Charlie Robison (born Charles Fitzgerald Robison in Houston, TX, on 1 Septe… Read Full Bio ↴Charlie Robison (born Charles Fitzgerald Robison in Houston, TX, on 1 September 1964; died 10 September 2023) was an American country music singer-songwriter. Raised in Bandera, TX, his brother is singer/songwriter Bruce Robison. His younger sister is singer/songwriter Robyn Ludwick.

Before going solo, Robison was in the bands Chaparral, Millionaire Playboys, and Two Hoots and a Holler. At one point, Robison was on Warner Brothers, but apparently did not see eye to eye about his musical career there and left to release some albums on his own. Among his releases was a live disc also featuring brother Bruce Robison and Jack Ingram that was put out by Sony's Lucky Dog label. He then went to Dualtone Records.

Robison was a judge on the first season of the TV singing competition Nashville Star.

He married Emily Erwin of the Dixie Chicks in 1999 (the couple divorced on August 6, 2008). They have three children together: Charles Augustus, called "Gus", born November 11, 2002 and twins Julianna Tex (9:19pm, 6 lb 10 oz) and Henry Benjamin (9:29pm, 6 lb 14 oz), born on April 14, 2005. All three children were conceived via invitro fertilization.

Discography
High Life (2013) - Charlie Robison
Beautiful Day (2009) - Charlie Robison
Good Times (2004) - Charlie Robison
Live (2003) - Charlie Robison
Step Right Up (2001) - Charlie Robison
I Want You Bad [CD Single] (2001) -Charlie Robison
Unleashed Live (2000) - Charlie Robison/Jack Ingram/Bruce Robison
You're Not The Best [single] (1999) - Charlie Robison
Life of the Party (1998) - Charlie Robison
Barlight [CD/Cassette Single] (1998) - Charlie Robison
Bandera (1996) - Charlie Robison

Official website: http://www.charlierobison.com/

Something In The Water
Charlie Robison Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was a boy, I was a good little boy,
A very good boy when I was ten
Well I was quiet as a mouse at my Grandma's house,
It was just me and a friend
He said take a big drink up above the sink
There was a bottle on the very top shelf
I took a big chug-a-lug then I hit the rug
And he left me there by myself

Chorus
Whoa my mind's moving kinda slow there must be,
Must be something in the water
Whoa this thing follows me wherever I go there must be,
Must be something in the water

I was a boy, I was a very good boy,
A very good boy at seventeen
I saw a sight under the main street light,
She was the cutest thing I ever seen
Every time I tried to throw her a line
Well my knees they just got weak
And I was passed a cup so I drank it up
And I was face down on the street

Chorus
Whoa this thing follows me wherever I go there
Must be must be something in the water
Whoa my mind's moving kinda slow there
Must be must be something in the water

Well I'm older now and I don't know how
But ten years they gone and came
My wife she left what's left of my life
Just a spinnin' down the drain
But I still got my buddies and I still got my pals
And I still got my buddies and I still got my pals

Chorus

I said there must be, there must be something in the water

Overall Meaning

Charlie Robison's song "Something in the Water" is a cautionary tale about the destructive power of alcohol. The song follows the life of the singer, who starts as a good little boy at his grandma's house and ends up struggling with alcoholism after his wife leaves him. The lyrics use specific instances to show how drinking has affected his life.

The first verse tells of the singer's first encounter with alcohol at the age of ten when a friend offers him a bottle from the top shelf. He takes a big chug and ends up passed out on the rug, indicating that the drink was too strong for him. The chorus repeats the lines "there must be, must be something in the water," suggesting that the alcohol is not just a drink but also a pervasive force that follows him wherever he goes.

The second verse follows the singer's teenage years, where he fell in love at first sight with a girl under the main street light. However, every time he tries to talk to her, his knees get weak, and he ends up drinking a cup passed to him. The verse ends with the singer passed out on the street once again. The chorus repeats, indicating that the singer is still struggling with the alcohol's power.

In the last verse, the singer is older and has lost his wife, leaving him spiraling down the drain. He may have lost everything, but he still has his buddies and pals, who may contribute to his alcohol struggles. The chorus repeats, concluding the song.

Line by Line Meaning

I was a boy, I was a good little boy, A very good boy when I was ten
The singer recounts a time in his childhood when he was a well-behaved boy of ten years old

Well I was quiet as a mouse at my Grandma's house, It was just me and a friend
While at his grandma's house, the singer was silently hanging out with a friend

He said take a big drink up above the sink There was a bottle on the very top shelf I took a big chug-a-lug then I hit the rug And he left me there by myself
The singer's friend encouraged him to drink from a bottle on a high shelf, causing the singer to get drunk and black out, with his friend leaving him on the floor

Whoa my mind's moving kinda slow there must be, Must be something in the water Whoa this thing follows me wherever I go there must be, Must be something in the water
The artist reflects on the effects of his actions and attributes them to the presence of something in the water that causes him to act irrationally

I was a boy, I was a very good boy, A very good boy at seventeen
The artist reflects on another time in his life when he was a well-behaved boy, but at a slightly older age of seventeen

I saw a sight under the main street light, She was the cutest thing I ever seen Every time I tried to throw her a line Well my knees they just got weak And I was passed a cup so I drank it up And I was face down on the street
The singer describes seeing a beautiful girl under a streetlight, but feeling too nervous to talk to her. He then drank from a cup and ended up drunk and passed out on the street

Well I'm older now and I don't know how But ten years they gone and came My wife she left what's left of my life Just a spinnin' down the drain But I still got my buddies and I still got my pals And I still got my buddies and I still got my pals
The singer reflects on the passage of time, having lost his wife and feeling like his remaining time is slipping away, but he still has his friends and buddies around

I said there must be, there must be something in the water
The artist concludes the song by reiterating that there must be something in the water that causes him to act the way he does

Contributed by Peyton G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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