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Give Me Back My Man Lyrics
She cuts her hair
and calls his name.
Wishin' everything could be the same,
like when she had him.
I'll give you fish,
I'll give you candy,
I'll give you everthing I have in my hand.
Walking out of Korvettes,
Package in her hand.
Motions to all the seabirds,
throws divinity on the sand.
I'll give you fish,
I'll give you candy,
I'll give you everthing I have in my hand.
Give me, give back my man.
Give me, give back my man.
Her head's in a whirlpool,
spinnin' round and round.
If she don't get her man back
she's gonna drown.
I'll give you fish,
I'll give you candy,
I'll give you everything I have in my hand.
Give her, give back her man,
Give her, give back her man. (repeat)
and calls his name.
Wishin' everything could be the same,
like when she had him.
I'll give you candy,
I'll give you everthing I have in my hand.
Package in her hand.
Motions to all the seabirds,
throws divinity on the sand.
I'll give you candy,
I'll give you everthing I have in my hand.
Give me, give back my man.
spinnin' round and round.
If she don't get her man back
she's gonna drown.
I'll give you candy,
I'll give you everything I have in my hand.
Give her, give back her man. (repeat)
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This song is so tragic it can rip your heart out. Cindy is amazing and you can feel the passion and emotion in her voice as she sings
The song is pretty self-explanatory. Cindy's reach into your chest and squeeze your heart. Amazing song.
Everything I have in my hand not everything I have ever had
@CaptLa Indeed! Thank you CaptLa!
@CaptLa Indeed! Thank you CaptLa!
Cyndi is so frail, has nothing of power on her. "I'll give you fish, I'll give you candy, I'll give you everything I have in my hand" like she may have a giant bank account somewhere, all kinds of valuable stuff to trade, but on a primal level, she has none of that at her disposal- she's kind of desperate and will give anything she has at hand. Totally primal and gut wrenching. Like she must succeed and quickly or she may never see her man again. 5 star song.
Saw the B52s show at Wolf Trap the other night. Cindy sang the iconic tune “Give me back my Man.” 2 things about this verse. We all know Korvettes was a cool East Coast department store with its roots in NY.
Walking out of Korvettes Package in her hand Motions to all the seabirds Throws divinity on the sand
But the divinity reference is probably about candy. Which is what she had in her package when she motioned to the seabirds.
Divinity is a nougat-like confection made with egg white, corn syrup, and sugar. Optional ingredients such as flavors, chopped dried fruit and chopped nuts are frequently added.
di·vin·i·ty dəˈvinədē/Submit noun 1. the state or quality of being divine. "Christ's divinity" synonyms: divine nature, godliness, deity, godhead, holiness "the divinity of Christ" 2. a fluffy, creamy candy made with stiffly beaten egg whites.
@ParksRec Just heard this on the local alt radio station, and got me thinking about it again, for the first time in a long time. Old favorite tune, but was always puzzled by ‘divinity’ – than you for clearing that up, it makes total sense now.
@ParksRec Just heard this on the local alt radio station, and got me thinking about it again, for the first time in a long time. Old favorite tune, but was always puzzled by ‘divinity’ – than you for clearing that up, it makes total sense now.
It is funny to me though, to read through many of the interpretations, as from day one I thought I understood the song completely, and never realized there was such quandary over it. I had to particularly chuckle when I read the Wiki article, and saw “The song's subject matter purportedly deals with a woman...
It is funny to me though, to read through many of the interpretations, as from day one I thought I understood the song completely, and never realized there was such quandary over it. I had to particularly chuckle when I read the Wiki article, and saw “The song's subject matter purportedly deals with a woman whose sweetheart has been attacked by a shark.”
Yeah… no. Unless that was snarky euphemism for the other woman who stole her boyfriend, which I suspect. I consider myself a big fan, but had never heard that one before – I guess not fanatic enough, although it doesn’t alter my opinion about the song at all – it may even strengthen it.
I always thought the song was about a woman so distraught over the loss of her lover to another, that she was contemplating suicide. Yes, I know the bad, especially on that album, was perceived as dealing in absurdities – but I also thought that was just a thin veneer; there’s always something there, there, under the protective façade of surrealism.
I don’t think this song even hides the underlying thought process very much – I found it powerful the first time I heard it, and I still do. I’ve always argued art elicits emotion, and good art elicits the emotion the artist intended. From my first listen on, I feel the raw pain of betrayal, and the helplessness which can accompany it.
