Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys is clearly a man who likes to keep busy, han… Read Full Bio ↴Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys is clearly a man who likes to keep busy, handling plenty of production assignments and backing like-minded artists during his downtime from the band, and in 2015, after the Black Keys took some time off after drummer Patrick Carney suffered a shoulder injury, Auerbach decided to make productive use of the hiatus by launching a new side project. The Arcs were formed by Auerbach and Leon Michaels, a multi-instrumentalist who was part of the studio crew on Auerbach's production projects for Dr. John and Lana Del Rey. Telling the press "I just wanted to do my thing and get extra weird," Auerbach headed into the studio with Michaels and a handful of friends and colleagues, including Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss, Richard Swift, and Kenny Vaughan. The Arcs made their debut with a 7" vinyl single released to independent music stores to commemorate the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao title fight in May 2015. A-side "Stay in My Corner" and the flip "Tomato Can" were songs inspired by Auerbach's passion for boxing, and "Stay in My Corner" also appeared on the Arcs' debut album, Yours, Dreamily, which was recorded in a handful of freewheeling sessions lasting less than two weeks. Yours, Dreamily appeared on Nonesuch Records in September 2015.

Biography by Mark Deming

Nothing You Do
The Arcs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We put the hearts before the cause
Got so high, we burned the paper on
All your premonitions, of our condition
Came true

'Cause everything you do, you do for you

The milk inside the fridge, it turned

The bridge between us, it burned
You're always fishing
And wishing I was someone
Brand new

'Cause everything you do, you do for you

I'm barely here
I'm barely there
Expect me home
Any day
Now real soon

I'm reelin'
Feelin' rather wasted
Wanna give up, hide out in the basement
You schooled the competition and now my tuition
Is due

'Cause everything you do, you do for you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in The Arcs's song Everything You Do describe a failed relationship where one person (presumably the singer) feels unimportant and overlooked. They suggest that the other person in the relationship puts themselves above all else, including their partner's feelings. This message is highlighted in the chorus with the repeated line, 'Cause everything you do, you do for you.' The first verse, 'We put the hearts before the cause. Got so high, we burned the paper on. All your premonitions, of our condition. Came true,' talks about a relationship that started with genuine love, but the two people in it became focused more on their own individual priorities.

The second verse takes the idea of the first verse further, with lines like, 'You're always fishing, and wishing I was someone brand new.' The singer in this verse is expressing that their significant other is always looking for something new and better, lacking satisfaction and contentment with their current relationship. The lines, 'I'm barely here, I'm barely there. Expect me home, any day now, real soon,' reflect the singer's feelings of instability in the relationship. The final verse, 'I'm reelin' feelin' rather wasted. Wanna give up, hide out in the basement. You schooled the competition, and now my tuition is due,' further illustrates the singer's sense of being overwhelmed and unseen in the relationship.

Overall, the song paints a picture of a relationship that has gone wrong due to selfishness and a lack of mutual support and understanding.

Line by Line Meaning

We put the hearts before the cause
We prioritized emotions over logic.

Got so high, we burned the paper on
We were so caught up in the moment that we forgot about the important details.

All your premonitions, of our condition
You predicted the outcome of our situation.

Came true
Your predictions were accurate.

'Cause everything you do, you do for you
You only do things that benefit you.

The milk inside the fridge, it turned
Something as simple as milk went bad or wrong.

The bridge between us, it burned
Our relationship has been destroyed beyond repair.

You're always fishing
You're always looking for reasons to argue or criticize.

And wishing I was someone
You wish I was someone else entirely.

Brand new
A completely different person from who I am.