Mean To Me
Neil Finn
She came all the way from America
She had a blind date with destiny
And the sound of Te Awamutu
Had a truly sacred ring
Now her parents are divorced,
And her friends committing suicide
I could not escape
A plea from the heart
You know what it means to me
She said don't walk away
I'm down on my knees
Oh please don't be mean to me
So I talked to you for an hour
In the bar of a small town motel
And you asked me what I was thinking
I was thinking of a padded cell
With a black and white TV
To stop us from getting lonely
I could not escape
A plea from the heart
You know what it means to me
She said don't walk away
I'm down on my knees
So please don't be mean to me
No, I could not escape
A plea from the heart
Mysterious sympathy
I couldn't wait for a chance
To walk out the door
You know what it means to me
I saw you lying in the arms of a poet
I heard him tell you ta... tantalizing lies
Well what'd'ya, what'd'ya know?
I could not escape
You're down on the floor
You know what it means to me
I couldn't wait for a chance
To walk out the door
Mean...
You know what it means
In the arms of a poet
You know what it means
Song appears on:
Crowded House - Crowded House (1986 debut album)
Live: Fangradio broadcasts 2020-2021
“It was two songs we flung together in LA. The verse was written on a tour of New Zealand I did with Dave Dobbyn under the absolutely shocking moniker of The Party Boys.
We played Palmerston North and this girl turned up from America. She’d written to my parents to say she was coming to New Zealand, was a massive Split Enz fan, would it be possible for me to meet her, it would be the fulfilment of a dream. A really over-the-top letter.
I met her and had 10 minutes with her. Then I came back later and she was dancing with Gary McCormick, so I wrote those lines in which I did intimate they’d got it on. She bailed me up in LA about three years later and was most upset. She swears she didn’t. I felt chastened by that.”
