Morissette, Alanis - The Couch Lyrics






you hadn't seen your father in such a long time
he died in the arms of his lover how dare he
your mother never left the house
she never married anyone else you took it upon yourself to console her

you reminded her so much of your father
so you were banished and you wonder why you're so hypersensitive
and why you can't trust anyone but us
but then how can I begin to forgive her so many years under bridges with dirty water
she was foolish and selfish and cowardly if you ask me

I don't know where to begin in all of my 50 odd years
I have been silently suffering and adapting perpetuating and enduring
who are you younger generation to tell me that I have unresolved problems
not many examples of fruits of this type of excruciating labour

how can you just throw words around like grieve and heal and mourn
I feel fine we may not have been born as awake as you were
it was much harder in those days we had paper routes uphill both ways
we went from school to a job to a wife to instant parenthood

I walked into his office I felt so self-conscious on the couch
he was sitting down across from me he was writing down his hypothesis I don't know
i've got a loving supportive wife who doesn't know how involved she should get
you say his interjecting was him just calling me on my shit?

just the other day my sweet daughter I was driving past 203 I walked up the stairs in my mind's eye
I remember how they would creak loudly
she was only responsive with a drink he was only responsive by photo
I was only trying to be the best big brother I could

i've walked sometimes confused sometimes ready to crack open wide
sometimes indignant sometimes raw
can you imagine I pay him 75 dollars an hour sometimes
it feels like highway robbery
and sometimes it's peanuts
I wish it could last a couple more hours

so here we both are battling similar demons (not coincidentally)
you see n getting beyond knowing it solely intellectually you're not relinquishing your majestry
you are wise you are warm you are courageous you are big
and I love you more now than I ever have in my whole life





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Morissette, Alanis The Couch Comments
  1. N.... G....

    "It was much harder in those days / we had paper routes uphill both ways"
    A perfect satire on the perspective of life's hardships through the lens of elderly eyes.

  2. C.... M....

    Esse som é uma pintura!

  3. F.... L....

    Makes me cry every time

  4. J.... P....

    I learned to love this song after a conversation with a friend in which I criticized the song for saying it was bland, and he defended it by saying it was simple but rich with a gradually growing and deep arrangement. I started to listen with "other eyes". This album is one, if not my favorite. Love! Alanis was super inspired after returning if her trip to India. lol Never again either ... Unfortunately.

  5. T.... B....

    So self conscious on the couch

  6. C.... C....

    My biological died "in the arms of his lover"...heroin.

  7. r.... ....

    Weird thing is, i haven't found any analysis (articles or even on wikipedia) of her lyrical style anywhere. I mean the way she crams so much deep, almost scientific text into most of her songs, the way she ignores accentuation, the way she kinda forces the words into the music, "force-rhymes" most of it... The density of the lyrical content. Etc, etc

  8. L.... D....

    in love with this song

  9. C.... W....

    This song has saved my life.

  10. D.... R....

    A lot of people have given this disc a lot of crap and I never understood why. There are some really good songs on infatuation junkie, including this one.

    D.... R....

    It's beyond them, they can't access those emotions in themselves, are in denial, it's too deep

  11. r.... ....

    Loudly singing along, grasping every word until i got to the last bit. "You are wise, you are warm
    You are courageous, you are big
    And I love you more now, than I ever have in my whole life"...i'm actually crying.

  12. r.... g....

    one of the best songs ever

  13. L.... P....

    "So here we both are battling similar demons (not coincidentally)
    You see in getting beyond knowing it solely intellectually you're not  relinquishing your majestry
    You are wise you are warm you are courageous you are big
    And i love you more now than i ever have in my whole life...."

  14. i.... ....

    Amazing lyrics

  15. W.... O....

    As of today, this album is officially 20 years old! I remember making it a point to go and grab it up the day it was released. Nov. 3, 1998 - Nov. 3, 2018: how time passes quickly!

  16. R.... B....

    You hadn't seen your father in such a long time
    He died in the arms of his lover how dare he
    Your mother never left the house
    She never married anyone else you took it upon yourself to console her

    You reminded her so much of your father
    So you were banished and you wonder why you're so hypersensitive
    And why you can't trust anyone but us
    But then how can i begin to forgive her so many years under bridges with dirty  water
    She was foolish and selfish and cowardly if you ask me

    I don't know where to begin in all of my 50 odd years
    I have been silently suffering and adapting perpetuating and enduring
    Who are you younger generation to tell me that i have unresolved problems
    Not many examples of fruits of this type of excruciating labour

    How can you just throw words around like grieve and heal and mourn
    I feel fine we may not have been born as awake as you were
    It was much harder in those days we had paper routes uphill both ways
    We went from school to a job to a wife to instant parenthood

    I walked into his office i felt so self-conscious on the couch
    He was sitting down across from me he was writing down his hypothesis i don't  know
    I've got a loving supportive wife who doesn't know how involved she should get
    You say his interjecting was him just calling me on my shit?

