"Who takes the coal from the mines?" "Who takes the salt from the earth?" and "Who will keep the promises that you don't have to keep?" It answers the questions by stating, "Don't look now, it ain't you or me". In a manner reminiscent of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind", the first two questions in each verse are practical ones, such as the ones about working the field or mining for coal or salt, while the third and last question of each verse is more metaphysical, such as the one about keeping promises. Fogerty stated that while like many in his generation he was concerned about what was happening in America at the time, he was also concerned about issues with his hippie generation itself. Fogerty stated: We're all so ethnic now, with our long hair and shit. But, when it comes to doing the real crap that civilization needs to keep it going ... who's going to be the garbage collector? None of "us" will. Most of us will say, "That's beneath me, I ain't gonna do that job". Fogerty also stated that "It was a challenge really to take a look at yourself. Most of us refuse to get involved with the dirty work of humanity". Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug Clifford later explained: That's a song that will slap you right in the face...It's a sobering tune, if you listen to the lyrics. It's a period of time when everyone was pointing the finger at our generation saying "This isn't right, this isn't right". But how many people were really going to do something about it? It's real easy to point your finger and knock something, but to get in there and roll up your sleeves and change it for the better these are the real leaders in the world. That song can really ring a chord of truth about a lot of people's basic laws. That's one of my favorite songs, quite frankly. It has everything in it: Great message, nice little beat. Stu has a nice little lick in there. Stu was really an underrated bass player. "Village Voice" critic Robert Christgau wrote that the song "manages to encapsulate the class system in two minutes and eight seconds." "Don't Look Now (It Ain't You or Me)" has a rockabilly melody. Band biographer Craig Hansen Werner calls it "a country-tinged variation on the straight ahead rock and roll of 'Fortunate Son.'"