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Unprodigal Daughter Lyrics
I had disengaged to avoid being totalled
I would run away and say good riddance soon enough
I had grown disgusted by your small-minded ceiling
To imagine myself bolting had not been difficult
Soon be my life
Soon be my pace
Soon be my choice of which you'll have no part of
Unprodigal daughter and I’m heading for the west
Disenchanted daughter and this plane cannot fly fast enough
Unencumbered daughter hit the ground running at last
I'd invite you but I'm busy being unoppressed
I hit the ground running, although I know not what toward
I hit the town reeling forgetting all that came before
I felt primed and ready once surrounded by the palms
I felt culture shocked but dissuaded I was not
This is my town
This is my voice
This is my taste of which you've have no part of
Unprodigal daughter and I'm heading for the west
Disenchanted daughter and this plane cannot fly fast enough
Unencumbered daughter hit the ground running at last
I'd invite you but I’m busy being unoppressed
One day I’ll saddle back and speak of foreign adventures
One day I’ll double back and tell you about these unfettered years
One day I’ll look back and feel something other than relieved
Glad that I left when I did before “no dear you can't” got the best of me
I’d speak of artistry you would roll your eyes skyward
When I’d speak of spirituality you would label it absurd
When I spoke of possibility you would frown and shake your head
If I had stayed much longer I’d have surely imploded
These are my words
This is my house
These are my friends of which you've had no part of
Unprodigal daughter and I’m heading for the west
Disenchanted daughter and this plane cannot fly fast enough
Unencumbered daughter hit the ground running at last
I’d invite you but I’m busy being unoppressed
Unprodigal daughter and I’m heading for the west
Disenchanted daughter and this plane cannot fly fast enough
Unencumbered daughter hit the ground running at last
I’d invite you but I’m busy being unoppressed
I would run away and say good riddance soon enough
I had grown disgusted by your small-minded ceiling
To imagine myself bolting had not been difficult
Soon be my pace
Soon be my choice of which you'll have no part of
Disenchanted daughter and this plane cannot fly fast enough
Unencumbered daughter hit the ground running at last
I'd invite you but I'm busy being unoppressed
I hit the town reeling forgetting all that came before
I felt primed and ready once surrounded by the palms
I felt culture shocked but dissuaded I was not
This is my voice
This is my taste of which you've have no part of
Disenchanted daughter and this plane cannot fly fast enough
Unencumbered daughter hit the ground running at last
I'd invite you but I’m busy being unoppressed
One day I’ll double back and tell you about these unfettered years
One day I’ll look back and feel something other than relieved
Glad that I left when I did before “no dear you can't” got the best of me
When I’d speak of spirituality you would label it absurd
When I spoke of possibility you would frown and shake your head
If I had stayed much longer I’d have surely imploded
This is my house
These are my friends of which you've had no part of
Disenchanted daughter and this plane cannot fly fast enough
Unencumbered daughter hit the ground running at last
I’d invite you but I’m busy being unoppressed
Disenchanted daughter and this plane cannot fly fast enough
Unencumbered daughter hit the ground running at last
I’d invite you but I’m busy being unoppressed
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This is my favorite Alanis song.
I think the meaning is pretty self-explanatory. It's about wanting to be free from the restraints other people put on you and finally acheiving that.
My favorite lines: "When I’d speak of artistry you would roll your eyes skyward When I’d speak of spirituality you would label it absurd"
I agree. Every girl who feels this song is a ''unprodigal daughter'' and if you are a guy, you're the unprodigal son, it works on so many levels, it kind of makes me laugh sometimes too!
i used to lock myself in my room and play this song when i was pissed off with my parents
i don't know for sure but i thought it might've had something to do with either HER experiences in india or the experiences of other young women in inidia. She's "heading for the west", and she's "being unoppressed". "Glad that I left when I did before “no dear you can't” got the best of me"- i know she spent time with guru's and religious figures in india- i wondered if some (or someone) attempted to oppress her on the basis of her gender, leading her to return to the west. The difficulty i have with this song is that it could encourage xenophobia, and fuel racial stereotypes (if the meaning suggested IS the intended meaning). I'd like to think the song was written about one isolated incident (everyone knows that she loves indian culture anyway).
A few lyrics that go against waht Dandeman2010 says are...
"I had grown disgusted by your small-minded ceiling"
This whole verse...
"One day I’ll saddle back and speak of foreign adventures One day I’ll double back and tell you about these unfettered years One day I’ll look back and feel something other than relieved Glad that I left when I did before “no dear you can't” got the best of me"
oh and the verse directly after it...
"’d speak of artistry you would roll your eyes skyward When I’d speak of spirituality you would label it absurd When I spoke of possibility you would frown and shake your head If I had stayed much longer I’d have surely imploded"
Oh, and you know how I only took one line out of the first verse to dis-prove him? well upon further examination the entire verse wouldn't make sense....
ummmm... dandeman... wtf mate?
@ dandeman2010
Sorry Dude its not about her trip tp India AT ALL... check her video on youtube where She says in her own words: "this is a little song about me leaving from Canada to Los Angeles" which makes total sense :)
the link for the tube video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8qG6BehioM
I'm not a native speaker of English and I cannot figure out in any way what "saddle back" means... Can you guys help me?
Hi, Unprodigalvic --
To 'saddle back', very loosely, means to return. (Like an old cowboy saddles up to the bar in a saloon... Even if he's a stranger in town, but walks in confidently, showing no fear or concern).
So, for the song: To kind of casually stop in, sit down, and in a very relaxed but upbeat way tell (her mother, I've always presumed) all about the myriad experiences she's enjoyed out in the world...things her mother had told her she could not or should not do. So, not necessarily an overtly confrontational visit. But, also not assuming the posture of a prodigal child (i.e., one who went out into the world foolishly or without proper planning, and now needs to return home, hat in hand, prepared to grovel and beg their parents' forgiveness, <financial> support, etc).
In 'saddling back', she would be an adult coming round for a visit, more on terms of being equals with this parent (although, not necessarily in a disrespectful way)... An adult offspring who is indirectly saying, "hey, that life you said I couldn't or shouldn't live... well, I'm living it, loving it, thriving in it... And, you just couldn't have been more wrong". I picture her saying such with a lilt and a laugh... imaging herself very much more worldly and sophisticated than the more matronly mom who could only envisage the same life for her daughter in the latter's youth.
{Sorry this explanation is longer than the song, lol! I just love her, and her lyrics are very visual for me. ;) }