Donald Fagen and Walter Becker didn’t make deciphering Steely Dan‘s 1972 single “Do It Again” easy. Released on the band’s breakthrough debut album Can’t Buy a Thrill, the song opens on an aggressive front then transitions to a cheating partner and also moves into addiction.
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In the mornin’ you go gunnin’ for the man who stole your water
And you fire ’til he is done in but they catch you at the border
And the mourners are all singin’ as they drag you by your feet
But the hangman isn’t hangin’ and they put you on the street
You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin’ ’round and ’round
You go back, Jack, do it again
When you know she’s no high climber then you find your only friend
In a room with your two-timer, and you’re sure you’re near the end
Then you love a little wild one and she brings you only sorrow
All the time you know she’s smilin’ you’ll be on your knees tomorrow, yeah
‘Go Back’
The chorus—You go back, Jack, do it again—”Do It Again” is an anthem of tenacity, regardless of the confrontation, the heartbreak, or the struggle with addiction.
You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin’ ’round and ’round
You go back, Jack, do it again
Now you swear and kick and beg us that you’re not a gamblin’ man
Then you find you’re back in Vegas with a handle in your hand
Your black cards can make you money so you hide them when you’re able
In the land of milk and honey, you must put them on the table
[RELATED: Listen: Steely Dan Once Wrote a Jingle for Schlitz Beer in the 1970s]
Covered Up
Also Steely Dan’s debut single, “Do It Again” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 6. Since its release, the song has resurfaced in many iterations for more than 50 years with covers by everyone from Waylon Jennings, Tori Amos, Smash Mouth, and even Lydia Lunch.
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