Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Missy Higgins
Canonical path: /missy-higgins/how-was-i-to-know
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
How Was I To Know
Read How Was I To Know lyrics by Missy Higgins on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
How Was I To Know
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
When the order came to dig the well
To crack the earth to pull the oil
To take the blood out from my mother's veins
Well I broke the ground to feed the mouth
I did not here the warning sound
I could not put back in what I took out
How was I to know
How was I to know
I'd be a stepping stone
To the end
The end of everything
How was I to know
On the day I built a house so high
It's antenna did scrape the sky
Well everyone applauded in my shadow
So my neighbour built a higher one
Then again his neighbour after him
Till racing through the clouds was all that mattered
Up and up the buildings went
Glass and stone and hard cement
Till all the green was left to die below
How was I to know
How was I to know
I'd be a stepping stone
To the end
The end of everything
The end of everything
How was I to know
Long ago I caught a pretty fish
Blue and silver and delicious
And I knew she'd line my pockets green
So I bought a bigger boat that had
A net to scrape the ocean and
I fished until one day that net was empty
How was I to know
How was I to know
I'd be a stepping stone
To the end
The end of everything
How was I to know
And how are we to now
Turn these stepping stones around
Back to everything that matters
Can that place even be found or is it lost
Forever
The end of everything
The end of everything
How was I to know?
How was I to know?
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "How Was I To Know"?
Missy Higgins performs "How Was I To Know", and this lyric page sits inside the Missy Higgins catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "How Was I To Know"?
Yes. The related section below points to Blackfella / Whitefella (feat. Crystal Itjuwalyi Butcher) and Any Day Now with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Missy Higgins?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Missy Higgins's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on How Was I To Know yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.