A veteran of the small club circuit, particularly in and around his native New York City, Hest recorded and issued his first three albums on his own. Incomplete (1999), a collection of six songs, was originally intended as a demo to circulate among club owners to help secure performing engagements. Incomplete began selling well at shows, and led to the production of two more full-length albums, Come Home (2001) and Story after Story (2003). Hest's first commercial release from a national record label, Someone to Tell, was released by Columbia Records in 2004.
Good Intentions
Ari Hest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La mmm
An old man trips and stumbles
He dangles on for fools
Along comes one to save him
Helplessness he can't ignore
He says lend me a hand I'll help you out son
No, Says I can do it myself boy
Go mind your own business instead
A rescue mission that has been failed
He walks away with his face down
Cracks a smile, blinks his eyes
Figured it's alright after all he had good intentions
As long as he had good intentions
A black Jeep stuck in traffic
Bumper to bumper no where to run
A driver juts to the shoulder
Says hold on tight we're gonna have some fun
She comes and makes her way down
The d
But in the review mirror
Sirons screams with a lust your busted
Thanks a lot stupid
Now we're gonna be late
It was silly of me to let you decide our fate
Of all the crazy remarks she could have made
She chooses to say it's alright I had good intentions
And as long as I had good intentions
Everything is alright
Ohh I say
Tempo Change
It'll all it'll all it'all be alright
It'll all be alright
Yellow balloons and lighted candles
All set up so nice
The family gathers up and shuts off the house lights
Well shush shush quiet down no body make a sound
Daddy's comin home nobody circle around
Well push crack the door smacks against the wall
Surprise is screamed at the top of their lungs
And like cut down tree daddy just simply
crashes through the room like he'd been through a war
the ______ swirled from the stench of his breath
the family just watched with their mouths hung down
no they couldn't believe the turn of events
it's alright after all he had good intentions
good intentions
so it's fine
it's fine
it's just fine
The song Good Intentions by Ari Hest showcases the theme of well-meaning people who try to do good deeds but things do not always go as planned. The song starts with an old man who trips and stumbles, and a young man comes to help him out. However, the old man refuses to take help, saying he could manage it himself. The young man realizes that the rescue mission has failed and walks away, thinking it is fine since he had good intentions.
In the next verse, a woman driving in a black Jeep is stuck in traffic, and she takes a shortcut to get ahead. Unfortunately, the police sirens catch up with her, and she ends up getting busted for her actions. She concludes that whatever happened was okay since she had good intentions.
In the last verse, a family is gathered to surprise their father returning home. However, he arrives drunk and falls through the door like a cut-down tree. The family watches him in disbelief, but they conclude that everything is okay since the father had good intentions.
Through this song, Ari Hest seems to suggest that having good intentions is not enough since they do not always lead to good outcomes. The song stresses that we should channel our good intentions into good actions that can bring positive change.
Overall, Good Intentions by Ari Hest is a captivating song that reflects on people's good intentions and how they often do not lead to positive outcomes.
Line by Line Meaning
An old man trips and stumbles
An elderly man falls and struggles
He dangles on for fools
Onlookers fail to help him
Along comes one to save him
Someone tries to help the old man
Helplessness he can't ignore
He can't bear the thought of not helping
He says lend me a hand I'll help you out son
He offers assistance to the elderly man
The older man shakes his head
The senior refuses the help
No, Says I can do it myself boy
He insists on doing it on his own
Go mind your own business instead
He tells him to leave him be
A rescue mission that has been failed
The rescue attempt failed
He walks away with his face down
He leaves, defeated
Cracks a smile, blinks his eyes
He forces a smile but tries to hold back tears
Figured it's alright after all he had good intentions
He justifies himself, thinking he meant well
As long as he had good intentions
He believes that good intentions make up for the failed attempt
A black Jeep stuck in traffic
A car is stranded in traffic
Bumper to bumper no where to run
The cars are packed tightly with no space to maneuver
A driver juts to the shoulder
The driver tries to go on the side of the road
Says hold on tight we're gonna have some fun
Promises to make the situation enjoyable
She comes and makes her way down
She gets off the car and starts walking
The d
an incomplete sentence
But in the review mirror
But as he looks back in the mirror
Sirons screams with a lust your busted
Sirens blare as police catch them breaking the law
Thanks a lot stupid
The companion is blamed for their current predicament
Now we're gonna be late
They worry about getting delayed
It was silly of me to let you decide our fate
She realizes she's made a poor decision
Of all the crazy remarks she could have made
Despite being in a tight spot, she decides to say
She chooses to say it's alright I had good intentions
She justifies her decision with good intentions
And as long as I had good intentions
She believes that her intentions were noble enough to overlook the consequences
Everything is alright
She tries to reassure herself that everything will be okay
Ohh I say
An interjection expressing surprise or worry
Yellow balloons and lighted candles
Decorations suggesting a celebration
All set up so nice
The decorations are neatly arranged
The family gathers up and shuts off the house lights
The family gathers in the dark to surprise a relative
Well shush shush quiet down no body make a sound
The family tries to silence itself
Daddy's comin home nobody circle around
They eagerly await the arrival of their father
Well push crack the door smacks against the wall
They open the door eagerly, hitting the wall in the process
Surprise is screamed at the top of their lungs
They shout in surprise
And like cut down tree daddy just simply crashes through the room like he'd been through a war
The father bursts in unexpectedly and makes a grand entrance
the ______ swirled from the stench of his breath
An incomplete sentence
the family just watched with their mouths hung down
The family looks on, in shock
no they couldn't believe the turn of events
They're in disbelief of what has happened
it's alright after all he had good intentions
They don't react negatively to his unexpected entrance, because they believe he meant well
Good intentions so it's fine
They believe that his intentions were noble enough to overlook his inappropriate behavior
It's just fine
They reassure themselves that everything is okay, despite the unexpected turn of events
Contributed by Dylan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@superwill21
Noooo! Why doesn't the video work? Can you help me find a downloadable version of this song somewhere?