Brian Baker, formerly of Minor Threat, formed Dag Nasty with Colin Sears, R… Read Full Bio ↴Brian Baker, formerly of Minor Threat, formed Dag Nasty with Colin Sears, Roger Marbury and Shawn Brown in 1985. Shawn's replacement on vocals (by ex- DYS frontman Dave Smalley) shortly before the recording of their debut full-length, Can I Say, began a revolving door membership that was to continue throughout their duration as a band (ultimately leaving Brian as the only original member.) Dag Nasty recorded Can I Say in June 1986, and Wig Out at Denkos in July 1987, for Dischord Records before moving to Giant Records for the release of Field Day in 1988. The Can I Say line-up reformed in 1992 to record Four on the Floor for Epitaph Records and again in 2002 to record a full-length for Revelation Records. In 1991, Dischord combined the Can I Say and Wig Out LPs onto one maxi-CD. Dischord re-mastered both records in 2003 and re-released them back onto two separate CDs, both including extra live and unreleased tracks.

Dag Nasty(1985 - 1991)

Dave Smalley - vocals on #19
Peter Cortner - vocals on #26
Brian Baker - guitar
Roger Marbury - bass on #19
Doug Carrion - bass on #26
Colin Sears - drums

One to Two
Dag Nasty Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There are things I'd like to say
That I've said too many times before
Things I should have done
Instead of looking for a way to get out
You'll never know the sorrow I felt
Or the hours I've laid awake
Thinking about just what you said
How could you know how I felt?

I never took the time to figure it out
Or see how the problems arose
I tried to blame the two of you
I can only blame myself
For the pain we felt
There are words I should have spoken
But I kept my fucking mouth shut instead
Words would've made the difference
But they always stayed unsaid
Why won't you ever see?

Why won't you even see?
It's not just me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dag Nasty's song "One to Two" are about regret and reflection on missed opportunities in a relationship. The singer is acknowledging that there are things they should have said and actions they should have taken, but instead they kept quiet and let the problems arise. The verse "there are things I'd like to say / that I've said too many times before" suggests that this is not the first time the issues have come up. The singer also seems frustrated that the other person in the relationship doesn't understand how they feel, even though the singer didn't take the time to communicate clearly.

The chorus of the song repeats this frustration with the other person's lack of understanding: "why won't you ever see? / why won't you even see? / it's not just me." The singer acknowledges that they tried to blame the other person for the problems in the relationship, but ultimately realizes that they are also at fault. This realization is summed up in the lines "I can only blame myself / for the pain we felt."

Overall, "One to Two" is a poignant reflection on the difficulties of communication and the consequences of not speaking up in a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

There are things I'd like to say
I have something to tell you

That I've said too many times before
But I have already said it several times

Things I should have done
There are things I could have done differently

Instead of looking for a way to get out
Instead of trying to escape the situation

You'll never know the sorrow I felt
You'll never understand how sad I was

Or the hours I've laid awake
Or how many sleepless nights I've had

Thinking about just what you said
Reflecting on the things you said

How could you know how I felt?
You couldn't possibly know what I was feeling

I never took the time to figure it out
I never took the time to understand my own emotions

Or see how the problems arose
Or see how the issues came up in the first place