What does December mean?

Collective Soul: December Meaning

Album cover for December album cover

December Lyrics

Why drink the water
from my hand?
Contagious as you think I am
Just tilt my sun towards
your domain.
Your cup runneth over again.

Don't scream about
Don't think aloud
Turn your head now baby
Just spit me out
Don't worry about
Don't...

Write an interpretation

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    Chrissa
    click a star to vote
     Jan 8th 2018 !⃝

    This is such a great song and the lyrics are amazing! But I hear something totally different from anything I've read so far. So, here is my take on it:

    "Why drink the water from my hand?
    Contagious as you think I am" -
    This song is about being used! He is with someone who is a complainer and blamer and he's saying, if I'm so messed up (according to her), if you're so sick of me, then why are you still with me??? But he knows why...

    "Just tilt my sun towards
    your domain.
    Your cup runneth over again." He's the "provider", famous, wealthy, he has all the "goodies" and he's aware that she's not so much into him but is only really into what he can give her!!!

    "Don't scream about - Don't think aloud - Turn your head now baby Just spit me out - Don't worry about - don't speak of doubt
    Turn your head now, baby, just spit me out

    She bitches (a lot!) and is critical of him, she complains and is ungrateful and he's just offering her a solution to her woes and unhappiness; Babe, If I'm so bad, if your sooo miserable, then dump me!!! [spit me out]!

    "Why follow me to higher ground?
    Lost as you swear I am
    Don't throw away your basic needs
    Ambiance and vanity"

    Again he asks, if I'm so bad, so messed up, why are you still with me?
    And then he calls her out, he says he knows what's meaningful to her, she's shallow and she only cares about looking good, not about him. She "needs" to impress people in order to be happy and content and she needs HIM to buy all of the stuff that will make her look great (Ambiance and vanity = mansions, luxury cars, expensive clothes, jewelry, etc.) He's onto her now and unwilling to play her game anymore.

    The rest of the lyrics play along this same theme. The bottom line is, he's sick of her whining and complaining and treating him like he's the one who is messed up when it's really she who is twisted, self-centered and shallow.

    Like I said, AMAZING lyrics.

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Mar 31st 2023 !⃝

    Chrissa,

    I get the same interpretation you do... therefore we must both be damaged lol The very first time I heard this, I was going through my second divorce, so the meaning you speak of was obvious to me.

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Feb 19th 2022 !⃝

    Lets not forget this is a song about Faith. Nothing about it suggests sex at all. It's about rejection. Who or what. For me love ones when I ask state I have done nothing wrong and yet I'm the shit that goes wrong and all are still here as a constant reminder that I am the problem.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Mar 22nd 2020 !⃝

    This a song about love, betrayal and usury. Love first, betrayal during, followed by usury. Have you not been there with someone you loved who used you to the max? The rude move of using someone for kith and kin while looking elsewhere for the love they truly seek is obsequious, mean and unforgivable. Tell the truth and go for God's sake.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Jan 28th 2020 !⃝

    Geez,

    It's all of the above. That is what makes this song resonate with all of us. We have church, oral sex, love and loss, then hate.

    Then maybe if we are lucky a resolution or forgiveness.

    Deep, Deep, Deep baby.

    X

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Nov 21st 2018 !⃝

    the person singing the song is truth. So many people say one thing but mean another when all the while since trurh is dying to get out.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Jan 27th 2018 !⃝

    I think it's about Anne, Henry the eighth fourth wife! Stick with me here, their first meeting, which was in December, he was dressed in disguise and came and kissed her, and all she saw was a middle aged foul smelling overweight man and she pushed him away and then spat out his sloppy kiss. But she still married him and took his wealth and pretended all was alright. So it's maybe a stretch, but could have inspired the song! Jsit hope the band has a happier life than the fourth queen did...

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Dec 20th 2017 !⃝

    I am more inclined to agree with the religious interpretation. Turn your head and spit me out almost seems like a Christ reference. Eat of my body drink of my blood. Effectively saying if you don't agree or think me incorrect in what I say turn your head and spit me out. Can't swallow the truth or my interpretation of of it, spit it out. Last supper-ish
    Passover-ish. December. Although that's not Passover. Thought provoking song. But the basic idea it brings to mind upon first listen is blow job.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Nov 21st 2017 !⃝

    While it sounds like it's about a blowjob, I think it's really about negative feelings. It's basically telling you to take all that hate, fear and doubt and spit it out, get rid of it. Drinking water from contagious hands, that you know are contagious. That's humanity giving in to all that hate, fear, doubt even though we know it's bad and it spreads. He's telling us to get rid of that cycle. Maybe he should have been clearer so people don't think it's about oral sex. I could be wrong though.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Sep 27th 2017 !⃝

    The song is about a man reminiscing about important areas his life that are no longer applicable to him. He's doing this out loud while receiving a blowjob. When the person giving him a blowjob decides to contribute to the conversation his responses don't contribute don't think don't speak just start over

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Sep 19th 2017 !⃝

    I think it's about someone who tried Betelnut.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Jul 30th 2017 !⃝

    Its about a relationship. Feelings, forgiveness, apologetic. Asking to renew the time together. Don't look back , look forward.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Jan 11th 2017 !⃝

    I believe this song is an interpretation of how he feels like a poison or something bad for this person, maybe a follower of Christ, and is saying how he's poisoning their mind, and so he's saying, don't think about it, don't scream or freak out just spit me out. Bcuz in the first verse he compares himself to a contagious bowl, which the Bible says water tastes good but will make u sick if it's dirty. I'm sure there is sex involved. But not about blow jobs n shit. He's saying I'm bad for u, why r u following me? I'm bad for u. Just spit me out bcuz the water that I'm offering u from my dirty hands isn't good for u.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Feb 3rd 2014 !⃝

    The song is about getting a blowjob. Pretty obvious.

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Apr 19th 2013 !⃝

    I agree with one thought contributor who said religious based... Now , with all due fairness, I know that , as an artist, one many times, first acts on the initial inspiration, then steps back and looks/listens/reads what he has created, and says a delayed "Oh..." Not necessarily initiated by Collective Soul as " we're going to write a great, Christian-based song," ; but rather, "I have this cool tune runnin' round in my head..." They record it, and maybe some of the band members hear the message, others don't...
    The point is, each person takes from the written/sounded word what he needs,...but sometimes, just sometimes, the meaning comes glaringly clear that it came from God in the first place; but we, (listeners and artists alike , ) are only enabled to see the meaning when God deems us ready to see it...
    I see the song as Jesus talking...remember: in Isaiah, Jesus-the-Son of God is depicted as not easy to look upon,...and later in the Bible, he is "rejected in his own land", in spite of Who He really was/is, for goodness' sake...
    In these times, as easily as it is to talk about the latest horrific report on the news station, it would do us all well to speak doubly easily about God, Jesus, & the Holy spirit---the Trinity--There is no shame in faith with questions; there is shame in denial for the sake of status...


More Collective Soul songs »


 


Latest Articles

 


Submit Your Interpretation

[ want a different song? ]