Ever since I was a teenager, I've occasionally heard the charge that "I overanalyze things". Okay.

Recently with a group of coworkers I was blasted for actually listening to the lyrics of a song, something like "without you I'm nothin' baby", and remarking that the guy sounded like he had independence and self-esteem issues.

"It's just a song!" was the objection to actually listening and interpreting the lyrics. Well in that case I'd ask why in the hell they even have lyrics? Why not just make it an instrumental? Or if you want human voices, throw in a "blah, blah, blah" in the background.

I don't really take it to heart, but the constant charge of thinking about things too much does get pretty fucking old and annoying after a while. I figure most people think about things far too little, and this charge usually comes from these kinds of folks.

Sure, there is such as thing as overanalyzing, and certainly it can be unhealthy if you pick apart every word in everything you hear all day long.

But in the case of music particularly, the words are there for a reason. They tell a story or express a mood. The singer obviously has something to say. If I like what they have to say, it usually adds to the enjoyment of the song. If I think the lyrics are offensive or just inane, I'm less likely to like the song. If you want to listen to a song and ignore the lyrics, hey...go for it. But criticizing me for actually thinking about the stuff that goes in my eyes and ears is just stupid.