Something Good
Jeffrey Lewis Lyrics


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nice guy i knew
he was grumpy one day
so his friends said they'd had enough
so they pushed him in some tar and they rolled him in some hay

a scumbag i knew too
he gave a flower to a girl one night
she thought that he was alright underneath his black heart was
something good, something good inside
something good, something good inside
something good, something good, something good inside
something good, something good, something good inside
something good, something good, something good inside

stripped down coat off left to die




he thinks that good and evil don't exist
well nice guy nice guy you'll never let...NOT DONE!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jeffrey Lewis's song "Something Good" tell two contrasting stories of two people - a nice guy and a scumbag. The nice guy is described as someone who is grumpy one day and is pushed into some tar and rolled in hay by his friends. The scumbag, on the other hand, surprises a girl with a flower, and even though he is considered to have a black heart, he has something good inside. The song seems to be making a point about how people are often more complex than they seem, that even if we write them off as good or bad, there's always something more to them.


The lyrics about the nice guy being pushed into tar and hay by his friends suggest that even someone who is generally nice can be the victim of bullying or mistreatment. The scumbag's story, meanwhile, reveals that even people who are considered "bad" or "evil" can have positive qualities. The repeated chorus of "something good, something good inside" emphasizes this point, suggesting that we should look beyond what we see on the surface and try to see the good in people, even those we might not expect it from.


Overall, "Something Good" encourages empathy and understanding, calling for us to look beyond our initial perceptions of people and try to see the complexities of their lives and personalities.


Line by Line Meaning

nice guy i knew
This line introduces the first character, who is described as being nice.


he was grumpy one day
Despite normally being pleasant, this character had a bad day and was in a bad mood.


so his friends said they'd had enough
The character's friends were tired of dealing with his negative attitude.


so they pushed him in some tar and they rolled him in some hay
As a sort of punishment, the friends subjected the character to a messy and humiliating experience.


a scumbag i knew too
This line introduces a second character, who is described less kindly than the first.


he gave a flower to a girl one night
Despite his unappealing personality, this character made a small romantic gesture.


she thought that he was alright
The girl who received the flower was not repulsed by the character's advances.


underneath his black heart was
Despite his outwardly negative traits, there was something redeemable inside the character.


something good, something good inside
This repeated phrase underscores that there is some positive quality within this character.


stripped down coat off left to die
This line introduces a third character who has been left exposed and vulnerable.


he thinks that good and evil don't exist
Despite his dire circumstances, this character has a philosophy about the nature of morality.


well nice guy nice guy you'll never let
This sentence is incomplete, suggesting that there is more to the story that is not revealed in the song. The meaning is unclear without further context.




Contributed by Nathan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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