest where now we see her

15. 2:03 She is covered in butterflies: The symbol of metamorphosis and change. Specifically she pulls one out of her mouth, symbolizing that she is causing change by vocalizing it, by uttering an influence unto his mind that will compel him to change or transform. She is communicating change.

16. 2:22 She appears stressed, sad, depressed and frustrated. Perhaps because they have both been dwelling in this happy limbo but without any progress.

17. 2:27 Her body language here appears to mean that she is about to make a hard decision, maybe she is saddened that when he gets well she will no longer be able to be with him. And the longer she dwells with him in his mind and rejoicing in all those memories together he will stay stuck in that happy limbo a prisoner inside his own head wishing to keep re-living those memories with her.

18. 2:41 She is literally wearing a happy face. She wants to guide him back to the world of the living by showing him that there is also joy in life. He can only come back if he wants to, she then guides him back to life through song and dance the two most universal symbols of joy and happiness.

19. Her happy rhythm has an effect on him, he starts to walk away from the light, actually dancing away from it.

20. 3:07 She puts the song on his head

21. 3:12 appears to be saying her last goodbye

22. Notice that all the colors of the spectrum now fluctuate. Again, symbolizing an alert happiness, zest, when something is colorful it is a manner of saying it is alive, vibrant, and joyful.

23. 3:25 Her influence even gets the doctor to dance, gets him in a rhythm, he can hear her song, in his mind anyway on some unconscious level perhaps. She may have been influencing the doctors as well so that he can know the right things to do in order to save him and bring him back to health.

24. 3:43 One final kiss in both worlds he's in. Finally saying goodbye.

25. 3:46 He wakes up. A butterfly by his mouth where she kissed him in the next world, then when the scene backs away the butterfly is on his forehead where she also kissed him as she was nurturing him. It is one thing to be so romantically involved but the fact that the kiss reverberates twice - once on the forehead and once in the mouth simultaneously - demonstrates her deep affection, devotion, and love for him.

He wasn't just a boyfriend, he mattered to her, she loved him, truly loved him, even coming back from death to keep caring for him. There is still a ton of symbolism but I just wanted to point out the most obvious ones here to add more detail to my original comment and show why I came to that conclusion.



@mansinigam7272

I had a dream
We were sipping whiskey neat
Highest floor, The Bowery
Nowhere's high enough
Somewhere along the lines
We stopped seeing eye to eye
You were staying out all night
And I had enough

No, I don't wanna know
Where you been or where you're goin'
But I know I won't be home
And you'll be on your own

Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?
Who's gonna rock you when the sun won't let you sleep?
Who's waking up to drive you home when you're drunk and all alone?
Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?

It ain't me (The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful)
It ain't me (The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful)
It ain't me (The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful)
It ain't me (The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful)
It ain't me

I had a dream
We were back to seventeen
Summer nights and The Libertines
Never growing up
I'll take with me
The Polaroids and the memories
But you know I'm gonna leave
Behind the worst of us

Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?
Who's gonna rock you when the sun won't let you sleep?
Who's waking up to drive you home when you're drunk and all alone?
Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?

It ain't me, no, no
It ain't me, no, no
It ain't me, no, no
Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?
It ain't me
It ain't me
It ain't me, ah, ah

It ain't me (The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful)
It ain't me (The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful)
It ain't me (The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful)
It ain't me

❤❤❤❤



@masitarachmawati

[Intro: Selena Gomez]
I had a dream
We were sipping whiskey neat
Highest floor, The Bowery
And I was high enough

[Verse 1: Selena Gomez]
Somewhere along the lines
We stopped seeing eye to eye
You were staying out all night
And I had enough

[Pre-Chorus: Selena Gomez]
No, I don't wanna know
Where you been or where you're goin'
But I know I won't be home
And you'll be on your own

[Chorus: Selena Gomez]
Who's gonna walk you
Through the dark side of the morning?
Who's gonna rock you
When the sun won't let you sleep?
Who's waking up to drive you home
When you're drunk and all alone?
Who's gonna walk you
Through the dark side of the morning?
[Drop: Selena Gomez & Kygo]
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me

[Verse 2: Selena Gomez]
I had a dream
We were back to seventeen
Summer nights and The Libertines
Never growing up

[Pre-Chorus: Selena Gomez]
I'll take with me
The polaroids and the memories
But you know I'm gonna leave
Behind the worst of us

[Chorus: Selena Gomez]
Who's gonna walk you
Through the dark side of the morning?
Who's gonna rock you
When the sun won't let you sleep?
Who's waking up to drive you home
When you're drunk and all alone?
Who's gonna walk you
Through the dark side of the morning?

[Drop: Selena Gomez & Kygo]
It ain't me, no no
It ain't me, no no
It ain't me, no no
Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me
The Bowery, whiskey neat, grateful, I'm so grateful
It ain't me



All comments from YouTube:

@Luke-jx8ns

She died in the accident. It's her soul that stays with him. That is why she is not in the final scene when he wakes up from his coma. She is the butterfly.

@johndavies7669

So deep bruh 😭

@alanrichgomez9866

why did you say it: ((((

@marlonpoletto3278

Onwwwwwwwwwwww 🥲😢

@aegis062

well in everyone's head he passed away and we all married her! XD

@frankkiwanuka8350

@Abir hasan bad

454 More Replies...

@karmaexists3541

Director: Who's gonna be in this video?

Selena: It ain't me.

@zet9207

“Next” video

@thanushka2648

Lol

@MariamAhmed-lb2ep

LOL

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