    Just the other day my sweet daughter i was driving past 203 i walked up the  stars in my minds eyes
    I remember how they would creak loudly
    She was only responsive with a drink he was only responsive by photo
    I was only trying to be the best big brother i could

    I've walked sometimes confused sometimes ready to crack open wide
    Sometimes indignant sometimes raw
    Can you imagine i pay him 75 dollars an hour sometimes
    It feels like highway robbery
    And sometimes it's peanuts
    I wish it could last a couple more hours

    So here we both are battling similar demons (not coincidentally)
    You see in getting beyond knowing it solely intellectually you're not  relinquishing your majestry
    You are wise you are warm you are courageous you are big
    And i love you more now than i ever have in my whole life

  17. C.... J....

    When the OCD music conspiracy falls apart, we still see it come together

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVIA21Q2UwHLo_J4_RmP15hT0RPHUDao4

  18. P.... ....

    Great great song..

  19. S.... H....

    This song has such a dark and moody feel to it . Love it x

  20. A.... M....

    amazing song ✨🌟

  21. D.... ....

    what a great song of a fantastic Album :)

  22. P.... J....

    This song crazy good

  23. S.... H....

    Imagine being able to put words together to make a story then put it into a song . Brilliant

  24. A.... A....

    I think is one of the best songs I've ever heard!

  25. G.... D....

    I love you Alanis Morissette

  26. D.... ....

    Do I hear TNT for the brain under this or am I going nuts.....

    D.... ....

    Yep, Enigma

  27. m.... 1....

    It was much harder in those days. We had paper routes uphill both ways.

  28. c.... p....

    sosn save our security # network

    c.... p....

    I saved my mom's security #. It comes handy when I have to have her info. for something pertaining to me that requires a shit ton of paperwork from her when I don't really feel like walking her through it since her level of literacy in written English and limited ability to grasp subtext in the language's written form (English is not her first language) often times makes it a frustrating hassle to walk her through it when I can just fill in what I know and only end up having to ask her at most three questions in a more straight-forward reiteration of the original question -- and in her first language to boot -- to get things under way. She's aware I have her security # and doesn't seem to mind. She's had my my # most of my life so I guess she earned my trust with it (by not screwing me over, though she did have a jerk of an ex that ran up a $1000.00 phone bill when I was 18, but I understand how that can be and don't hold it against her to the point of utter distrust) and I hers, in the end.

  29. i.... h....

    i love you Alanis. THIS ALBUM BEST!

  30. D.... P....

    Despertar después de haber soñado toda la Noche con esto .....

  31. G.... ....

    I love Alanis since her beginnig <3

  32. T.... S....

    a great album. she makes me think man. i want to be just lie her and play guitar

    T.... S....

    Do it! It's easy to start

  33. n.... ....

    jenny,my number is still the sameness, we can meet at the Orpheus statue someday.

  34. A.... ....

    i love the risks she took in this whole album, this song's a great example cause it doesn't follow the popular song structure, there's no chorus in it

    A.... ....

    +KurtFan69 typically Alanis....she did that from this album on

  35. B.... J....

    what would be healthy to you??  i am competlyoff of street drugs all of the i am workinfg on caffeen right now i exersize and i read my bibile and a book everyday.  i clean my house do my own laundry and dishes cook for myself  i get ready every day,,  drive my self to the store to the doctor??  pay my bills every month??   Abiflify does wonders.  so what is healthy for you??   i even found a church and go often. 

  36. S.... ....

    I remember hating this song when I first heard it because it was so uncomfortable, atmosphere-wise. Nowadays it's among my absolute favourite Alanis songs.

  37. R.... ....

    temazoooooo

  38. C.... H....

    Could almost be the theme song to a James Bond film!!!

  39. K.... ....

    I love that song! That CD is probably her best.

    K.... ....

    Kasta1905 tried it yet?

  40. A.... B....

    meraviglioso questo album,come del resto capolavori tutti i suoi.

  41. F.... M....

    genial el mejor disco de alanis

  42. A.... M....

    Wow, this song rocks me every time i hear it.....WoW!!