Treat Her Right's self-financed debut, Treat Her Right, was released on the small Boston label Soul Selects Records in 1986. It was a modest success; Champagne's "I Got a Gun" and Sandman's cover of James Blood Ulmer's "Where Did All the Girls Come From?" received some play on college radio. "I Think She Likes Me" describes Sandman's experience in a Fairplay, Colorado bar where a woman came on to him. The group signed to RCA Records, who reissued the debut in 1988.
Tied to the Tracks was issued in 1989. Sales did not meet RCA's expectations. In the notes for their third record, the group writes, "RCA decided that if our little basement tape could do so well, why not spend fifty times more money and it will be fifty times better! (They think everything works like that.)" Treat Her Right were dropped from their RCA contract.
What's Good for You was issued on Rounder Records in 1991. The ragged, live-in-the-studio sound was partly modeled on the model established by Chess Records, which had released many classic blues and early rock and roll records.
Shortly after this third release, Treat Her Right disbanded, but reformed in 1995 under the direction of Rolling Stones backup guitar player Bob Anderson, and disbanded a second time in 1998.
I Think She Likes Me
Treat Her Right Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one there's ever heard my name
Go to the bar, have a seat
Talk to that woman sittin' next to me
She asked me in a voice so low
She asked me if I come in here alone
She asked me nicely "Can I buy you a drink?"
You know I think she likes me that's what I think
I think she likes me that's what I think
She listens to every word I say
I look at her she don't look away
I tell her that I play for "Treat Her Right"
She asks me if I'm gonna play tonight - Yeah!
She cross her legs, will do no harm
She lets her finger run on down my arm
I asked her nicely "Can I buy you a drink?"
I think she likes me that's what I think
I think she likes me that's what I think
Oh yeah!
Some guy comes over, what does he think
Intruding on our private thing
The man is looking quite upset
Wavin' 'round with his gun like that
She'd told me things about her life
She'd never told me she was someone's wife
The man with the gun says "Why'd you buy her a drink?"
I said "I think she likes me that's what I think"
I think she likes me that's what I think
I think she likes me that's what I think
I think she likes me that's what I think
I - I - I - I think she likes me
The song "I Think She Likes Me" by Treat Her Right is a catchy, bluesy tune about a man's encounter with a woman at a bar. The singer walks into a strange cafe where no one knows his name, and he goes to the bar and sits next to a woman who strikes up a conversation with him. She asks him if he is there alone and offers to buy him a drink. The singer feels a connection with her and thinks that she likes him.
As the song goes on, the woman appears to be interested in everything the singer says and doesn't look away from him. He reveals that he plays for a band called Treat Her Right, and she asks him if he will play that night. The woman's interest in him escalates when she crosses her legs and lets her fingers run down his arm. The singer asks her if he can buy her a drink, and the song repeats the chorus "I think she likes me" to reinforce his suspicion that the woman is interested in him.
Suddenly, a man with a gun comes over and interrupts their conversation. The woman had never mentioned that she was someone's wife, and the man with the gun demands to know why the singer had bought her a drink. The singer naively replies that he thinks she likes him, not realizing the danger he's in. The song ends on a humorous note with the singer repeating "I think she likes me" oblivious to the reality of the situation.
Overall, the song touches on themes of attraction, naivety, and danger. The singer underestimates the situation he's in and misinterprets the woman's interest in him. The addition of the gun reveals the danger of making assumptions, even in a seemingly harmless situation like buying someone a drink at a bar.
Line by Line Meaning
Walked into a strange cafe
I entered an unfamiliar coffee shop
No one there's ever heard my name
None of the patrons or staff recognize me
Go to the bar, have a seat
I approach the counter and sit down
Talk to that woman sittin' next to me
I strike up a conversation with the lady beside me
She asked me in a voice so low
In a hushed tone, she inquires
She asked me if I come in here alone
She queries if I am unaccompanied
She asked me nicely "Can I buy you a drink?"
Politely, she offers to purchase a beverage for me
You know I think she likes me that's what I think
I have a suspicion that she is interested in me
She listens to every word I say
She is attentive to my every utterance
I look at her she don't look away
Our gaze remains locked
I tell her that I play for "Treat Her Right"
I state that I am a member of the band "Treat Her Right"
She asks me if I'm gonna play tonight - Yeah!
Excitedly, she inquires if we will be performing that evening
She cross her legs, will do no harm
She adjusts her sitting posture innocently
She lets her finger run on down my arm
She traces her finger along my skin
I asked her nicely "Can I buy you a drink?"
Politely, I offer to buy her a beverage
Oh yeah!
Expressing enthusiasm
Some guy comes over, what does he think
An unknown man approaches us
Intruding on our private thing
He is interrupting our intimate interaction
The man is looking quite upset
The man appears agitated
Wavin' 'round with his gun like that
He is brandishing a firearm erratically
She'd told me things about her life
She had previously confided personal details to me
She'd never told me she was someone's wife
She had not disclosed that she was married
The man with the gun says "Why'd you buy her a drink?"
The armed man demands to know why I purchased a beverage for her
I said "I think she likes me that's what I think"
I retort that I believe she is romantically interested in me
I - I - I - I think she likes me
Reiterating my belief that she is attracted to me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MARK SANDMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stephenzanichkowsky4434
"I told her I played for Treat Her Right" is magnificent!!
@markmccammon266
This song didn't get anywhere near the recognition it deserved. Music is complex and haunting. Story is also underrated.
@miahconnell23
WFNX gave it a good bit of rotation, that’s where I first heard it back in the day. (WFNX also gave me my first exposure to the Pixies, they were onto a great band right from the outset ❤️)
@Johnnralph
Rip : Billy Conway (1955/1956 – December 19 2021) Founding member & drummer
@deenababie
Sad :(
@etherealcatholic249
Requiescat in Pace.
@SwedeProof
So very, very sad. My boyfriend, also a gifted, well-known drummer, died two years ago. My heart is broken.
@andrewwhite1934
Sandman was utterly brilliant
@BrianCarnevaleB26
"I look at her, she doesn't look away"
Those were the days, rem them well.
@Global00Vintage
Truly. He was.