The 77's (sometimes written as The Seventy Sevens) is a Christian alternati… Read Full Bio ↴The 77's (sometimes written as The Seventy Sevens) is a Christian alternative rock band which formed in 1979 in Sacramento, California, United States. The band's only consistent member is lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist Michael Roe. The band currently includes Mark Harmon (bass) and Bruce Spencer (drums), both of whom joined the band in the 1990s. Previous members include Mark Tootle (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Jan Eric Volz (bass), and Aaron Smith (drums).

The band has issued 10 studio albums: "Ping Pong over the Abyss" (1982), "All Fall Down" (1984), "The Seventy Sevens" (1987), "Sticks and Stones" (1990), "Pray Naked" (1992), "Drowning with Land in Sight" (1994), "Tom Tom Blues" (1995), "Late" (2000), "A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows" (2001), and "Holy Ghost Building" (2008).

I Hate You
The 77's Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Can I ask you
Was it something I did
Still I wonder
Cause it isn't too clear
I don't want no trouble
Tired of the lies
You found yourself another
Heart as cold as ice

I'm trying to recover
Do you even realize
I give it all to you
Thinking we can make this right
Nothing I can do, yeah
One day you'll become like
One day you'll be
One day you'll be
One day you'll be
One day you'll be
One day you'll be
One day
One day
One day
One day
One day you'll become like
One day you'll become like that
Thinking we can make this right
One day you'll become like that
Can I ask you
Was it something I did
Still I wonder
Cause it isn't too clear
I don't want no trouble
Tired of the lies
You found yourself another
Heart as cold as ice
I'm trying to recover
Do you even realize
One day you'll become like that
Thinking we can make this right
Can I ask you
Was it something I did
I don't want no trouble
Tired of the lies
You found yourself another
Heart as gold as I

I'm trying to recover
Do you even realize

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The 77's song I Hate You are a narrative of a man who met a girl on a Saturday night while waiting in a queue at the Odeon. He uses a line to connect with her, and they hit it off, smiling at each other. When it comes to intermission, a guy tries to join in and stands next to her. The singer throws him another of his lines and succeeds in making her smile at him once again. This man is persistent and clearly trying to gain her attention and affection. The repetition of the line "Can I sit next to you, girl?" shows the man's desperation to be close to her.

The songs' lyrical content reflects the youthful desperation to find love, gain attention and affection, and to be close to someone. This song shows how persistence pays off, and how confident one can be when pursuing a love interest. It depicts the struggles individuals may face when trying to establish connections with their object of desire, but the potential rewards that come along make the risks worth taking.

The song seems to be a nod to the classic blues song "Can I Sit Next to You" by John Lee Hooker. The 77's version is more up-tempo and emphasizes the narrative of the man's persistence in contrast to the original's more laid-back approach.

Line by Line Meaning

When I met this girl for the first time on saturday night
I saw a girl on a Saturday night and wanted to talk to her.

Standing in the queue at the Odeon alright
I saw her standing in line at the Odeon and felt it was okay to approach her.

Oh I took her by surprise
She didn't expect me to talk to her.

When I gave her one of my lines
I used a pickup line on her.

She started smiling at me real fine
She seemed to like my pickup line and smile at me.

That's when I said:
Feeling encouraged, I asked her a question.

Can I sit next to you, girl?
I asked if I could sit next to her.

At intermission we were doing alright
We were enjoying each other's company during the intermission.

Until this guy came up and stood by her side
Another guy appeared and stood next to her.

Then I took him by surprise
I was not intimidated, and I used another pickup line on him.

When I threw him one of my lines
I used another pickup line on him.