Don't You Want to Share the Guilt?
Kate Nash Lyrics

BBQ food is good
The singer acknowledges the delicious nature of BBQ food.

You invite me out to eat it, I should
The singer has been invited to eat BBQ food, but is hesitant because they are feeling nervous.

Go, but I'm feeling kind of nervous
The singer is nervous but decides to accept the invitation.

And not quite myself
The artist does not feel like themselves.

So I'm running late on purpose
The artist is purposely running late to the invitation.

And I know this won't help
The singer knows that being late won't help their situation.

How things have become between us
The relationship between the singer and the person they are meeting has changed.

But if I go you'll give me hell
The person they are meeting may be angry with them for being late.

And that I don't know how to fix it
The artist does not know how to make things better.

Is making me unwell, well
The situation is causing the artist stress and anxiety.

I arrive at your house
The singer has arrived to the person's house.

But you've just got up
The person the artist is meeting has just woken up.

And you are wearing a towel
The person the singer is meeting is only wearing a towel.

And your eyes look dark
The person the singer is meeting appears to have dark circles under their eyes.

I help to dry your body
The singer assists the person they are meeting with drying off.

And I see your cut
The artist sees a cut or wound on the person they are meeting.

So I give you a plaster
The artist gives the person they are meeting a band-aid.

And we cover it up
The singer and the person they are meeting cover the wound with the band-aid.

I say "Have you been crying?"
The singer asks the person they are meeting if they have been crying.

And you say "Shut Up"
The person they are meeting asks the artist to stop talking.

So we sit in the garden
The artist and the person they are meeting sit in a garden.

And touch the grass
The artist and the person they are meeting touch the grass.

With our hands
The singer and the person they are meeting touch the grass with their hands.

The sun is going down now
The sun is beginning to set.

And it's been okay
The day has been okay so far.

You tell me all these things you did
The person they are meeting tells the singer about what they've been up to.

While I was away
The singer has been away while the other person has been doing things.

And this worries me somewhat
The artist is somewhat worried about the things the other person has done while they were away.

You say you're fine
The person they are meeting tells the artist that they are okay.

Listen
The singer is asking the person they are meeting to listen to them.

Can you hear it?
The singer is asking if the person they are meeting can hear something.

Does it speak?
The artist is asking if the thing they are hearing can speak.

Will I feel it?
The artist is questioning if they will feel something.

Will it hurt?
The artist is unsure if whatever they are talking about will hurt.

Am I near it?
The singer is wondering if they are close to whatever they are talking about.

I don't know
The artist does not know the answer to their questions.

I don't know how more people haven't got mental health problems
The singer is surprised that more people don't have mental health problems.

Thinking is one of those stressful things I've ever come across
The singer believes that thinking is one of the most stressful things.

And not being able to articulate what I want to say drives me crazy
The singer is frustrated by their inability to express themselves.

I think I should try and read more books
The artist thinks they should read more books.

And learn some new words
The artist wants to learn new words.

My sister used to read the dictionary
The singer's sister used to read the dictionary.

I'm going to start with that
The singer is planning to start with reading the dictionary.

I'd like to travel
The artist wants to travel.

I want to see India and the pyramids
The artist wants to visit India and see the pyramids.

A whale and that race with all the bicycles in France
The artist wants to see a whale and watch the bicycle race in France.

I'm not sure about rivers, they scare me
The singer is afraid of rivers.

But I love swimming, I'm good at it
Despite being afraid of rivers, the artist loves to swim.

And when I swim I think about numbers
The singer thinks about numbers when they swim.

And count the laps
The singer counts the laps while swimming.

When I was younger I saw a house burnt down
The singer saw a house burn down when they were younger.

And I walked past it everyday for the next six years
The artist lives close to the burnt down house and walks past it daily for six years after it burns.

Derelict, black, chalky and dangerous
The burnt down house was empty, black, dusty, and dangerous.

I wondered if squatters lived there
The singer thought squatters might be living in the burnt down house.

I'm still not sure but I know there were never any parties cause it was shit
The singer is unsure if squatters lived in the house, but they know there were no parties.

After a while the council got round to tidying out the town
Eventually the council cleans up the town.

Making it less offensive here and there
The council tries to make the town look better.

They said it was an eyesore so they let tore it down
The council determines that the burnt down house is an eyesore and they decide to tear it down.

Behind the house was a wall with a few bits of crappy graffiti
Behind the burnt down house is a wall with bad graffiti.

and the word 'Cunt' written on it in giant letters
The graffiti on the wall reads 'Cunt' in large letters.

And now I walk past that
The singer still walks past the graffiti on the wall.

I like sitting in the park
The singer enjoys sitting in the park.

And I like walking through it
The singer also likes to walk through the park.

I like taking my dogs there
The artist enjoys taking their dogs to the park.

And friends, and I like being alone
The artist enjoys being alone in the park, but also likes going to the park with friends.

I like flowers and simplicity
The singer likes simple things like flowers.

I like compassion and thoughtful gifts
The singer appreciates kind and thoughtful gifts.

I like being able to shout
The artist enjoys shouting.

But I wish I could be quiet
The artist also wishes they could be quiet sometimes.

When I'm quiet people think I'm sad
When the artist is quiet, others assume they are sad.

And usually I am
Often times the singer is sad when they are quiet.

Sometimes when I'm at a busy train station
At times, when the artist is at a crowded train station...

Somewhere big with the noisy trains like King's Cross
...somewhere like King's Cross Station in London...

I feel like putting down my bags and shouting things out
The singer feels like setting down their belongings and yelling.

because I've got something to say
The singer feels that they have something important to say.

Don't you want to share the guilt?
The artist is asking if the person they are talking to wants to share the blame or responsibility.

Don't think, just try and sleep
The artist advises the person they are talking to not to think too much and try to sleep.