Can't Take It With You
Eric Church Lyrics


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Never realized how much she brought to the table
Till I went to sit my cup of coffee where the table use to be
No cats, no bed, no heirloom antique cradle
An' no more hope for one day startin' that family
Bet she's gainin' fast on Memphis with a trailer-load in tow
Who says you can't take it with you when you go

Cause she got away with everything that I had goin'
An' she got away 'fore I could make it all alright
An' I got away with leavin' what needs said unspoken
Hell, I even blew the chance I had to say goodbye
Yeah, she took her heart an' took off down that road
An' they say you can't take it with you when you go

Good news is, ain't much here left for packin'
Bad news is, she left behind a million memories
All the echoes of her cryin', lovin' an' laughin'
Left me with nothin' left to do but leave
That ol' house is in the rear view: ridin' shotgun is her ghost
Who says you can't take it with you when you go

Cause she got away with everything that I had goin'
An' she got away 'fore I could make it all alright
An' I got away with leavin' what needs said unspoken
Hell, I even blew the chance I had to say goodbye
Yeah, she took her heart an' took off down that road
An' they say you can't take it with you when you go





Closin' in on Dallas, now, is the best love I've ever known
An' they say you can't take it with you when you go

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Can't Take It With You" by Eric Church poignantly depict the aftermath of a breakup. The singer reflects on how much he underestimated what his lost partner brought to their life together. He realizes the significance of her contributions only when he finds himself in a house that feels empty without her. The absence of familiar things, such as the table where he used to drink coffee, and the loss of the hope of starting a family, make him realize what he has lost. He imagines his ex-lover moving to Memphis, taking everything meaningful with her, challenging the old adage that people can't take anything with them when they die. However, he laments that he too is left only with memories, with nothing physical to hold onto but painful echoes of her crying, loving, and laughing. All these things serve as a reminder of the life he once shared with her, only adding to his pain.


The song's intricate story and emotions can be best appreciated by those who have gone through a similar experience. The empty spaces in the house and the echoes of memories left behind create a stark reality for the singer. He comes to appreciate how important his ex was in his life, and how difficult it is to move on without her.


Line by Line Meaning

Never realized how much she brought to the table
I never fully appreciated everything she brought to our relationship


Till I went to sit my cup of coffee where the table use to be
It was not until she left that I realized the significance of the things she brought into my life


No cats, no bed, no heirloom antique cradle
Without her, I no longer have the important things that we shared, like our pets, our bed, and even the antique cradle we had for our future children


An' no more hope for one day startin' that family
Now that she's gone, I have lost all hope and my dreams of starting a family with her have vanished


Bet she's gainin' fast on Memphis with a trailer-load in tow
I'm sure she's moving on quickly, with all of her belongings in tow, heading for Memphis or anywhere else that life takes her


Who says you can't take it with you when you go
But who says that you cannot bring everything you had with you when you leave


Cause she got away with everything that I had goin'
She took everything I had, including my love and my future plans


An' she got away 'fore I could make it all alright
She left before I had the chance to fix things between us and make everything right


An' I got away with leavin' what needs said unspoken
I left without saying everything that needed to be said, leaving behind unresolved issues


Hell, I even blew the chance I had to say goodbye
I even missed my opportunity to say a proper goodbye to her before she left forever


Yeah, she took her heart an' took off down that road
She left with her heart, ready to begin anew on a road without me


An' they say you can't take it with you when you go
Others say that you cannot carry your past with you as you move on


Good news is, ain't much here left for packin'
The good news is that there's not much left here for me to pack or take with me


Bad news is, she left behind a million memories
However, the bad news is that she left behind countless memories that linger and remind me of what I have lost


All the echoes of her cryin', lovin' an' laughin'
The sounds of her tears, her love, and her laughter still echo throughout our empty home


Left me with nothin' left to do but leave
Left with nothing, I have no choice but to leave this behind and move on


That ol' house is in the rear view: ridin' shotgun is her ghost
My old house is in the rearview, and I'm moving on now, but I sense her presence next to me every step of the way


Closin' in on Dallas, now, is the best love I've ever known
Now, I'm moving close to Dallas, and I have newfound love that surpasses everything I've ever known before


An' they say you can't take it with you when you go
But, despite all this, people still say that it's impossible to take these things with you as you move on.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group
Written by: CASEY BEATHARD, ERIC CHURCH, MARLA CANNON-GOODMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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