The BoDeans worked with T-Bone Burnett on their debut album, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams, which appeared in 1986 to warm reviews. They recruited another big-name producer, Talking Head Jerry Harrison, to helm 1987's Outside Looking In, which found the band reduced to a trio after the departure of Hoffman. Outside Looking In broke into the Billboard Top 100, and the BoDeans grew their audience by touring alongside U2, appearing on Robbie Robertson's self-titled solo album, and receiving the honor of Best New Band by Rolling Stone magazine. By the time they released their third album, Home, in 1989, keyboardist Michael Ramos and drummer Danny Gayol had joined. This lineup stayed intact for the release of 1991's Black and White, but the BoDeans went without a drummer once again on their next recording, Go Slow Down.
Following the release of a double-disc live album, Joe Dirt Car, the band returned in 1996 with Blend. Around the time of Blend's release, "Closer to Free" -- a song that had originally appeared on 1993's Go Slow Down -- became a hit, due in large part to its exposure as the theme song for the TV show Party of Five. "Closer to Free" eventually cracked the Top 20, becoming the most successful single of the band's career. The BoDeans were arguably more popular than ever, but the band took a break during the late '90s, with both frontmen devoting time to their solo careers.
By 2004, the band had reconvened and signed with a new label, Zoe. Resolution was released that year, followed in 2005 by Homebrewed: Live from the Pabst. Griffin left the group in 2006 and was replaced by Eric Holden, who appeared on 2008's Still. By this point, the bandmates had found a new home on 429 Records, and they remained with that label for the release of Mr. Sad Clown in 2010 and Indigo Dreams in 2011. That same year saw the departure of Llanas, citing "differences of opinion." The band's 11th studio album, American Made, arrived the following year on the band's own Free & Alive label, and was the first with Neumann as sole leader. The BoDeans toured extensively in support of the release, and in 2014 began work on their next studio project. Released in 2015, I Cant Stop featured a new BoDeans lineup anchored by Neumann, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Sam Hawksley, bassist Eric Holden, and drummer Kenny Aronoff, the latter a well-respected journeyman musician who had played on several BoDeans recording sessions in the '90s. In June 2016, the BoDeans brought out a single, "My Hometown," with the release benefiting the Milwaukee County Historical Society. The single was a preview of the group's next album; titled Thirteen, the 11-song set was released in April 2017.
I'm In Trouble Again
BoDeans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was never very kind
And if I said you're the only one
Well, Baby I was lying
And I never did take to holdin' you
The way a man should
'cause ever since you left me Babe
[Chorus]
I'm In Trouble Again
I'm In Trouble Again (ahhh!)
'Cause ever since you left me Baby
You should see the shape I'm in
Well, I think about the times
You held me up
And kept me on my feet
I haven't really sunk this low
And I don't give a damn about me
And it's hard to love a losin' man
Much harder than you think
You'll have to tear yourself away
Before you both start to stink.
[Chorus]
I'm In Trouble Again
I'm In Trouble Again (ahhh!)
'Cause ever since you left me Baby
You should see the shape I'm in
WHOA
WHOA
WHOA
WHOA
Well, many is the time I lye awake
Shiverin' in the Cold Black Night
Never is the time I tell myself
Hey it's gonna be allright
And I wish I could've took to holdin' you
The way a man should
'Cause ever since you left me Babe
Well, I ain't been very good
[Chorus]
I'm In Trouble Again
I'm In Trouble Again (ahhh!)
'Cause ever since you left me Baby
You should see the shape I'm in
The BoDeans' "I'm In Trouble Again" is an emotional and disturbingly honest song that narrates the struggle of a man who is trying to cope up with his failings in a relationship. The song begins with the singer admitting that he was never good at being good or kind to his partner, and that his past affirmation of their relationship was a lie. He then mourns about how he failed to hold his partner the way a man should, suggesting that his actions were the primary cause of the breakup. The chorus of the song, "I'm In Trouble Again," strongly accentuates that the man is facing the consequences of his actions.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on the times when his partner helped him stand up and keep moving forward, but now he has sunk to an all-time low. He further alludes to the fact that loving a loser like him is impossible, and that his partner should let go of him before she starts to stink too. Even though he acknowledges his weaknesses, he is unable to change and continues to live in despair, as evident from the lines, "never is the time I tell myself, hey, it's gonna be alright." The song ends with the singer still struggling to move on and admitting that his failure to hold his partner has led him to the state of trouble he is in.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I never was good at bein' good
I’ve never had an easy time being a good person.
I was never very kind
I’ve never really been a kind person either.
And if I said you're the only one
If I told you that you were the only one, that would be a lie.
Well, Baby I was lying
I’m sorry, but I wasn’t telling the truth.
And I never did take to holdin' you
I never really held you like a man should.
The way a man should
I know I should have held you more like a man.
'cause ever since you left me Babe
Since you left me, I haven’t been doing very well.
Well, I ain't been very good
I’ve been struggling and making poor choices.
[Chorus]
Refrain
I'm In Trouble Again
I’m in trouble, once again.
I'm In Trouble Again (ahhh!)
I’m in a lot of trouble.
'Cause ever since you left me Baby
Things have been really tough since you left me.
You should see the shape I'm in
I’m really not in a good state right now.
Well, I think about the times
I think about the times when you held me up.
You held me up
You were always there for me when I needed support.
And kept me on my feet
You kept me going when things got tough.
I haven't really sunk this low
I’ve never been this low in my life.
And I don't give a damn about me
I don’t care about myself anymore.
And it's hard to love a losin' man
I know it’s hard to love someone who’s struggling.
Much harder than you think
It’s harder than most people realize.
You'll have to tear yourself away
You’ll have to leave me, it’s for your own good.
Before you both start to stink
Before we both start to suffer even more.
[Chorus]
Refrain
WHOA
Interlude
WHOA
Interlude
WHOA
Interlude
WHOA
Interlude
Well, many is the time I lye awake
I’ve spent many nights lying awake.
Shiverin' in the Cold Black Night
Feeling cold and alone.
Never is the time I tell myself
I never reassure myself that everything will be okay.
Hey it's gonna be allright
I never tell myself that things will get better.
And I wish I could've took to holdin' you
I wish I could have held you like a man should’ve.
The way a man should
I know I should have held you more like a man.
'Cause ever since you left me Babe
Things have been really tough since you left me.
Well, I ain't been very good
I’ve been struggling and making poor choices.
[Chorus]
Refrain
I'm In Trouble Again
I’m in trouble, once again.
I'm In Trouble Again (ahhh!)
I’m in a lot of trouble.
'Cause ever since you left me Baby
Things have been really tough since you left me.
You should see the shape I'm in
I’m really not in a good state right now.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KURT R. NEUMANN, SAMUEL J. LLANAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind