Deprecated: mysql_connect(): The mysql extension is deprecated and will be removed in the future: use mysqli or PDO instead in /home/penguin/mysql_connect.php on line 14
The Penguin Discography: I Know I'm Not Wrong




  - Advanced Search

    Song Title »
I Know I'm Not Wrong
    Authors »
Lindsey Buckingham

    Year Written »
1979

    Lyrics »

Her lips were waitin'
Her eyes looked sad
The dreams of a lifetime
A year gone bad
The dreams of a lifetime
Told me wrong
Everything is all right
And now it's gone
Don't blame me
Please be strong I know I'm not wrong

Here comes the nightime
Lookin' for a little more
Waitin' on the right time
Somebody outside the door
Don't blame me
Please be strong I know I'm not wrong.

    Fan Interpretation »

Contributors to this interpretation included: Dena, Miss Scarlett, Becky, Villavic, Stephanie M., Ryan, Drew, Barbara II, Lauren and Jessica.

Many Fleetwood Mac fans hold the album Tusk in high regard and believe that this effort gave birth to some of the group's most experimental, daring, and extraordinary music. This is especially true of "I Know I'm Not Wrong", a song from this album by Lindsey Buckingham. Many of the songs on Tusk were probably written during the Rumours tour era, or shortly thereafter. Band members have admitted that this was quite a tumultuous time for all involved. Lindsey and Stevie had "officially" broken off their relationship, but would have to continue to work together and be around each other. One could understand how this made the actual "break up" long and painful. The great majority of contributors agreed that this song is about Stevie. All contributors agreed that this song was definitely Lindsey writing about the personal experience of a breakup with a girlfriend.

At first listen, the bouncy beat of the piece and the music, which is energetic and non depressing, are what catches the ear. A closer look at Lindsey's lyrics, however, reveal a darker meaning containing sadness, bitterness, disbelief, and regret.

Her lips were waitin'
Her eyes looked sad
The dreams of a lifetime
A year gone bad
In the first two lines, Lindsey is referring to Stevie. Her eyes could have been sad for many reasons. She may have been emotionally drained from the Rumours tour and the breakup or this may have been Lindsey remembering the moment where Stevie broke things off for the final time. The relationship between Lindsey and Stevie was probably the most serious that each had ever had up to this point in their lives. Lindsey's "dreams of a lifetime" were musical and personal and obviously included Stevie. In fact, Stevie and Lindsey had been sacrificing and working on their musical dreams for so long that Lindsey probably never separated the two. As far as he thought, they would always be a team, even though they were also part of a group. He is in disbelief as he sings "a year gone bad". Its as if he can't believe that everything between he and Stevie has changed within this time. They still have music in common, but don't have each other.

The dreams of a lifetime
Told me wrong
Everything is alright
And now its gone
Here the dreams of a lifetime have "told" Lindsey wrong. He definitely expected things to turn out differently. He may even have felt that his dreams lied to him in that the things he thought were important turned out not to be. He and the group were hugely successful musically, but the relationship with Stevie was gone. He sings everything IS alright in the present tense. Maybe to Lindsey it seemed just like yesterday that things between he and Stevie were good "and now it's gone". He is still having a hard time comprehending what happened.

Don't blame me
Please be strong, I know I'm not wrong
The lyric "Don't blame me" is also in the Tusk song 'Not that Funny'. In this context he's probably saying that it's not all his fault things ended. He is asking Stevie not to be angry and not to place all of the blame on him or his expectations. He's asking them both to be strong. Although he's bewildered, he knows the breakup is the right thing.

Here comes the nighttime
Lookin' for a little more
Waitin' on the right time
Somebody outside the door
These lines are also in 'Not that Funny'. They obviously were important enough to Lindsey to be repeated. Some contributors felt these lines were about Lindsey and Stevie themselves --- that they were still flirtatious and maybe they were an on again off again item at this point. It is probable though, that these lines are about Stevie and Mick's affair. Although he may not have been told about it at this point, Lindsey knew what was going on behind the door. He may have seen their relationship as a bit superficial and may have thought that Mick was just "lookin' for a little more".

Don't blame me
Please be strong, I know I'm not wrong
Some felt that this last chorus took on a different meaning. He may have been asking Stevie not to be angry at him for what he's said about her and Mick's affair, because he knows he's right about it. On the other hand, Lindsey may have just been restating that he believes that their breakup was the right decision. The great contradiction here is that he knows that they're still going to have to spend a lot of time together, making it difficult to move on.

The essence of this song is quite possibly about their struggle to end their relationship once and for all.

(The interpretations to these lyrics were compiled through discussions on the message boards of the Penguin, The Ledge. It is entirely possible that the artists had something completely different in mind.)

    Tabs »
If you would like to submit tabs for this song, click here.

    Performances »
Performance #1:
Running Time 2:59
Sound Clip Listen.
Performers Stevie Nicks (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Guitars), Lindsey Buckingham (Vocals), Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Synthesizers), Christine McVie (Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Mick Fleetwood (Percussion), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By), Richard Dashut (Produced With), Ken Caillat (Produced With)
Appears On
Tusk (1979)
Fleetwood Mac
Tusk (Rhino Remastered Edition) (2004)
Fleetwood Mac
Performance #2:
Running Time 3:06
Performers Claude Bernard (Accordion), Jimmy Smith (Bass), Jimmy Smith (Vocals), The Gourds (Producer), Claude Bernard (Producer), Jimmy Smith (Producer)
Commentsby The Gourds
Appears On
Fleetwood Mac: Patron Saints Of Pop - An Apostilary Homage (1997)
Various Artists
Performance #3:
Running Time 2:59
Sound Clip Listen.
Performers Stevie Nicks (Vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (Guitars), Lindsey Buckingham (Vocals), Christine McVie (Keyboards), Christine McVie (Synthesizers), Christine McVie (Vocals), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums), Mick Fleetwood (Percussion), Fleetwood Mac (Produced By), Lindsey Buckingham (Produced By), Mick Fleetwood (Produced By), John McVie (Produced By), Christine McVie (Produced By), Stevie Nicks (Produced By), Richard Dashut (Produced With), Ken Caillat (Produced With)
Appears On
Tusk Special Radio Sampler (0000)
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac: Tusk (0000)
Warner Brothers Publications Inc.
Fleetwood Mac: Deluxe Anthology (0000)
Warner Brothers Publications Inc.

    Comments »

(C) 1979 Now Sound Music (ASCAP) Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. Used by Permission.

    Reviews »
Add your review of I Know I'm Not Wrong here.

5/5.05/5.05/5.05/5.05/5.0
Is this a remix or was I deaf in one ear?
Review written by Pete the Heat, April 20th, 2011

This album hit the racks when I was just out of high school, and I remember being pretty pumped (since I loved almost every song on Rumours). My elation turned to disappointment when I first heard it, as it was nothing like the mainstream pop of their recent work (and I thought the two radio hits, "Sara" and "Tusk", were pretty lame). But a few years later I decided to give it another try and fell in love with "I Know I'm Not Wrong". So I bought the vinyl, recorded it, and wore the oxide off three minutes of that tape. Just really great pop - a simple, straightforward Buckingham-only song.

Recently I remembered how much I loved this song and downloaded the MP3 (as remastered for CD) - and I was shocked. I don't remember any of the vocal chorus stuff at all - just LB, some guitar and a little synth - and that really ruined it for me. It just wasn't the same old awesome tune. I figured the album had been remixed to "improve" it (or just that song had been, to make it appear more of a full-group effort), and I left it buried on an MP3 compilation.

Now listening to that CD in my car tonight I happened to notice that the chorus was mostly in the right channel. So I turned the balance all the way left and - voila! - my favorite Mac song reappeared! Either I had been listening to only the left channel (heard in both channels?) or the "remastering" really mucked with the audible mix. I invite you to turn the balance all the way left, crank it up and enjoy the wonderful song that I fell in love with 25 years ago!

    Last Modified »
2009-07-23

    Discography Credits »
Lyrics contributed by Jeff Kenney and Marty Adelson.