--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's an old blues refrain: I begged…" description: "\"There's an old blues refrain: I begged for water, you gave me gasoline.\" — Forrest Gander" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/forrest-gander-47685_gasoline_there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-fo_1193979.png" --- # There's an old blues refrain: I begged for water, you gave… ![“There's an old blues refrain: I begged for water, you gave me gasoline.” quote by Forrest Gander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/forrest-gander-47685_gasoline_there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-fo_1193979.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/forrest-gander-47685_gasoline_there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-fo_1193979.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/forrest-gander-47685_gasoline_there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-fo_1193979.png) > “There's an old blues refrain: I begged for water, you gave me gasoline.” [Forrest Gander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-gander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A paradoxical exchange where a basic need is met with something harmful. **In simple terms:** Water request met with gasoline. Key Takeaway Beware of harmful substitutes. Themes paradox need danger trust Mood cautious critical Type philosophical warning When to use this quote - relationships - addiction - resource scarcity - emotional manipulation Key Concepts dependency misdirection vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - When have you received a harmful solution? - How can you identify toxic exchanges? A Different Perspective Not all offers are beneficial; discernment needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/and-god-opened-her-eyes-and-she-saw-a-well-of-water-and-she-went-and/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [“I am what the water gave me, / a smoke-ring in a jar, / the braided rope / my ladder-to-the-light, / my shivering bird heart / caught”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pascale-petit/i-am-what-the-water-gave-me-a-smoke-ring-in-a-jar-the-braided-rope-my/) Pascale Petit > [“They turn the water off, so I live without water, they build walls higher, so I live without treetops, they paint the windows black,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-santiago-baca/they-turn-the-water-off-so-i-live-without-water-they-build-walls/) [Jimmy Santiago Baca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-santiago-baca/) > [I could have begged. They made it obvious to me that if I wanted to come back and be a good boy... but I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-amos/i-could-have-begged-they-made-it-obvious-to-me-that-if-i-wanted-to/) [John Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-amos/) > [“Ren? I begged. Please don't leave me. You are in my heart. Always. His warm voice whispered softly and then faded away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-houck/ren-i-begged-please-don-t-leave-me-you-are-in-my-heart-always-his/) [Colleen Houck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-houck/) > [It would’ve been easier to die. It’s not that I want to be dead now. I don’t. I have a lot in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/it-would-ve-been-easier-to-die-it-s-not-that-i-want-to-be-dead-now-i/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Don't leave me," I begged, when I found air to speak. Kellan wrapped his arms around me just as tight. Voice cracking he murmured,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-stephens/don-t-leave-me-i-begged-when-i-found-air-to-speak-kellan-wrapped-his/) [S.C. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-c-stephens/) > [“This isn't coffee," I accused immediately as the rich smell of chocolate met my nose, making me almost want to groan. Okay, I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-gadziala/this-isn-t-coffee-i-accused-immediately-as-the-rich-smell-of/) [Jessica Gadziala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-gadziala/) > [I begged my mom to let me start skating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debi-thomas/i-begged-my-mom-to-let-me-start-skating/) [Debi Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debi-thomas/) > [“They looked at me and asked me to be merciful; they did not command, they begged ... asking for the pity that lay dormant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baroness-orczy/they-looked-at-me-and-asked-me-to-be-merciful-they-did-not-command/) [Baroness Orczy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baroness-orczy/) > [“My mind wanted to slow time down while my body longed to race toward release. Not really a bad problem to have. Eventually, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-mind-wanted-to-slow-time-down-while-my-body-longed-to-race-toward/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“One kiss,” he murmured against her cheek. The tight knot within him begged for release. She swallowed. “I…do… don’t know.” “I will nae beg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-morgan/one-kiss-he-murmured-against-her-cheek-the-tight-knot-within-him/) [Mary Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-morgan/) > ["Lay the knife at the tips of your fingers," Rob commanded. "So close youcan feel the blade against your skins. Then cut the shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/lay-the-knife-at-the-tips-of-your-fingers-rob-commanded-so-close/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“Come back to me,” I begged, the tear slipping over my eye and gliding down my cheek.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/come-back-to-me-i-begged-the-tear-slipping-over-my-eye-and-gliding/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [“He caught hold of my hand. “Sydney, please don’t do this,” he begged. “No matter how confident you feel, no matter how careful you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/he-caught-hold-of-my-hand-sydney-please-don-t-do-this-he-begged-no/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) ## More by Forrest Gander > [“The break-hard determination to be a good person, what happened to that? How is it true I have to go now? She's lost my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/the-break-hard-determination-to-be-a-good-person-what-happened-to/) [Forrest Gander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-gander/) > [“Let me tell you something about meditation. At the absolute center, is the vortex we are spun from like clay, there is a shaping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/let-me-tell-you-something-about-meditation-at-the-absolute-center-is/) [Forrest Gander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-gander/) > [I have lost the consolation of faith/ though not the ambition to worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/i-have-lost-the-consolation-of-faith-though-not-the-ambition-to/) [Forrest Gander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-gander/) > [Robert Creeley has forged a signature style in American poetry, an idiosyncratic, highly elliptical, syntactical compression by which the character of his mind’s concentrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/robert-creeley-has-forged-a-signature-style-in-american-poetry-an/) [Forrest Gander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-gander/) > [In mauve sea-orchids as in her striking earlier book Guardians of the Secret, Lila Zemborain brings into relationship the viscera of the body and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/in-mauve-sea-orchids-as-in-her-striking-earlier-book-guardians-of-the/) [Forrest Gander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-gander/) > [“Love solves nothing, but your love made me appear to myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/love-solves-nothing-but-your-love-made-me-appear-to-myself/) [Forrest Gander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-gander/) [Explore all 7 Forrest Gander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-gander/) ## More Gasoline quotes > [Gasoline inventories are tighter than they were a few weeks ago. 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Social media is gasoline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kahn/content-is-fire-social-media-is-gasoline/) Ryan Kahn > [Democrats are fighting for a new direction that includes protecting Social Security as well as making healthcare affordable, bringing down the high cost of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-clyburn/democrats-are-fighting-for-a-new-direction-that-includes-protecting/) [Jim Clyburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-clyburn/) > [Words matter. Words can be a fire to the gasoline of disturbed minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/words-matter-words-can-be-a-fire-to-the-gasoline-of-disturbed-minds/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) Browse all 252 Gasoline quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's an old blues refrain: I begged for water, you gave me gasoline.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Forrest Gander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-for-water-you-gave-me-gasoline/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gasoline" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-for-water-you-gave-me-gasoline/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/forrest-gander-47685_gasoline_there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-fo_1193979.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/forrest-gander-47685_gasoline_there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-fo_1193979.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/forrest-gander-47685_gasoline_there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-fo_1193979.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's an old blues refrain: I begged for water, you gave me gasoline.” — Forrest Gander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Forrest Gander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-gander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's an old blues refrain: I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-for-water-you-gave-me-gasoline/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-gander/there-s-an-old-blues-refrain-i-begged-for-water-you-gave-me-gasoline/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```