Goin' Down

About Goin' Down

"Goin' Down" is a song by the American pop rock band the Monkees, written by all four members of the group along with Diane Hildebrand, and was first released as the B-side to the "Daydream Believer" single on Colgems Records on 25 October 1967 in support of the band's fifth album, The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees (see 1967 in music). It is the only composition recorded by the Monkees that is credited to all its members, and managed to bubble under the Billboard Hot 100 upon its distribution. Lyrically, "Goin' Down" describes a man whose relationship has ended, and he attempts to "end it all" by leaping into the river to be dragged away in the current. He immediately regrets the decision and comes to a self-realization before coming to shore in New Orleans to partake in its "swingin' scenes". It features energetic, rapid lead vocals by Micky Dolenz, and big band influences that are melded into the pop song, with the arrangements organized by jazz musician Shorty Rogers. With "Daydream Believer", as the song's A-side, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, "Goin' Down" managed to chart at number 104 nationally. Since its release, the composition has become a staple of the Monkees' touring setlists, with a live version of the song appearing on the album 2001: Live in Las Vegas. An extended rendition of "Goin' Down" also appears on the deluxe version of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., Greatest Hits, The Best of the Monkees, and Extended Versions. In 2012, the composition met with controversy for its unexpected use in the television show, Breaking Bad. Dolenz, who was unaware an abridged version of "Goin' Down" was to be featured on the show, commented, "'Goin' Down' has nothing to do with drugs, obviously. And I certainly don't condone meth — that is nasty stuff that kills a lot of people and ruins a lot of lives. ... On the other hand, I like the TV show, it's very well-made. … And no, I didn't make a penny". more »

Year:

1995

4:25

350 Views

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Sock it to me
Floatin' down the river with a saturated liver
And I wish I could forgive her
But I do believe she meant it
When she told me to forget it
And I bet she will regret it
When they find me in the morning wet and drowned
And the word gets 'round
Goin' down
Goin' down

Comin' up for air, it's pretty stuffy under there there
I'd like to say I didn't care
But I forgot to leave a note
And it's so hard to stay afloat
I'm soakin' wet without a boat
And I knew I should have taken off my shoes
It's front page news
Goin' down
Goin' down

Hey, hey
Hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey

I wish I had another drink
It wouldn't be so hard to sink
I should have taken time to think
Besides I got the picture straight
She must have had another date
I didn't need this extra weight
I wish that I could see the way to shore
I don't want no more
Goin' down, I'm goin' down

And now I see the life I led
I slept it all away in bed
I should have learned how to swim instead 
And now it's really got me stumped
I can't believe I really jumped
I'd like to get my tummy pumped
I can't believe they drink this stuff in town
This dirty brown, goin' down
Goin' down
I'm goin' down
Goin' down, hey, hey
I'm down
Goin' down
Goin' down
Goin' down
Goin' down
Goin' down

I wished I'd looked before I leaped
I didn't know it was so deep
Been down so far I don't get wet
I haven't touched the bottom yet
This river scene is gettin' old
I'm hungry, sleepy, wet and cold
She told me to forget it nice
I should have taken her advice
I only want to go on home
I'd gladly leave that girl alone
What a way to spend the night
If I don't drown, I'll die of fright
My pappy taught me how to float
But I can't swim a single note
He threw me in to teach me how
I stayed there floatin' like a mama cow
And now I've floated way downstream
Know this has to be a dream
If I could find my way to shore
I'd never, never do this anymore
I'll give you three, I've been down nine
I'm goin' down just one more time
Goin' down
Goin' down
Goin' down
Goin' down
I'm goin' down
Goin' down
Goin' down
Goin' down
I'm goin' down
I'm goin' back home
Back home to my friends
Back under the warm
And I can do with it, too

Now the sky is gettin' light
An everythng will be all right
Think I finally got the knack
Just floatin' here lazy on my back
I never really liked that town
I think I'll ride the river down
Just movin' slow and floatin' free
There's a river swinging under me
Waving back to the folks on shore
I should have thought of this before
I'm floatin' on down to New Orleans
And pick up on some swingin' scenes
I'm gonna know a better day
I'm goin' down groovin' all the way
Goin' down
Go-go-go-in' down
I'm goin' down, back, back, back
I'm goin' back, back, back home
I'm go-goin' down, hey, hey, hey, hey
Goin' on down, hey, hey, hey, hey
Go, go, goin' down
I'm goin' down
Goin' down, go, go
Oh, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to
Got to go
Got to go, got to go back home, I'm goin' down
Down, down, down, down, down, down, down the river now
I gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go

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The Monkees

The Monkees are an American pop band that released music under their original incarnation between 1966 and 1970, with subsequent reunion albums and tours in the decades that followed. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1965 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966–1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, and Englishman Davy Jones. The band's music was initially supervised by producer Don Kirshner. more »

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