"Doin' Time" is a song by American band Sublime for their self-titled third… Read Full Bio ↴"Doin' Time" is a song by American band Sublime for their self-titled third album. The lyrics tell of a cheating girlfriend, whose infidelities and poor treatment of her lover makes him feel like he is in prison. It was released as a single on November 25, 1997; the disc contained alternate versions of the song by Wyclef Jean and the Pharcyde. Additional versions appeared on the post-Bradley Nowell compilation album Second-hand Smoke and several bootlegs, including one with Snoop Dogg.

The original version of "Doin' Time" with the original, unaltered vocal was released in 2006 on the Deluxe Edition of the band's self-titled Sublime album, as well as the 2 disc 180 gram vinyl "Back To Black 60th Vinyl Anniversary" edition. The deluxe edition also includes 5 remixes of "Doin' Time", and the original music video.

"Doin' Time" samples jazz flautist Herbie Mann's cover of George Gershwin's "Summertime" from the opera Porgy and Bess. Mann's version is a live bossa nova version from his album Herbie Mann at the Village Gate. The band originally recorded the song with the lyrics "doin' time and the livin's easy". In order to release the song using the Gershwin sample, the band had to agree to use the line "summertime" instead of "doin' time". However, the song was already recorded with the "doin' time" lyric, and lead singer Bradley Nowell had recently died of a heroin overdose. The lyric was re-recorded by Sublime's friend/producer Michael Happoldt singing "summertime". It is this version of the song that appears on Sublime's self-titled album. Future Long Beach Dub Allstars DJ Marshall Goodman appears on the recording and is mentioned in the lyrics.

The line "And we can do it like this, in the place to be." is sampled from the Beastie Boys' "Slow and Low" from their 1986 album Licensed to Ill. The song also samples "Jump for Jah" and "Come Now" by Ini Kamoze, "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm McLaren, and "Holy Thursday" by David Axelrod.

This song reached number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 28 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Doin' Time
Sublime Lyrics

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Summertime and the livin's easy
Bradley's on the microphone with Ras M.G.
All the people in the dance will agree
That we're well qualified to represent the LBC
Me, and me and Louie run to the party
Dance to the rhythm it gets harder

Me and my girl got this relationship

I love her so bad, but she treats me like sh
On lock down like a penitentiary
She spreads her loving' all over and when she gets home
There's none left for me

Summertime and the livin's easy
Bradley's on the microphone with Ras M.G.
All the people in the dance will agree
That we're well qualified to represent the LBC
Me, and me and Louie run to the party
Dance to the rhythm it gets harder

Oh take this veil from off my eyes
My burning sun will someday rise
What am I gonna be doing' for a while?
Said I'm gonna play with myself
Show them now we've come off the shelf

Summertime and the livin's easy
Bradley's on the microphone with Ras M.G.
All the people in the dance will agree
That we're well qualified to represent the LBC
Me, and me and Louie run to the party
Dance to the rhythm it gets harder

Evil, I've come to tell you that she's evil, most definitely

Evil, ornery, scandalous and evil, most definitely
The tension, it's getting hotter
I'd like to hold her head underwater
Oh

Me and my girl
We got a relationship
Me and my girl
We got a relationship
My girl
We got a relationship, oh
And my girl
Take a tip
Take a tip
Take a tip from me

Bradley's on the microphone with Ras M.G.
All the people in the dance will agree
That we're well qualified to represent the LBC
Me, la la, Louie want everybody
Run to the rhythm it gets harder

Summertime and the livin's easy

Overall Meaning

“Doin’ Time” is a song by American ska punk band Sublime, featured on their self-titled third album released in 1996. The song is a cover of George Gershwin’s classic “Summertime”, with additional lyrics and music in a hip-hop and reggae style. The lyrics describe the lazy days of summer while the lead singer, Bradley Nowell, deals with relationship issues.

The opening verse sets the scene with the summertime atmosphere and introduces the two singers: Bradley and Ras M.G. Brad describes how he enjoys partying with his friends in the summer. He and his friends, Louie and whoever else, go to parties and dance to the music. This is the laid-back and carefree vibe of “Doin’ Time”. In the second verse, you hear the story of Brad’s complicated relationship. He loves his girl, but it seems she has cheated on him. She gives her love to others and comes home with none left for Brad. Throughout the song, the chorus repeats, reminding us that it's summertime and they're ready to party.

The third verse adds more depth to the song with Brad expressing some sadder feelings. He sings “Take this veil from off my eyes, my burning sun will someday rise”. These lines hint at his hope for the future, believing that the summer and his happiness will return. He goes on to say “what am I going to be doing’ for a while? Said I’m gonna play with myself, show them now we’ve come off the shelf”. He seems to be feeling low, but he decides to focus on playing music and making a comeback.

Overall, “Doin’ Time” is a perfect example of the Sublime genre. It features a catchy melody, relatable lyrics, and it’s fun to dance along to. The song has a real sense of personality, which is synonymous with the music of Sublime.

Line by Line Meaning

Summertime and the livin's easy
It is summertime and everything is great.

Bradley's on the microphone with Ras M.G.
The song is being sung by Bradley and Ras M.G.

All the people in the dance will agree That we're well qualified to represent the LBC Me, and me and Louie run to the party Dance to the rhythm it gets harder
Everyone who hears the song will know that they are representing LBC. The singer and his friends run to the party and dance to the beat which keeps getting faster and harder.

Me and my girl got this relationship I love her so bad, but she treats me like sh On lock down like a penitentiary She spreads her loving' all over and when she gets home There's none left for me
The singer and his girlfriend are in a relationship, but she doesn't treat him well. She spends her love on others and when she comes home, there's none left for him.

Oh take this veil from off my eyes My burning sun will someday rise What am I gonna be doing' for a while? Said I'm gonna play with myself Show them now we've come off the shelf
The singer wants to see the truth about his girlfriend and hopes that he will eventually find someone who will love him. He plans to amuse himself and show that he is still capable of doing so.

Evil, I've come to tell you that she's evil, most definitely Evil, ornery, scandalous and evil, most definitely The tension, it's getting hotter I'd like to hold her head underwater Oh
The singer thinks that his girlfriend is evil and he wants to punish her. The tension between them is rising and he wants to hurt her badly.

Me and my girl We got a relationship Me and my girl We got a relationship My girl We got a relationship, oh And my girl Take a tip Take a tip Take a tip from me
The singer repeats that he is in a relationship with his girlfriend and advises everyone to take a lesson from what he is going through.

Me, la la, Louie want everybody Run to the rhythm it gets harder
The singer and his friend Louie want everyone to run to the beat which is getting faster and harder.

Summertime and the livin's easy
The song concludes by repeating that it is summertime and everything is great.

Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Rick Rubin, Adam Horowitz, Adam Yauch, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Bradley Nowell, Marshall Goodman, Dubois Hayward, Dorothy Hayward

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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