“That I Would Be Good” by Alanis Morissette

Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Maverick
1998

When God calls something good it’s a moment of grace—complete acceptance. The narrator in this song wonders if her life can receive that judgment of worth. She’s seeking grace, for God to love her regardless of her efforts or lack of efforts. The narrator suggests a series of life circumstances in which she might find herself. In each case she asks if God will accept her.

That I would be good

Even if I did nothing

That I would be good

Even if I got a thumbs-down

That I would be good

If I got and stayed sick

That I would be good

Even if I gained ten pounds

That I would be fine

Even if I went bankrupt

That I would be good

If I lost my hair and my youth

That I would be great

If I was no longer queen

That I would be grand

If I was not all-knowing

That I would be loved

Even when I numb myself

That I would be good

Even when I'm overwhelmed

That I would be loved

Even when I was fuming

That I would be good

Even if I was clingy

That I would be good

Even if I lost sanity

That I would be good

With or without you

Interpretation

That I would be good
Even if I did nothing
The first line of this couplet introduces the desire for grace even if the narrator does nothing. She wonders if God will deem her worthy of value if she makes no effort to be "good".

That I would be good
Even if I got a thumbs-down
“Thumbs-down” refers to a negative response from people in general or one person in particular. The narrator questions if God will reject her as have other people.

That I would be good
If I got and stayed sick
Society marginalizes people with mental and physical handicaps or diseases and the narrator asks if God sees people that way or calls them “good” despite their sickness.

That I would be good
Even if I gained ten pounds
Here the narrator wants to know if God will call her “good” even if her physical appearance becomes unattractive by society’s standards; something as trivial as gaining “ten pounds”.

That I would be fine
Even if I went bankrupt
The first line in this couplet changes here to “fine” and sees the narrator asking if she can trust God even if she becomes destitute or “bankrupt”. “Fine” then refers to physical needs and brings to mind Matthew 6:26-34 where Jesus describes how God will provide for us in our need just as birds and flowers are cared for.

That I would be good
If I lost my hair and my youth
This couplet returns to using the original “good”. The narrator recognizes that society places less value on elderly people and asks if God will value her in old age (when she is without her “hair and [her] youth”) even when society will not.

That I would be great
If I was no longer queen
The first line in this couplet switches to “great” and the narrator wonders if God will see her as famous (if God will put her on a pedestal) when her worldly fame fades; when she is “no longer queen”.

That I would be grand
If I was not all-knowing
The first line switches to “grand” in this couplet implying that even when the narrator makes mistakes (when she is “not all-knowing”) she can trust in God and find peace; she can be “grand”.

That I would be loved
Even when I numb myself
The first line in this couplet changes again this time to “loved”. The narrator wonders if God will love her even if she is “numbed”. The numbing could refer to substances, experiences, depression, or anything else that would dull the narrator’s mind to God.

That I would be good
Even when I'm overwhelmed
The first line reverts to “good” here and describes the narrator’s hope that God will value her even when she doesn’t have her life under control; when she is “overwhelmed”.

That I would be loved
Even when I was fuming
Back to “loved” in this couplet. The narrator hopes that God loves her even when she loses her temper; even when she is “fuming” at God.

That I would be good
Even if I was clingy
Back to “good” here. The image painted in this couplet is one of a child hanging on to a parent. The narrator wonders if God dislikes her when she is “clingy” and needy.

That I would be good
Even if I lost sanity
This couplet is the narrator concluding her list of life situations in which she might find herself and in which she wonders if God will love her and value her. Here the situation is the loss of “sanity”. This could mean actual clinical insanity or living life in a way that makes the world think she has gone off the deep end. If we truly follow God the latter will be the case.

That I would be good
With or without you
The narrator longs for this final statement to be true. She wants to see value in herself; the same value God saw in creation. The whole song has been her hoping God finds value in her but now, even without God, she hopes her life has worth.