Mike & The Mechanics debuted with their stellar eponymous album in 1985 which highlighted Rutherford's innovative guitar work and the vocal talents of the two Pauls, amongst other guest vocalists. Initially, the group's albums were released between Genesis albums, all three Genesis members having solo projects of their own, most notable in the huge chart success of singer/drummer Phil Collins. This ended with the disbanding of Genesis in 1998.
The classic song "The Living Years" from the album of the same name was to be the height of their critical success to date; the #1 single was written by and about the dissension between singer BA Robertson and his father, a situation that was never rectified prior to his father's death, sung with great passion by Carrack. The album also featured the song "Nobody's Perfect" which received considerable airtime as the music to a successful television advertising campaign for Tennants bitter. Their third album "Word of Mouth" followed in 1991 with less commercial and critical success although the lead single, with vocals by Paul Young, reached the Top 20. The fourth album "Beggar On a Beach of Gold" was a high watermark in the quality of their material, with both the album and first single "Over My Shoulder" charting well with many considering the album the band's best work.
After a hiatus following Young's death from a heart attack on July 17, 2000, the band reformed in 2004 as Mike & the Mechanics featuring Paul Carrack releasing the album "Rewired".
A new Mike & the Mechanics album (titled "The Road") was released in the spring of 2011, supported by a 22-date UK tour. Replacing Carrack and Young as vocalists for the group are Andrew Roachford and Canadian actor/singer Tim Hower.
Don't
Mike & The Mechanics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before I turned the tables
You were everything to me, whoa yeah
Now I'm like a fallen angel
Made a promise to myself
I would love nobody else
No, I don't know what came over me
I was such a fool
All I ever cared about was you
Always you, always you
It was only for a night
A moment in madness
But I've paid a heavy price, oh yeah
For these endless days of sadness
Made a promise to myself
That I wouldn't love nobody else
But I don't know what came over me
No, I don't know what came over me
I was such a fool
But all I ever cared about was you
Always you, always you
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Made a promise to myself
That I would love nobody else
But I don't know what came over me (I made a promise to myself)
No, I don't know what came over me (oh, that I would love nobody else)
But I don't know what came over me (I was such a fool)
No, I don't know what came over me (I wish that I knew)
But I don't know what came over me (all I ever cared about was you)
No, I don't know what came over me (don't know what, over me)
I don't know what came over me
The lyrics to Mike & The Mechanics's song Don't are about a man who regrets his actions in a relationship after he cheats on his partner for one night. The song speaks about how he was a lucky man before he betrayed the trust of his partner and turned the tables on them. He believed that his partner was everything to him, but now he feels like a fallen angel. He made a promise to himself that he would love nobody else but his partner, but he didn't know what came over him that led him to cheat. The man expresses how he was such a fool and all he ever cared about was his partner, and yet he cheated. He is now dealing with the aftermath of his actions and is paying a heavy price for his moment of madness. He wishes that he knew what came over him, but he is filled with regret and sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
I was such a lucky man
Before I turned the tables
I had a great life, but then something changed and it all went downhill.
You were everything to me, whoa yeah
Now I'm like a fallen angel
You were once my world, but now I feel lost and alone.
Made a promise to myself
I would love nobody else
But I don't know what came over me
No, I don't know what came over me
I was such a fool
All I ever cared about was you
Always you, always you
I promised myself that I wouldn't love anyone else, but then I did something foolish and now I regret it. All I ever cared about was you.
It was only for a night
A moment in madness
But I've paid a heavy price, oh yeah
For these endless days of sadness
It was just a one-time mistake, but the consequences have been severe and I am still suffering.
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
These lines are just a musical interlude and have no specific meaning in the context of the song.
Made a promise to myself
That I wouldn't love nobody else
But I don't know what came over me
No, I don't know what came over me
I was such a fool
But all I ever cared about was you
Always you, always you
Once again, I promised myself I wouldn't love anyone else, but I did and now I regret it. You were always the most important thing to me.
But I don't know what came over me (I made a promise to myself)
No, I don't know what came over me (oh, that I would love nobody else)
But I don't know what came over me (I was such a fool)
No, I don't know what came over me (I wish that I knew)
But I don't know what came over me (all I ever cared about was you)
No, I don't know what came over me (don't know what, over me)
I don't know what came over me
Repeating the chorus to emphasize that the singer is still confused and regretful about what they did, and can't understand why they made such a mistake.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: MIKE RUTHERFORD (GB), CLARK DATCHLER, ANDREW ROACHFORD, MIKE RUTHERFORD, ANDREW SYLVESTER RICHARD ROACHFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind