Know You Wanna Know
Jennifer Nettles Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Saw them holding hands, knew he was a married man,
Did she forget the ring on her own finger?
His wife has a baby on the way, friends all said he had it made,
Gave it all up for a huzzy country singer.
It's on every dot com, so it must be true.
The internet wouldn't lie to you.
So sit back and watch the winners lose
Everybody wants to know everybody's business
Everybody needs a ticket to the show
Everybody claimed to be an eyewitness
Feel bigger when they're small and act like you're above it all
You wanna know, know you wanna know (know you wanna know)
Know you wanna know (know you wanna know)

Smile sweet from a magazine, perfect fit in skinny jeans,
Knows damn well the message that she's sending.
I heard her secret to a nice size four,
Is what goes on behind the bathroom door
But she don't care long as Twitter says she's trending.
But the smile's not quite so bright,
In the picture that came with the DUI.
Watchin' them fall can really get you high.

Everybody wants to know everybody's business
Everybody needs a ticket to the show
Everybody claimed to be an eyewitness
Feel bigger when they're small and act like you're above it all
You wanna know, know you wanna know (know you wanna know)
Know you wanna know (know you wanna know)

(Know you wanna know)
(Know you wanna know)

When things get tough in Tinsel Town,
There's no career that's so far down,
That a little sex tape wouldn't turn around.

Everybody wants to know everybody's business
Everybody needs a ticket to the show
Everybody claimed to be an eyewitness
Feel bigger when they're small and act like you're above it all
You wanna know, know you wanna know (know you wanna know)




Know you wanna know (know you wanna know)
Know you wanna know (know you wanna know)

Overall Meaning

"Know You Wanna Know" by Jennifer Nettles is a commentary on the culture of celebrity gossip and the public's desire to know about the personal lives of famous people. The lyrics explore the idea that everyone wants to know everybody's business and how gossip and scandals can turn people into losers. The song tells the story of a married man having an affair with a country singer, and how everyone finds out about it through the internet. The singer of the song questions why people are so obsessed with the private lives of celebrities and wonders if they are trying to feel better about themselves by making others look bad.


The second verse talks about a model who is obsessed with her appearance and the image she portrays online. The singer implies that the model's secret to staying slim is through unhealthy means, yet she still does it to maintain her trending status on social media, demonstrating that some people prioritize their reputation over their well-being.


The final verse looks at how a scandal or sex tape could revive a person's career, revealing the fickle nature of the entertainment industry.


Overall, the song is a critique of the media's obsession with celebrity scandals and people's eagerness to participate in it. It suggests that instead of focusing on other people's lives, one should strive to create their own successes in life without being concerned about what other people are up to.


Line by Line Meaning

Saw them holding hands, knew he was a married man,
When the singer saw the man holding hands with another woman, she realized that he was being unfaithful to his wife.


Did she forget the ring on her own finger?
The singer wonders if the other woman had forgotten the value of her own wedding ring when getting involved with a married man.


His wife has a baby on the way, friends all said he had it made, Gave it all up for a hussy country singer.
Even though the married man's wife is pregnant with their baby, he gave it all up for a country singer who is considered to be a woman of loose morals or a hussy.


It's on every dot com, so it must be true. The internet wouldn't lie to you. So sit back and watch the winners lose
The singer criticizes how people blindly believe everything they read on the internet, without questioning its authenticity, and then enjoy watching the downfall of the people who are talked about.


Smile sweet from a magazine, perfect fit in skinny jeans, Knows damn well the message that she's sending.
The singer describes a woman who is featured in magazines and looks perfect in skinny jeans but is well-aware of the message she is sending across to others.


I heard her secret to a nice size four, Is what goes on behind the bathroom door, But she don't care long as Twitter says she's trending.
The singer talks about how the woman has achieved her slim figure by indulging in unhealthy habits but doesn't mind as long as she remains popular and talked about among people on Twitter.


But the smile's not quite so bright, In the picture that came with the DUI. Watchin' them fall can really get you high.
The singer highlights the fact that often the celebrities' true emotions are revealed in their pictures taken during their lowest moments, like when they're caught by the law enforcement departments, and how people enjoy seeing them fail and fall.


When things get tough in Tinsel Town, There's no career that's so far down, That a little sex tape wouldn't turn around.
The singer says that in Hollywood, when celebrities face a downturn in their careers, they often resort to making sex tapes to either revive their careers or gain popularity.


Everybody wants to know everybody's business, Everybody needs a ticket to the show, Everybody claimed to be an eyewitness, Feel bigger when they're small and act like you're above it all, You wanna know, know you wanna know (know you wanna know), Know you wanna know (know you wanna know)
The singer laments the sad state of affairs where everyone wants to know about other people's personal lives, act superior to others, and yet still crave attention and knowledge about others.




Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jennifer O Nettles, Richard N. Marx

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions