You Shouldn't Do That
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But my city was gone
There was no train station
There was no downtown
South Howard had disappeared
All my favorite places
My city had been pulled down
Reduced to parking spaces
Well I went back to Ohio
But my family was gone
I stood on the back porch
There was nobody home
I was stunned and amazed
My childhood memories
Slowly swirled past
Like the wind through the trees
A, o, oh way to go Ohio
I went back to Ohio
But my pretty countryside
Had been paved down the middle
By a government that had no pride
The farms of Ohio
Had been replaced by shopping malls
And Muzak filled the air
From Seneca to Cuyahoga falls
Said, a, o, oh way to go Ohio
The lyrics of Hawkwind’s song You Shouldn’t Do That evoke a sense of nostalgia and loss for the singer’s hometown of Ohio. The singer returns to Ohio and finds that much of the familiar and beloved places from their childhood have been destroyed or replaced. The city that they used to know no longer exists, with no train station and no downtown. South Howard has disappeared as well as all the singer’s favorite places. The city has been brought down and reduced to just parking spaces. The singer also finds that their family has gone, and there is no one at home. The childhood memories slowly swirl past like the wind through the trees, leaving the singer stunned and amazed.
As the song continues, the singer finds that their pretty countryside has also been destroyed. In place of the farms of Ohio are shopping malls, and Muzak fills the air from Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls. The singer expresses strong disappointment that the government had no pride and chose to pave down the middle of the pretty countryside. The song leaves the listener with a clear sense of despair at the loss of the familiar places and ways of life, while suggesting that the cause of the problem is a government that has lost touch with its people.
Line by Line Meaning
I went back to Ohio
The singer returns to Ohio, a place of personal significance for them.
But my city was gone
The city the singer knew and loved had been destroyed and replaced.
There was no train station
The infrastructure the singer was expecting to see was gone.
There was no downtown
The center and symbol of the city was no more.
South Howard had disappeared
A specific neighborhood or area the artist was familiar with was gone.
All my favorite places
Places of personal significance to the singer were no longer there.
My city had been pulled down
The singer's city had been demolished or destroyed.
Reduced to parking spaces
The artist's city had been replaced with a car-centric environment.
A, o, way to go Ohio
An expression of disappointment and disbelief.
But my family was gone
The artist's loved ones were no longer there.
I stood on the back porch
The singer observes a familiar place from a new perspective.
There was nobody home
The artist's family was not there to welcome them back.
I was stunned and amazed
The singer was taken aback by what they found.
My childhood memories
The singer recalls nostalgic moments from their past in Ohio.
Slowly swirled past
The memories the singer recalls shift and move like the wind.
Like the wind through the trees
A simile used to describe the memories as fleeting and intangible.
The pretty countryside
The rural areas outside of the city the artist knew and loved.
Had been paved down the middle
The countryside had been destroyed in favor of development and infrastructure.
By a government that had no pride
The singer ascribes the blame for these changes to a lack of civic responsibility and pride of local leaders.
The farms of Ohio
Rural agricultural land that was once a hallmark of the state.
Had been replaced by shopping malls
The farms had been destroyed and replaced with commercial developments.
And Muzak filled the air
A reference to the corporate, homogenized music that is often played in shopping centers and public spaces.
From Seneca to Cuyahoga falls
A reference to the span of Ohio, that even the rural areas are now subject to commercialism and uniformity.
Said, a, o, oh way to go Ohio
A sarcastic and despairing expression to conclude the song, emphasizing the state's failure to live up to the artist's expectations.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTINE HYNDE, DAVE BROCK, N. TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dovzenko9510
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You try so hard to get somewhere
They put you down and cut your hair
They're saying you're no good, they just don't care
You're trying to fly
You get nowhere, you get nowhere
You get nowhere, you get no air
You get no air, you get no air
You're getting aware, you're getting aware
You're getting aware, you get nowhere
You get no air, you're getting aware
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You want so hard to get somewhere
With trees and flowers growing there
If you can't make it you're going spare
You're trying to fly, you get nowhere
You get nowhere, you get nowhere
You get no air, you get no air
You get no air, you're getting aware
You're getting aware, you're getting aware
You get nowhere, you get no air
You're getting aware
@progressivemessiah
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You try so hard to get somewhere
They put you down and cut your hair
They're saying you're no good, they just don't care
You're trying to fly
You get nowhere, you get nowhere
You get nowhere, you get no air
You get no air, you get no air
You're getting aware, you're getting aware
You're getting aware, you get nowhere
You get no air, you're getting aware
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You shouldn't do that, should do that
You want so hard to get somewhere
With trees and flowers growing there
If you can't make it you're going spare
You're trying to fly, you get nowhere
You get nowhere, you get nowhere
You get no air, you get no air
You get no air, you're getting aware
You're getting aware, you're getting aware
You get nowhere, you get no air
You're getting aware.
@RussianBot-kp8wn
I'm 18 and I discovered hawkwind through my love of early motorhead
I hope other young people will get a chance to hear this too. It sounds so modern it's incredible.
@Denis.d1157
Keep digging kid it only gets better
@Denis.d1157
You're going to love their first album
@voidburner8271
I was 14 when I discovered hawlwind. Blew my mind. Now I'm 29 and they still blow my mind haha
@brolinofvandar
I discovered them in the early 70s while in high school, via radio station promo copies at a local radio station. A couple of my friends worked at the station, as did I following high school. We had this album, as well as Doremi Fasol Latido and the live Space Ritual. I left the station to join the Navy, and heard/saw little to nothing of Hawkwind for years. A used album here and there. Then came CDs and reissues of everything under the sun.
I now have around 46 albums on CD by Hawkwind. There is a LOT to explore in their catalog, and a lot of different styles with the number of personnel changes over the years (Dave Brock being the only consistent member). My original favorite song was Brainstorm, from the Doremi album, but now I tend to favor the Calvert era and particularly the work with/influenced by Michael Moorcock.
I finally got to see them live in 1995, at a bar in Springfield, VA. And from what I've seen in some recent videos on here, they're still around and still working.
@robwatson3027
Lemmy joined them just after this album was recorded, so he doesn't feature on it but he was in the line up that took it on tour.
@bloodboughtbigphilr8266
I would in my humble opinion say this is the best ever Hawkwind track. Love the band and have done for a long time but this just lifts everything they've ever done to an extra special dimension. 15 minutes of sheer cosmic spaced out brilliantness that never fails to hit the spot.
@matbreitling4838
It's just... oohhh! So good!
@howardchambers9679
Yes! Another tab please!
@TheSynthZone
Synth work is remarkable and i dont miss anything audio wise on this recording. This has been in my collection since day one it was released.