Joan As Police Woman is American musician, singer-songwriter and producer J… Read Full Bio ↴Joan As Police Woman is American musician, singer-songwriter and producer Joan Wasser (born July 26, 1970, in Biddeford, Maine). She is a violinist and singer/songwriter in the indie rock world. She's best known for her album Real Life. In addition to her stints with Dambuilders, Mind Science of the Mind, and Those Bastard Souls, Wasser's resume includes live performances and studio work with Lou Reed, Tanya Donelly, Sheryl Crow, Dave Gahan, Elton John, the Scissor Sisters, Antony and the Johnsons, Joseph Arthur, Mary Timony, Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Buckley and Adam Green

In late 1997 she created a band with the remaining members of Buckley's band called Black Beetle and finished an eponymous album which was never released. This was the first project where she was writing as well as fronting a band. Jeff buckley was her boyfriend at the time he drowned in '97.

According to Songfacts, Wasser took her curious stage name from the fact that she once attended a fancy dress party as an officer of the NYPD.

We Don't Own It
Joan as Police Woman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You will know by the way
That he cuts his eyes
Looks away from the door
That walked in you
You will know it will go
Down in history
How sweet he was to you
And all the others

So hand it over
'Cause we don't own it
It's in the mystery
Our silent fantasy
'Cause I
Nor you
Could ever
Know what it's like
To have the night fall
And be felled by the night
No, we don't own it

All you know is the way
That he made you feel
He made you feel safe enough
To feel at all
It's all there in the moment
You understood
That he's not going on
And you're still going on

So hand it over
'Cause we don't own it
It's in the mystery
Our silent fantasy
'Cause I
Nor you
Could ever
Know what it's like
To have the night fall
And be felled by the night
No, we don't own it

It's his story
Our subtle jealousy
'Cause I
Nor you
Could ever
Know what it's like
To have the night fall

And be felled by the night
No, we don't own it

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Joan As Police Woman's "We Don't Own It" speak to the universal experience of falling in love and being left with memories of that special person who made us feel alive. The first verse talks about how we can tell that someone has left an impact on us by the way they look at us or react to our presence. The second half of the verse speaks to how these memories will go down in history, not just for the subject, but for everyone who has ever experienced this feeling.

The first chorus begs the listener to "hand it over" because we don't own the feeling of falling in love or the memories that come with it. It's a mystery and a silent fantasy that we all experience but don't have any ownership over. The second verse speaks explicitly about how this person made us feel safe enough to feel at all, and how that feeling is still something we carry with us even after they're gone. The second chorus repeats the sentiment of the first, emphasizing that we don't own these feelings, but that they're a part of a larger story of love and heartbreak.

The final verse of the song brings up the idea of "subtle jealousy," acknowledging that the memories we have of someone else's love story can trigger feelings of envy or longing. But the chorus repeats again that we don't own these feelings, that they're part of a larger human experience that we all share.

Overall, the song is a reminder to be present in our experiences, to cherish the moments we have with people we love, and to understand that these experiences are a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Line by Line Meaning

You will know by the way
The way he behaves will give you a clue

That he cuts his eyes
He avoids making eye contact

Looks away from the door
He is not interested in seeing who enters

That walked in you
The person who entered the room

You will know it will go
It will be remembered

Down in history
As a memorable moment

How sweet he was to you
He was kind and affectionate with you

And all the others
As well as with everyone else

So hand it over
Let go of your possessiveness

'Cause we don't own it
We can't possess this moment forever

It's in the mystery
It belongs to the unknown and unexplainable