Goin' Down
The Monkees Lyrics

Sock it to me
Expressing enthusiasm and excitement for what is to come.

Floatin' down the river with a saturated liver
Drinking heavily and floating on the river, carelessly living in the moment.

And I wish I could forgive her
Reflecting on a past relationship mistake, wishing he could forgive the other person.

But I do believe she meant it
Accepting the other person's apology and understanding that they meant what they said.

When she told me to forget it
Recalling the other person's plea for forgiveness, but not wanting to forget what happened.

And I bet she will regret it
Believing that the other person will regret their actions in the future.

When they find me in the morning wet and drowned
Foreshadowing the singer's tragic ending of drowning in the river

And the word gets 'round
Speculating that the news of his death will travel quickly.

Goin' down
Resigned to his fate of drowning in the river.

Comin' up for air, it's pretty stuffy under there there
Surviving the initial drowning but finding it difficult to breathe.

I'd like to say I didn't care
Pretending indifference about his near-death experience in the river.

But I forgot to leave a note
Regretting not leaving an explanation or goodbye message behind.

And it's so hard to stay afloat
Struggling to stay above water and not sink.

I'm soakin' wet without a boat
Feeling miserable and helpless without a boat to help stay afloat.

And I knew I should have taken off my shoes
Regretting not taking off his shoes which are now weighing him down in the water.

It's front page news
Sarcastically acknowledging that his death will garner a lot of attention and become headline news.

Goin' down
Resigned to his fate of possibly drowning today.

Hey, hey
An exclamation to renew his spirit in the face of impending danger.

I wish I had another drink
Thinking about drinking in order to numb himself to the situation.

It wouldn't be so hard to sink
Speculating that drinking more would make it easier for him to sink and possibly drown.

I should have taken time to think
Regretting not taking the time to think things through before possibly jumping into the river.

Besides I got the picture straight
Realizing the truth of the current situation without filtering or deception.

She must have had another date
Suggesting the possibility that the other person was cheating on him with someone else.

I didn't need this extra weight
Feeling burdened by the other person's betrayal and adding to his stress.

I wish that I could see the way to shore
Desperately wanting to see safe land and a way out of the danger.

I don't want no more
Sadly realizing that the situation is beyond his control.

Goin' down, I'm goin' down
Acknowledging that he is, in fact, dying (or might die) by sinking or drowning.

And now I see the life I led
Reflecting on his past behavior and how it has led him to this dangerous situation.

I slept it all away in bed
Wasting his life on sleeping and unproductive behavior.

I should have learned how to swim instead
Regretting not learning how to swim to save himself from drowning.

And now it's really got me stumped
Feeling perplexed by his situation and not knowing what to do next.

I can't believe I really jumped
Shocked by his own impulsive decision to jump into the river.

I'd like to get my tummy pumped
Wanting to throw up the alcohol he consumed before potentially drowning.

I can't believe they drink this stuff in town
Shocked at the toxicity of the water in the river.

This dirty brown, goin' down
Describing the murky color of the water in the river and sinking deeper into it.

I'm goin' down
Understanding his imminent fate of drowning.

I wished I'd looked before I leaped
Regretting not being more careful and scouting or evaluating the area before taking action.

I didn't know it was so deep
Surprised by the true depth of the water in the river.

Been down so far I don't get wet
Trying to make the best of the current situation and come to terms with his fate.

I haven't touched the bottom yet
Not reaching the bottom of the river yet, but close to it.

This river scene is gettin' old
Bored of the constant routine of simply floating down the river and waiting for death.

I'm hungry, sleepy, wet and cold
Experiencing discomfort and physical pain due to his situation.

She told me to forget it nice
Recalling the other person's request for him to forget what happened and move on.

I should have taken her advice
Regretting not listening to the other person's advice about forgetting what happened.

I only want to go on home
Homesick and wanting to go back to the safety of his own dwelling.

I'd gladly leave that girl alone
Wanting to break up with the other person and be done with the drama.

What a way to spend the night
Reflecting on the foolish decision to jump into the river and the serious consequences of that action.

If I don't drown, I'll die of fright
Fearing death as a result of the situation, even if drowning is not certain.

My pappy taught me how to float
Recalling a past memory of his father teaching him how to float in water.

But I can't swim a single note
Realizing that floating and swimming are two different things, and he cannot swim to save himself.

He threw me in to teach me how
Recalling his father's tough-love approach to teaching him how to swim in the past.

I stayed there floatin' like a mama cow
Successfully floating in water like a bovine mammal would.

And now I've floated way downstream
Drifting away from where he originally entered the river.

Know this has to be a dream
Questioning the reality of his situation and whether or not he is dreaming.

If I could find my way to shore
Wishing he could find a way to safety and away from the danger of the river.

I'd never, never do this anymore
Swearing to himself that he will never get into a dangerous situation like this in the future.

I'll give you three, I've been down nine
Jokingly saying he has been in many life-threatening situations before, but this may be his last.

I'm goin' down just one more time
Pessimistically accepting that he may drown once and for all.

Now the sky is gettin' light
Noticing that dawn is approaching and things may start to look up.

An everythng will be all right
Choosing optimism and hoping for the best at this point.

Think I finally got the knack
Finally mastering the art of floating and staying above water without assistance.

Just floatin' here lazy on my back
Enjoying the simple pleasure of floating on his back and letting the current take him where it will.

I never really liked that town
Realizing that he doesn't miss his old life and is happy to be away from it all.

I think I'll ride the river down
Deciding to take advantage of his situation and see where the river leads him.

Just movin' slow and floatin' free
Enjoying the freedom of just going with the flow, with no obligations or responsibilities in sight.

There's a river swinging under me
Feeling the river's motion and embracing it, letting it guide him.

Waving back to the folks on shore
Noticing people on the shore and acknowledging them through a wave.

I should have thought of this before
Wondering why he didn't do this before or why he didn't think about it earlier.

I'm floatin' on down to New Orleans
Drifting all the way down the river to the bustling southern city of New Orleans.

And pick up on some swingin' scenes
Excited about the possibility of new experiences, specifically the vibrant jazz scene in New Orleans.

I'm gonna know a better day
Optimistic about his future and the possibilities waiting for him.

I'm goin' down groovin' all the way
Going down the river with a sense of calm and peace, embracing the unknown adventure ahead.