Lyrics
You wash them clothes
You engage in the task of washing clothes
Swee dee dee
Expression or sound of affirmation, like a humming or singing while working ("Swee dee dee")
And hang 'em on the line
You hang the washed clothes on the line to dry
I can see by the way
I can infer from the way you wash clothes
You wash them clothes
Repetition of line 1, emphasizing the observation of washing clothes
Your cookin' must be fine
If you're good at washing, your cooking skills must also be excellent
I'm with you in the morning
I'm present with you in the morning
'Til the break of day
Continuing the commitment until the break of day
And I know everybody
Acknowledging the shared experience of facing challenges
Has a little hard luck
Everyone encounters difficulties at times
Sometimes
Reiteration of the universal nature of hardship
And I know lately
Acknowledging a personal period of difficulty
I've been havin' mine
Expressing a recent experience of adversity
We used to live
Recalling a past living situation in a rundown apartment
In a fleabag apartment
Describing the type of apartment as substandard or infested
You know the kind
Confirmation of the living conditions
And he come home and he'd say to me
Quoting a partner's statement about leaving the city
"We gotta leave, leave, leave the city"
Repetition of the urgency to leave the city
You wash them clothes
Reiteration of the act of washing clothes
Swee dee dee
Repetition of the affirmative sound ("Swee dee dee")
And hang 'em on the line
Repeating the action of hanging clothes to dry
I can see by the way you wash them clothes
Confirmation based on the observed way of washing clothes
Your cookin' must be fine
Reiteration of the belief that good washing implies good cooking
I'm with you in the morning
Restating the presence in the morning until daybreak
Untill the break of day
Repeating the commitment until the break of day
I know everybody
Acknowledging the shared experience of facing challenges
Has a little hard luck
Restating the common occurrence of hardship
Sometimes
Reiteration of the universal nature of difficulties
I know lately
Confirming a recent personal experience of adversity
I've been havin' mine
Expressing a continued period of personal difficulty
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