She self-released her first two albums, Lush and Retired from Sad, New Career in Business, while studying studio composition at Purchase College's Conservatory of Music. The albums were originally made as her senior project. Her third studio album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek, was released in 2014 on the label Double Double Whammy.
Mitski signed with Dead Oceans in 2015 and released Puberty 2, Be the Cowboy and Laurel Hell , the last of which made the top ten in several countries. In 2022, The Guardian dubbed her the "best young songwriter" in the United States. That same year, she co-wrote "This Is a Life" for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Her seventh studio album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, was released in 2023.
i don
Mitski Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Except for when I'm missing you
To remember your mouth, how it
Tasted true
And I don't smoke
Except for after I've held you, baby
Being with you
Makes the flame burn good
So if you need to be mean
Be mean to me
I can take it and put it inside of me
If your hands need to break
More than trinkets in your room
You can lean on my arm
As you break my heart
I'm what's left of when we
Swam under the moon
Now the rest of my days are just
Waiting for when
You come down and tell me
I was meant for you, baby
Being with you
Makes the flame burn good
If you need to be mean
Be mean to me
I can take it and put it inside of me
If your hands need to break
More than trinkets in your room
You can lean on my arm
As you break my heart
Just don't leave me alone
Wondering where you are
I am stronger than you give me
Credit for
If your hands need to break
More than trinkets in your room
You can lean on my arm
As you break my heart
Mitski's song "I Don't Smoke" appears on her 2014 album, "Bury Me at Makeout Creek." The lyrics are about missing someone so much that the singer resorts to smoking a cigarette in order to still feel connected to that person. The first verse describes the smoker's memories of kissing the person they miss and how the cigarette helps bring those memories back. The second verse discusses the aftermath of being with the person and how it affects the smoker. The chorus is a plea for the person to lean on the singer's arm when they need help breaking things, both physically and emotionally.
The line "If your hands need to break more than trinkets in your room" suggests that the person is experiencing some kind of emotional turmoil and may be prone to lashing out or even physically destroying objects. The smoker offers themselves up as a way for that energy to be redirected and channeled into something constructive.
Throughout the song, the singer is yearning for the person they miss, waiting for them to return and tell them that they were always meant to be together. The final plea of "Just don't leave me alone wondering where you are" is a heartbreaking admission of vulnerability and need.
Overall, "I Don't Smoke" is a poignant reflection on the pain of missing someone and the desire to be there for them, even when it means putting oneself in harm's way.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't smoke
I do not smoke cigarettes
Except for when I'm missing you
However, I do smoke when I miss you
To remember your mouth, how it Tasted true
I smoke to remember the way your mouth tasted when we kissed
And I don't smoke Except for after I've held you, baby
Also, I only smoke after we've been together
Being with you Makes the flame burn good
Being with you makes the cigarette taste better
So if you need to be mean Be mean to me I can take it and put it inside of me
If you need to be cruel or hurtful, take it out on me. I am strong enough to handle it
If your hands need to break More than trinkets in your room You can lean on my arm As you break my heart
If you need to vent your anger physically, you can use me as a punching bag rather than destroying your belongings. I will be there to support you even as it breaks my heart
I'm what's left of when we Swam under the moon Now the rest of my days are just Waiting for when You come down and tell me I was meant for you, baby Being with you Makes the flame burn good
I am the embodiment of our past memories, and my life now revolves around waiting for you to return and affirm that I am yours. Being with you still makes everything feel better
Just don't leave me alone Wondering where you are I am stronger than you give me Credit for
I can endure your hurtful words and actions, but please do not leave me without any closure or idea of where you are. I am capable of handling more than you think
If your hands need to break More than trinkets in your room You can lean on my arm As you break my heart
Once again, I will be there for you even if it means putting myself in harm's way
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mitsuki Laycock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nobutyesyetno8770
"I don’t like being left alone in a room
With all its opinions about
The things that I’ve done
So yeah, I blast music loud
And I work myself to the bone
And on an inconvenient Christmas
I eat a cake
A whole cake, all for me
And then I get sick and throw up
And there’s another memory that gets stuck
Inside the walls of my skull
Waiting for its turn to talk"
This hits too deep😭
@rutelima333
Lyrics:
I don't like my mind
I don't like being left alone in a room
With all its opinions about the things that I've done
So, yeah, I blast music loud and I work myself to the bone
And on an inconvenient Christmas, I eat a cake
A whole cake
All for me
Ooh, ooh
And then I get sick and throw up
And there's another memory that gets stuck
Inside the walls of my skull waiting for its turn to talk
And it may be a few years
But you can bet it's there, waiting still
For me to be left alone in a room full of things that I've done
A whole cake
So, please, don't take
Take this job from me
A whole cake
So, please, don't take
Take my job from me
@SheddedSnake999
[Verse 1]
I don't like my mind, I don't like being left alone in a room
With all its opinions about the things that I've done
So, yeah, I blast music loud and I work myself to the bone
And on an inconvenient Christmas, I eat a cake
[Chorus]
A whole cake, all for me
Ooh, oh-oh
[Verse 2]
And then I get sick and throw up and there's another memory that gets stuck
Inside the walls of my skull waiting for its turn to talk
And it may be a few years, but you can bet it's there, waiting still
For me to be left alone in a room with the things that I've done
[Chorus]
A whole cake, so please don't take
Take this job from me
A whole cake, so please don't take
Take my job from me
One of the most relatable songs from Mitski I've ever heard. My ears are intoxicated with my songsexuality. I think this is my favourite song in the album.
@mauve9266
I love the continued repetition of ‘a whole cake’ like it’s her mind bringing it up again and again- an irrepressible thought. Sometimes when she sings it, it sounds laden with an intense shame like she can’t believe she did that. Rlly drives it home.
@alessialuise3106
i feel this is the most personal song mitski has ever made. from what i interpreted she is gasping for air while being choked by her thoughts and the only thing she can hold on to is her job. although she often critics the music industry like, for example, in “working for the knife” it’s still her only way to cope with her thoughts. like she said for the song “nobody” she wanted to transform her suffering in something beautiful. the only way she finds relief is in knowing that she can make all the pain she is feeling worth it, useful.
she has always made songs that feels private, but this feels like she’s telling us something confidencial, she is whispering to us one of her secrets.
at least this is what i see
@kellabdjfoo
THIS OMG
@nobodysgarden9375
Reminds me a lot of Diane Nguyen from bojack horseman and her whole rant about good and bad damage
@xXCoolbeansSevenT33NXx
the melody is the same as "baby bitch" by ween, which is just the male equivalent of this song ngl.
@ok-wl9tb
your interpretation is spot on
@yo0mie
"choked by her thoughts and the only thing she can hold onto is her job" is THE most perfect way to put it. one motif i note a lot abt mitski songs is work (particularly using work to cope while still being drowned it it as you say), you can see this a lot in her songs, eg. fireworks, last words of a shooting star, burning hill, and working for the knife like you said! this is one of my fav recurring themes in her songs because i feel like it's something a lot of us can relate to.
@jawad123kassem2
AAAAAAA WHOOLLEEEE CAKKEEEEEEE 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣 ALLLLL FORR MEEEEEEE🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣
@tinyky2598
This comment really stands out in this section
@bellapaellatv7362
This song is one of the most relabable songs i've heard from her, and I relate ro so much and have a true understanding of mitski's lyrics.. I've never related so much to someones words. Thank you and to anyone reading this you're not alone.