I Can't Stand It
The Hot Rats Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Before being a man
Livin' in a garbage pail
My landlady call me up
She tried to hit me with a mop

I can't stand it anymore more
I can't stand it anymore more
I can't stand it anymore more
But if Shelly she would just come back
It'll be alright
But if Shelly she would just come back
It'll be alright


I live with thirteen dead cats
A purple who hear spats
They're all livin in a hall
And I can't stand it anymore

I can't stand it anymore more
I can't stand it anymore more
I can't stand it anymore more
But if Shelly she would just come back
It'll be alright
But if Shelly she would just come back
It'll be alright

Before being a man
Livin' in a garbage pail
My landlady call me up
She tried to hit me with a mop

I can't stand it anymore more
I can't stand it anymore more
I can't stand it anymore more
But if Shelly she would just come back
It'll be alright
But if Shelly she would just come back




It'll be alright
Be alright, be alright

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Hot Rats's song I Can't Stand It portrays a distorted and chaotic perspective of life. The songwriter depicts living in a garbage pail, suggested by the opening lines "Before being a man/Livin' in a garbage pail." This could be interpreted as a metaphor of feeling like a discarded or insignificant member of society, leading to feelings of helplessness and despair. The image of the landlady trying to hit the singer with a mop may symbolize the violence and aggression one faces in society.


Additionally, the line "I live with thirteen dead cats" adds to the dark and sinister mood in the song. This line could be seen as a reflection of how the singer's life is chaotic and unhealthy. The phrase “A purple who hear spats," also adds to the eerie, unsettling vibe of the lyrics, conjuring up the image of a disturbing, neon-lit alleyway. The repetition of the main chorus, "I can't stand it anymore more," emphasizes the feelings of frustration and hopelessness expressed throughout the song. However, the last two lines of each chorus, which suggest that everything will be alright if Shelly comes back, creates a glimmer of hope.


Line by Line Meaning

Before being a man
Reflecting on life before adulthood


Livin' in a garbage pail
Living in a state of extreme poverty and squalor


My landlady call me up
Getting a phone call from the person who owns/rents the place the singer lives in


She tried to hit me with a mop
Recounting a past incident in which someone the artist knows attempted to use physical violence against them


I can't stand it anymore more
Expressing intense exasperation with one's current living situation


But if Shelly she would just come back
Expressing the idea that the return of a certain person could make things better


It'll be alright
A hopeful, optimistic sentiment that things will get better


I live with thirteen dead cats
Describing the presence of multiple deceased animals in the artist's living space


A purple who hear spats
Possibly a reference to a hallucination or delusion experienced by the artist


They're all livin in a hall
The dead cats are grouped together in a specific area or room within the living space


And I can't stand it anymore
Repeating the singer's frustration with their current living situation


Be alright, be alright
Repeating the hopeful sentiment that things will get better




Lyrics © SONY ATV MUSIC PUB LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOU REED

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Rich Miller

Love this classic song, and this great remake vibe!

Pay29a

que bien que suenan!!!!!!!!!!!!!! muy bueno....

awa E

I love Gaz..favorite voice

GazCoombesFan1

love it!

moxie96

this is a side project Supergrass isn't gone, they are also making another album. But yes Micky Quinn is one of the best bassists from the Brit Pop years and Supergrass seems to be the Rolling stones of the brit pop royalty still here 17 years

xtstevie

Kick-arse brilliant.....

Hugo Dunsany

It's like going back in time and seeing the Beatles in 1964 when they were still new and weird and scary and before they became big cuddly boomer plush toys.

Eleanor Anderson

Brrr its cold this morning need some music to warm me up. Wait a minute that did not sound right. Screw it a little exercise don't harm anyone. Makes me want to jam along with the band. :D

Alliworks

COME ON !!! HECK YEAHH!!!! awesome :D

Dan Waszay

I love what he says in the beginning, "HELLOWEEDAROWEST!" .. wait, wtf!?

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