A woman loses her boyfriend – not to a shark, although that may be how the protagonist sees the other woman who stole him from her. She is distraught, and in a somewhat stereotypical gesture, cuts her hair off and blows what little money she has left before resolving to kill herself. She goes to the shore, where she plans to do it – to drown herself. The exact method is not clear, but does it really matter? She bought some stupid crap from the discount store on the way, perhaps as an excuse to take her there… I’m just going to feed the birds, some sardines, and maybe some candy (maybe all that was handy in the store). Do seagulls eat candy? Probably, but it doesn’t even need to make sense.
This is where it actually is absurd, but maybe not as much as it may seem – people do irrational things in the throngs of depression, especially the final stages. None of it has to make any sense – she is driven to suicide, and doing weird things along the way which are nonsensical, because it just doesn’t matter anymore. See these acts as perhaps the last desperate cries for help, for the desire to live battling the darkness.
I had also thought, from day one, that ‘fish’ was a reference to her being under water, drowned – she didn’t even need to buy any sardines from the store, perhaps just the candy. The fish in her hand, is a reference to her having done it, and being under the waves, among the fish.
Did she go through with it, or is this just reflection of what may have been? I have often wondered if this was autobiographical for Cindy; obviously, she didn’t do it… but maybe she thought about it, a lot.
The song breaks my heart. I don’t see it as nonsense, but perhaps I just see and hear what I want to, or what resonates with me. Then again, I go back to my definition of good art, and I think this is outstanding art. It elicits a specific thought and emotion, and I have always thought it was the one she wanted to convey.
I have always thought that the fish were a bizarre peace offering to your love rival - but I heard from a good source, a few days ago, that the man-stealer is A MERMAID. It all makes perfect sense now! I came here to refresh myself on the lyrics after reading that snippet, so I thought I'd let the fans know while I'm at it.
I found this out on youtube, towards the end When Cindy's screaming over the last chorus, the lyrics actually state "Where's that motorboat,'cos he's in the motorboat, Her man's in the motorboat, Give her back her man"
Fantastic song.
OK after extensive research on this topic I can absolutely confirm that the original post dated 05-21-2007 is, in fact, truth. The findings will be published next year for everyone to review and ponder.
Dahlia had enough of the weekend just over the line in Malibu. All the guys watched her - svelte, languid and graceful moves,...beauty of a Parisian model. He especially liked her thick hair - natural highlights set off by the sun - even in Winter. If "winter" was winter in SoCal that is. She'd split a gut and begged daddy for the Vette. Candy Apple red. She didn't even like coke. She did it for him. All that happened to her was grinding teeth and an unquenchable need to de-wax the kitchen floor. For What?! To make a perfect home for him? A King sized bed and a slut - that's all it took to humiliate her. She's free now,...screeching into the ice cream place down the coast - walking to the beach - give it to the birds! What did he call it? Divinity!? Yeah, that and the candy canes! She thought,...anything that took THAT long to melt in my mouth - she should get paid for! What was left for her of him in the morning was spent. Is it over? Walk into the sea? End it all? Screw it! Go back toss him and the rest out. I'm the one who paid for it all. Dad will be furious - but - rich or not - he hated Alexjandro. He'll be happy I let him go. {running her hand back thru her hair, looking up in the sun, - }"Ugh! My hair! - Well it was a time for a change all over,....." Walking back to her Vet, hearing the squawks of the gulls in the air and calls of the one's following in her wake - she knew a change was coming and she'd throw down for him against those "chicka's" - get him to promise it all,...then,...like her hair - she'd cut him off and caste him away. Manwhores - who needed them? So good to her before, talking her out of going to college - Bryn Mawr on the East coast - but once he got what he wanted he'd leave her anyway. Not this time,...not like this,...Fate will give him back - for She herself had been scorned by a man - and then she'll guide me to leaving him back in the barrio,...him, his whores, coke and his candy canes...."Beunos Noches - Amore". {Putting the Vette into drive - blue smoke left in her wake - determination in her exhaust} - back to the manse over the waves,... ~ "Forget daddy, I'll be free when I get my man back,...!"
@Morgana3 A Vette is spelled Corvette, with a 'C'. Bad start Morgana (Oh, and the verb 'to cast' does not end with an e...).
@Morgana3 A Vette is spelled Corvette, with a 'C'. Bad start Morgana (Oh, and the verb 'to cast' does not end with an e...).
As for the rest of your interpretation, you are either high, taking the piss, or out of your mind. But hey, it takes all sorts...
As for the rest of your interpretation, you are either high, taking the piss, or out of your mind. But hey, it takes all sorts...
you HAVE to look up the live version from 1980 on youtube. cindy screams her lungs out. so much energy.