Pushing The Needle Too Far
Indigo Girls Lyrics


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Well I woke up this morning
Grey dawn
With a prayer on my breath
See I lost something precious
And God'll save me
From losing myself
I said I think I know what's wrong
I think I know what's wrong

Now I met the queen and I understand why
Why she closed the door
I'm not making excuses
But you know I've been there a few times
You know I was
I was knocking on the door
I said I think I know what's wrong
I think I know what's wrong
Wrong wrong

There's a man
He lived in a house
Had a family of five
Well he blew up the windows and the doors
He said "I just couldn't
I just couldn't survive"
We've all been removed
In one way or another
We don't know our families
We don't need our brothers
We're pushing the needle too far
Pushing the needle too far

Well if you wake up in the morning
Grey dawn
There's a prayer on your breath
See maybe you lost something precious
God'll save you
From losing yourself
I said I think I know what's wrong
Let me hear you
I think I know what's wrong

There's queen who closed the door
The family that lies
People who turn
The cat that has died
A boy that odds
A girl with a gun
The world on its knees
And a band on the run
You know you'd help me more
(The queen who closed the door)
By not giving in
(The family that lies)
You know you'd help me more
(People who turn)
By not giving in
(And the cat that has died)
You know you'd help me more
(A boy that odds)
By not giving in
(And a girl with a gun)
I said you'd help me more
(The world on it's knees)
Now don't you give in
(And a band on the run)
Ah now you'd help me more
By not giving
I said don't you dare
(Not giving in no)
Don't you dare
(Not giving in no)
Don't you dare
You'd help me more
By not giving in
I said you'd help me more
By not giving in
I said I
I think I know what's wrong




I think I know what's wrong
We're pushing the needle too far

Overall Meaning

The Indigo Girls' song "Pushing The Needle Too Far" begins with the singer stating that they woke up on a grey dawn with a prayer on their breath, having lost something precious. They hope that God will save them from losing themselves, admitting that they know what's wrong. The singer then speaks of meeting the Queen and understanding why she closed the door, acknowledging that they have been in a similar situation a few times. The song then moves on to tell the story of a man who blew up his house after being unable to cope with life, and highlights how everyone has been removed in one way or another. The song concludes with the singer urging the listener to not give in, as pushing the needle too far is causing harm to oneself and others.


The song's lyrics speak to the feeling of being at a breaking point, and the struggles that come with dealing with personal loss and hardship. The use of imagery, like the grey dawn and blowing up the house, convey a sense of hopelessness and despair. The chorus, "we're pushing the needle too far," serves as a warning of the consequences of not addressing one's troubles.


Line by Line Meaning

Well I woke up this morning
I woke up this morning


Grey dawn
It was dawn outside, but overcast


With a prayer on my breath
I felt like saying a prayer, like I always did when I woke up


See I lost something precious
I lost something very valuable to me


And God'll save me
Hopefully God will help me through this


From losing myself
So that I don't lose myself completely


I said I think I know what's wrong
I have some idea of what's causing this feeling


Now I met the queen and I understand why
After meeting the queen, I realize why she acted the way she did


Why she closed the door
She shut me out and didn't let me in


I'm not making excuses
I'm not trying to justify my behavior


But you know I've been there a few times
I've done things like that before


You know I was
I was


I was knocking on the door
I was trying to get into the place where she was


Wrong wrong
Very wrong


There's a man
There's a man


He lived in a house
He had a house


Had a family of five
He had five people in his family


Well he blew up the windows and the doors
He destroyed the windows and doors of his own house


He said "I just couldn't
He said that he couldn't do it anymore


I just couldn't survive"
He felt like he couldn't live anymore


We've all been removed
We're all disconnected


In one way or another
In some form or another


We don't know our families
We don't really know our own families


We don't need our brothers
We don't need our siblings


We're pushing the needle too far
We're taking things too far


There's queen who closed the door
There's a queen who shut me out


The family that lies
A family that is dishonest


People who turn
People who betray others


The cat that has died
A cat that has passed away


A boy that odds
A boy who takes risks


A girl with a gun
A girl who is armed


The world on its knees
The world is in a bad state


And a band on the run
A band on the run from something


You know you'd help me more
You would be more helpful to me


(The queen who closed the door)
(By not shutting me out)


(The family that lies)
(By being honest)


You know you'd help me more
You would be more helpful to me


(People who turn)
(By not betraying me)


(And the cat that has died)
(By not causing any more harm)


You know you'd help me more
You would be more helpful to me


(A boy that odds)
(By not taking unnecessary risks)


(And a girl with a gun)
(By not being violent)


I said you'd help me more
I told you already


(The world on it's knees)
(By not giving up)


Now don't you give in
Don't give up


(And a band on the run)
(By facing our problems head-on)


Ah now you'd help me more
You really would be more helpful to me


By not giving
By not giving up


I said don't you dare
I'm warning you


(Not giving in no)
(Don't you dare give up)


(Not giving in no)
(Don't you dare give in)


Don't you dare
I'm serious


You'd help me more
You really would be more helpful to me


By not giving in
By not giving up


I said you'd help me more
I told you this before


By not giving in
By not giving up


I said I
I said


I think I know what's wrong
I believe I know what the problem is


I think I know what's wrong
I believe I know what the problem is


We're pushing the needle too far
We're taking things too far




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AMY ELIZABETH RAY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Sarah Homrighausen

one of my favourite songs EVER

Lisa Butler

Ty:) for all your indigo girl song postings.