Best known for his wry humor, Snider has been a fixture on the Americana, alt-country, and folk scene since his debut on MCA, entitled Songs for the Daily Planet, named for the bar where Snider used to play regularly in Memphis. On that album were the minor hits "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues", a folk song about the early '90's grunge scene, featuring a band that "refused to play", and "Alright Guy", which later became the title cut of Gary Allan's 2001 album.
He released two more albums for MCA, Step Right Up and Viva Satellite, the latter often sparking colorful debate amongst fans for its comparisons to Tom Petty. He moved to John Prine's Oh Boy Records where he made Happy to Be Here, New Connection, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms, and East Nashville Skyline. That Was Me: The Best of Todd Snider 1994–1998 was released on the Hip-O label in August 2005.
Todd Snider's next studio album, The Devil You Know, was released in August 2006. It marked Snider's return to a major label, as he is now recording for New Door Records, a subsidiary of Universal Records.
The Devil You Know was named to several critics' year-end "best" lists, including a No. 33 ranking in Rolling Stone magazine's top 50 albums of the year, a No. 25 ranking by No Depression magazine, and No. 14 by Blender magazine.
Snider's songs "Late Last Night" and "I Believe You" have been recorded by the Oklahoma country-rock band Cross Canadian Ragweed. He co-wrote the song "Barbie Doll" with country star Jack Ingram.
Snider's new album, Peace Queer, is set to be released on October 14th, 2008, and will be available as a free download from Oct. 11 to Oct. 31 at http://www.toddsnider.net/store/product/1/Peace-Queer .
What's Wrong With You
Todd Snider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got one shot left I guess but you messed up so bad last time
I'm about to lose my mind keeping up it's true
You go one way, one thing, turn around, mood swing
Making up a melodrama mama what am I gonna do.
You know I heard you the tenth time telling me again and again
And baby you know that isn't true
You know how hard I've tried to keep you satisfied, mama what's wrong with you.
What's wrong with you, what'd I do
You think I wanna be with every other woman in the world but you
Well, I tell you all the time how I'm walking the line for you
Every time I see you though you treat me like I'm cheatin' on you
Hey hey hey, mama what's wrong with you
You took one bad blow I know but you go so far out sometimes
I'm afraid of making that climb out there to you
You get so high, sink low, the next thing I know
A whole new soap opera mama what am I gonna do ?
I even saw you last night thumbing through my personal phone book
Looking into cooking up something you could look at
Till you wound up angry and baby you know that isn't cool
All this jealousy is just killing me, mama what's wrong with you ?
What's wrong with you, what'd I do
You think I wanna be with every other woman in the world but you
Well, I tell you all the time how I'm walking the line for you
Every time I see you though you treat me like I'm cheatin' on you
Hey hey hey, mama what's wrong with you ?
What's wrong with you, what'd I do
You think I wanna be with every other woman in the world but you
We got 'em all by the balls all the way to the ribbon cuttin'
You'd rather sit here with your finger on the panic button
Hey hey hey, mama what's wrong with you ?
I said hey hey hey, mama what's wrong with you ?
In "What's Wrong With You," Todd Snider sings about a tumultuous relationship where his partner is constantly accusing him of cheating and exhibiting jealous behavior. He describes feeling like he's about to "lose his mind" trying to keep up with her mood swings and melodramatic behavior. Despite his attempts to reassure her and remain faithful, she continues to act suspicious and look for evidence of infidelity.
The chorus of the song is a plea for his partner to see reason and stop being so paranoid. Snider sings, "You think I wanna be with every other woman in the world but you / Well, I tell you all the time how I'm walking the line for you / Every time I see you though you treat me like I'm cheatin' on you / Hey hey hey, mama what's wrong with you." He tries to appeal to her common sense, reminding her that he's remained faithful and that her constant accusations are driving him away.
Line by Line Meaning
You got one shot left I guess but you messed up so bad last time
You've messed up before and now this is your last chance
I'm about to lose my mind keeping up it's true
I'm getting tired of dealing with your constant mood swings and drama
You go one way, one thing, turn around, mood swing
You're inconsistent and unpredictable with your emotions
Making up a melodrama mama what am I gonna do.
You create unnecessary drama and I don't know how to deal with it anymore.
You know I heard you the tenth time telling me again and again
I understand your complaints, you've told me so many times
About men making everything harder than it ought to be
You blame men for everything that goes wrong
And baby you know that isn't true
You know deep down that's not really the case
You know how hard I've tried to keep you satisfied, mama what's wrong with you.
I've done my best to make you happy but you still seem unsatisfied with me.
What's wrong with you, what'd I do
What's the problem and what did I do to cause it?
You think I wanna be with every other woman in the world but you
You assume that I'm interested in every other woman except you
Well, I tell you all the time how I'm walking the line for you
I let you know that I'm committed and faithful to you
Every time I see you though you treat me like I'm cheatin' on you
Every time I see you, you act like I'm being unfaithful even though I'm not
Hey hey hey, mama what's wrong with you
What's the issue and why are you acting this way?
You took one bad blow I know but you go so far out sometimes
I understand you've been hurt before, but sometimes you go overboard with your reactions
I'm afraid of making that climb out there to you
I'm scared to approach you sometimes because I don't know how you'll react
You get so high, sink low, the next thing I know
You have extreme highs and lows and it's hard to keep up with you
A whole new soap opera mama what am I gonna do ?
Your life seems like a constant drama and I don't know how to handle it
I even saw you last night thumbing through my personal phone book
I caught you looking through my personal phone book without my permission
Looking into cooking up something you could look at
You were trying to find something to be jealous about
Till you wound up angry and baby you know that isn't cool
You ended up getting upset and that's not okay
All this jealousy is just killing me, mama what's wrong with you ?
Your constant jealousy is taking a toll on me and our relationship. What's the problem?
We got 'em all by the balls all the way to the ribbon cuttin'
We are in control and have everything we need to succeed.
You'd rather sit here with your finger on the panic button
You're living in fear and anxiety instead of enjoying life.
Hey hey hey, mama what's wrong with you ?
What's going on with you and why are you acting this way?
I said hey hey hey, mama what's wrong with you ?
I'm asking you what's happening with you and why are you acting like this?
Contributed by Alex F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.