Before its release on Red Letter Days, the song appeared on CBS's CSI, where the band had a cameo role playing the song in Season Three, Episode 2.
In addition to "How Good It Can Get", the band performed "Everybody Out Of The Water" on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, and it was a regular part of the setlist during the Red Letter Days Tour.
Everybody Out Of The Water
The Wallflowers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get set, let's go
You got to move on
Before she explodes
Look out the window
Lookout below
Back away from the glass
There she blows
Hills are in flames
Streets cracked open
And they're pushin' up clay
Temperature's dropped
Sky is gray
And it ain't even over
Here comes drivin' rain
It ain't me
That you feel
There's something moving
Around in here
That's blood
That's tears
This ain't a warning
[Chorus]
Everybody out of the water
Up on dry land
Take what you can
'Cause you won't be here again
Everybody out of the water
Now I'm treadin' high water
To get back to you
Been looking for a low spot
Or something to cling to
There's too many bodies
There's not enough room
God help me
And God help you
They say, 'nobody panic
Help is on it's way
We're already on it
You've got to be brave.'
If you can fix it now
Then don't make us wait
Man, there ain't nobody coming
Back away from the gates
That bell
That you hear
That's hell
Ringing in your ears
I fear
That my dear
This ain't a warning
[Chorus]
Now I'm looking up
And the shit keeps coming
Like shooting ducks
In a barrel of honey
Got to learn how to pray
Love won't be enough
Admit it, now
Your information sucks
As I slip
Down in
I think of us someplace
High on a mountain
Smoke clears
Fog lifts
Little by little
We rebuild again
Till' then...
[Chorus]
The Wallflowers song "Everybody Out of the Water" draws inspiration from natural disasters, particularly a volcanic eruption or an earthquake. The song begins with a sense of urgency, as the singer calls for everyone to evacuate before "she" explodes. The imagery used to describe the disaster is vivid, from the hills in flames to the streets cracked open, and the city being leveled. The singer notes that the temperature has dropped and the sky is gray, predicting that the storm is not over, and the driving rain is on the way.
The warning from the singer isn't enough to assure everyone's safety, as the disaster strikes, leaving little room for anyone, and not enough help. Nobody is coming to fix the situation, so everyone must fend for themselves. Furthermore, the singer quips that love alone wouldn't save the day, leading to a sense of helplessness and despair. The song's structure shifts between describing the disaster and the singer's personal situation, searching for a low spot to hold onto to survive amid the chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
On your mark
Get ready
Get set, let's go
Let's start now
You got to move on
You have to keep moving forward
Before she explodes
Before things get worse
Look out the window
Look outside
Lookout below
Be careful
Back away from the glass
Step back from the window
There she blows
Something is happening
The city's been leveled
The city is destroyed
Hills are in flames
The hills are burning
Streets cracked open
The streets are broken
And they're pushin' up clay
There is a lot of debris
Temperature's dropped
It's getting cold
Sky is gray
The sky is dark
And it ain't even over
Things are still getting worse
Here comes drivin' rain
Heavy rain is coming
It ain't me
It's not my fault
That you feel
What you are experiencing
There's something moving
Something is happening
Around in here
In this situation
That's blood
There is injury
That's tears
There is sadness and pain
This ain't a warning
This is really happening
Everybody out of the water
Everyone needs to evacuate
Up on dry land
To safety
Take what you can
Take what you need to survive
'Cause you won't be here again
This situation won't repeat itself
Now I'm treadin' high water
I'm struggling to stay afloat
To get back to you
To be with you again
Been looking for a low spot
Looking for safety
Or something to cling to
Something to hold onto
There's too many bodies
Too many people in danger
There's not enough room
Not enough space for everyone
God help me
I need divine assistance
And God help you
You need divine assistance
They say, 'nobody panic
Stay calm
Help is on it's way
Help is coming
We're already on it
We're already working on it
You've got to be brave.'
You have to stay strong
If you can fix it now
If you can solve the problem now
Then don't make us wait
Don't hesitate
Man, there ain't nobody coming
No one is coming to save us
Back away from the gates
Stay away from danger
That bell
The sound you hear
That you hear
What you sense
That's hell
Bad things are happening
Ringing in your ears
You can hear the danger
I fear
I'm worried
That my dear
My love
This ain't a warning
This is really happening
Now I'm looking up
Now I'm hopeful
And the shit keeps coming
More bad things keep happening
Like shooting ducks
Too easy to hit
In a barrel of honey
The sweet times are gone
Got to learn how to pray
We need to have faith
Love won't be enough
We need more than love to survive
Admit it, now
It's time to face reality
Your information sucks
Your knowledge is insufficient
As I slip
As I lose control
Down in
In a bad situation
I think of us someplace
I think of a better time
High on a mountain
In a peaceful place
Smoke clears
Things start to get better
Fog lifts
The confusion clears
Little by little
Slowly but surely
We rebuild again
We start over and fix things
Till' then...
Until we can fix things
Everybody out of the water
Everyone needs to evacuate
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAKOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind