There are a lot of things going on in this song. The title and the chorus revolve around the almost-universally accepted fact that the question "How are you?" never really merits a full answer. Nobody wants to hear the truth, just that you're fine, thank you very much.

The verses come from real experiences in my travels. On nearly every street corner in Rome, there are men selling roses. The roses are decent enough, but the vendors' sales tactics are a bit over the top. They range from insistence to trickery to begging. It's hard to get angry at these men, mostly Bangladeshis seeking new opportunities in Italy, still leading difficult lives, but it can be slightly annoying. Their omnipresence makes them an integral part of my memories in Rome, and so one of them appears in my song.

The second verse mentions a "tuk-tuk driver." A tuk-tuk is a three-wheeled open-air motorized vehicle used as a sort-of low-end taxi service in downtown Bangkok. The engines cough and sputter, making noises that sound like tuk-tuk-tuk. The drivers smile at tourists and are even more insistent than the Roman flower sellers, though in a cheerful way. "Hey you! Where you go?" they say. If I say I'm not going anywhere, like clockwork out come the flyers for the strip clubs, trying to entice just a little more business. It was entertaining, and Mr. Tuk-tuk Driver number 47 made it into the lyric.

Click below for the mp3.

• Fine Fine Fine

The gypsy on the corner said, "Hey man, you want a flower?"
I said "Who'm I gonna give it to?"
He was begging me to buy it, but I couldn't figure why it
Would be anything I'd ever use.

Yeah, it's beautiful today, but that'll gonna go away
Before I get a chance to bring it back home.
So I smile, say thank you, try and push my way through
The tourists taking pictures of the dome.

But where am I going? I don't know.
What am I doing? Couldn't say.
Does it get better? I hope so.
As long as I can make it through one more day I'll be fine.

So go ahead:
Ask me how I'm doing. I'll say, "fine fine fine."
I just don't feel like smiling all the time.
If you look behind the curtain, I can't tell you what you'll find,
All I know, if you ask me how I'm doing, I'll say fine.

The tuk-tuk driver said, "Hey you, where you go?"
I said, "I find out, I'll let you know."
"I give you good deal, man, I tell you this is real man,
I take you to a girly show."

But that's just depressing, watching ladies undressing
Just reminds me that none of them are mine.
And I think of calling home but I can never find a phone
And I forget about the difference in time.

And if you're looking to hear some good conversation,
It ain't what you're gonna find.
Just "Hey!", "What's new, buddy?", "How ya goin'" and a box of Australian wine.
But as long as I can make it through one more day--
I swear if I can make it through one more day--
Just please let me make it through one more day,

Then ask me how I'm doing. I'll say, "fine fine fine."
Don't know why you keep bugging me all the time.
Don't overturn the stone unless you're ready for what you'll find.
All I know, if you ask me how I'm doing, I'll say fine.

So when I say "Hey what's new?", I'm not asking for the truth.
Just smile at me, say, "I'm fine. How are you?"
And I'll look you in the eye so you can't tell it's a lie,
And I'll think about reality, pretend there's normality,
Tell you the one thing I know how to say:

If you ask me how I'm doing, I'll say fine.