What You Really Mean

Album: We Can Do Anything (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was written back in the 1980s by Cynthia Gayneau, the sister of Violent Femmes frontman Gordon Gano. He told Q magazine: "She wrote it, recorded it at least 30 years ago, and at one time I tried to get somebody to record it without any success. And then I thought, why don't I do it? And it's one of my favorite songs on the whole album, maybe my favorite one. I think it's the most beautiful-sounding thing that we've ever done in Violent Femmes."

    Gano added: "I think I missed the emphasis of the end where it flips it around and the narrator is saying that you'll see what I really mean. I didn't emphasize that enough in how I sang it and how we arranged it."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.