OSOTM Question

[kato]

Does anyone know what "Doing the Best I Can"
is all about?
I'm pretty sure I know,kinda obvious I guess,it's one of my all time faves and I just want to be sure.
Thanks.

[diamondsnake]

I would say her addictions. "It was one for you, it was three for me" could be a reference to how she over-did-it with the cocaine. "Maybe next time I'll think about how I'm feeling" is obviously about drugs.

[catinthedark]

Yeah, I sort of always felt it was about her realizing she was in as bad shape as she was, and trying to recover.

[kato]

That's what I thought,but sometimes I can be about as sharp as a bag of wet mice.

[SapphireSister]

"I wrote this song to tell people that yes, I did suffer, and I have suffered but that I refuse to let the bad parts ruin my life and the good parts of my life be erased. So I said I'm just going to simply remove the bad parts and I'm coming out of a phase now, I think, where I was unhappy, and I was very lonely and I didn't feel if I exactly knew if I should still be here or not. Maybe I would be better off on the next plain, living a much more spiritual life, maybe. Saying 'in my distress, I wanted someone to blame me,' because people would go around me and like if I did something that wasn't right, they'd take the blame for it or they'd get me out of it. I'd get to the point where I'd go 'just get mad at me, it's my fault. I did it, nobody else did. I did it. Why are you blaming somebody else?' And it says 'in my devastation I wanted so much to change.' I did, I wanted so much to be happier because I was becoming more unhappy by the day and in my own way they only thing I had to depend on was disaster because it seemed like nobody would get off my back, nobody would leave me alone, nobody would keep their opinions to themselves. It was like most of the people I know are quite a bit younger than I am and I would want to say to them, 'you haven't been through what I've gone through, so please stop telling me what I should do!' It means let me do what I have to do. This is not your problem, this is my problem."
~Stevie Nicks, 1989

[lagringader&r]

Originally Posted by SapphireSister

"I wrote this song to tell people that yes, I did suffer, and I have suffered but that I refuse to let the bad parts ruin my life and the good parts of my life be erased. So I said I'm just going to simply remove the bad parts and I'm coming out of a phase now, I think, where I was unhappy, and I was very lonely and I didn't feel if I exactly knew if I should still be here or not. Maybe I would be better off on the next plain, living a much more spiritual life, maybe. Saying 'in my distress, I wanted someone to blame me,' because people would go around me and like if I did something that wasn't right, they'd take the blame for it or they'd get me out of it. I'd get to the point where I'd go 'just get mad at me, it's my fault. I did it, nobody else did. I did it. Why are you blaming somebody else?' And it says 'in my devastation I wanted so much to change.' I did, I wanted so much to be happier because I was becoming more unhappy by the day and in my own way they only thing I had to depend on was disaster because it seemed like nobody would get off my back, nobody would leave me alone, nobody would keep their opinions to themselves. It was like most of the people I know are quite a bit younger than I am and I would want to say to them, 'you haven't been through what I've gone through, so please stop telling me what I should do!' It means let me do what I have to do. This is not your problem, this is my problem."
~Stevie Nicks, 1989

Gawd, just reading that really affected me. Stevie had so many desperate moments and it's obvious from this quote that she contemplated suicide at some point (better off in the next plain). DTBIC is about that desperation, not only to get herself clean and healthy both physically and spiritually, but to also be left alone to do it. Not left alone physically, but left alone to work out her demons in her way and in her time.

One of the greatest things about Stevie is that she is a role model. She suffered for younger generations (like mine) to show us you can get back up from rock bottom. She just didn't realize she was setting herself up to be a role model when she was coked out of her mind. At least she can know now that all of that wasn't for nothing. I love this song, btw. And, I love this woman. Thanks for posting that quote.

[diamondsnake]

This should have been included on the Enchanted box set. I love the song and it seems like an important song in her catalog.

[lagringader&r]

Originally Posted by DeadliestPoison

Here's one of my faaaavorite quotes from her. She's totally out of it in the video clip of it.

"Well that's really the story of my life. That's the story, especially, of the last three years of my life. And I think I wrote that song, really, because I get tired of people telling me their opinions of what I do. Because I want to say to them, you know, 'You have no idea what I live with. You have no idea what my life is like. You have no idea the responsibility that I feel to people or the guilt that I carry around with me. Or... how much I want to please everybody and how hard I try to please everybody and make everybody happy. It's very difficult. I mean.. it's aging. And, uh... 'Doing The Best I Can' sort of... says... 'Get off my back,' basically. 'I am doing... the best... that I can. And I have been doing the best I can for as long as I can remember. So either give me a break or leave me alone.

"And it's a very serious song, I mean, there's, I mean -- it's sad, I mean... 'In my distress, I wanted someone to blame me.' 'In my...you know, In my own way, disaster was the only thing I could depend on.' I mean that's... that's pretty down in the very depths of despair, which is pretty much where I was when I wrote the song. Which meant... 'I cannot take all of this advice... and go on living with all of you. You've got to let me grow up and leave me to my own decisions. I'm a grown-up. I'm not a child.'"

Wow. Am I the only one that almost cried reading this?

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by diamondsnake

This should have been included on the Enchanted box set. I love the song and it seems like an important song in her catalog.

I was very disappointed that it wasn't included... and I agree that it's a very important song in her oeuvre. In fact, I think it pretty well sums up the "Klonopin Years."

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by lagringader&r

Wow. Am I the only one that almost cried reading this?

I think one of the reasons I "feel" for Stevie, is because I recognize that she's a "people pleaser," too.
And I know from experience that it is aging. Tougher yet is when you finally decide to start doing things to make yourself happier, and all of those people who got so used to you bending over backwards to appease them, start resenting you.

"But it's all right, baby, I'm doing the best that I can...."

[lagringader&r]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I think one of the reasons I "feel" for Stevie, is because I recognize that she's a "people pleaser," too.
And I know from experience that it is aging. Tougher yet is when you finally decide to start doing things to make yourself happier, and all of those people who got so used to you bending over backwards to appease them, start resenting you.

"But it's all right, baby, I'm doing the best that I can...."

Well said and so true.

[paperflowers]

Originally Posted by lagringader&r

Wow. Am I the only one that almost cried reading this?

Nope,
smothered with TOO MUUUUCH LOVE
wow...just...wow

[paperflowers]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I think one of the reasons I "feel" for Stevie, is because I recognize that she's a "people pleaser," too.
And I know from experience that it is aging. Tougher yet is when you finally decide to start doing things to make yourself happier, and all of those people who got so used to you bending over backwards to appease them, start resenting you.

"But it's all right, baby, I'm doing the best that I can...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
perfectly said from one people pleaser to another.

I know when I decided I HAD to stop or I would be empty I was labeled a B1tch. That was very hard for someone, like me and maybe like Stevie who put allot of effort into appeasing others. I lost friends that I never ever thought would turn against me. The same friends that I helped see threw their tough times, a real eye opener

I think another aspect about what Stevie is saying is that she was getting advised and pamper to death. She wanted someone to blame her.. that lyric just speaks volumes to me.
OSOTM ranks #2 in my favorite list and one of the reasons is this emotionally raw and candid song.

[darklinensuit]

I like the song & wish she'd do it live. Love how it builds.

- Jake