I Couldn't Give It to You
Hunters & Collectors Lyrics


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(I've lost my tweezers)
At this late stage of the game you cannot tell
If it is night or if it's daytime
And I've come around to your door
To muck around and make mince-meat of your life
And beneath the glow of your back porch light
You were passing like a thing possessed
And snap, snap, snap
Your teeth are chewing on my daily routine
Yeah I couldn't give it up, and I couldn't if I tried
When I saw a scared nation yelling inside
Yeah I couldn't give it up, and I couldn't if I tried
I was underneath the floor, I was trying to hide
Trying to hide
At this late stage of the game you cannot tell
If it is night or if it's daytime
And I've come around to your door
To muck around and make mince-meat of your life
And there was a whole nation crowded inside
With tongues of fire dancing on their skulls
And every door, every manhole sealed up tight
And pretty soon I realised
Here was the perfect space inside




And I couldn't give it to you if I tried!
I couldn't give it to you if I tried!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Hunters & Collectors' "I Couldn't Give It to You" seems to be about a person who is lost and confused. At the beginning of the song, the singer is disoriented and can’t distinguish between night and day. He then arrives at someone's doorstep to "muck around and make mince-meat of their life" which could mean that he wants to create chaos in their life as a way to cope with his own disorientation. When he sees the scared nation yelling inside, he realizes that he can’t give up his feelings of confusion and disorientation even if he wants to. He is stuck underneath the floor trying to hide.


The song seems to be about not being able to control one's emotions or feelings, and how it can lead to a sense of detachment from reality. The line "Here was the perfect space inside" may refer to the singer's inner self, where he is stuck unable to connect with the external world. The repetition of the line "I couldn't give it to you if I tried!" may convey a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. The song seems to suggest that sometimes our feelings and emotions can overpower us, and we cannot do anything about it.


Line by Line Meaning

I've lost my tweezers
This line is unrelated to the rest of the song.


At this late stage of the game you cannot tell If it is night or if it's daytime
The singer feels lost and uncertain about the time of day.


And I've come around to your door To muck around and make mince-meat of your life
The singer has come to the door with the intention of causing chaos and disruption in the other person's life.


And beneath the glow of your back porch light You were passing like a thing possessed And snap, snap, snap Your teeth are chewing on my daily routine
The artist is feeling attacked and overwhelmed by the other person's energy and presence, which is disrupting their daily routine.


Yeah I couldn't give it up, and I couldn't if I tried When I saw a scared nation yelling inside
The artist is unable to let go of their current emotional state, even when they witness a larger crisis taking place.


Yeah I couldn't give it up, and I couldn't if I tried I was underneath the floor, I was trying to hide Trying to hide
The singer feels stuck and unable to escape from their current emotional turmoil.


And there was a whole nation crowded inside With tongues of fire dancing on their skulls And every door, every manhole sealed up tight And pretty soon I realised Here was the perfect space inside
The singer observes a larger crisis taking place, with people trapped and in danger. They realize that the chaos outside is reflecting their internal state.


And I couldn't give it to you if I tried! I couldn't give it to you if I tried!
The artist feels unable to share their emotions or connect with the other person, even though they may want to.




Contributed by Dylan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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