This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
There's a devil waiting outside your door
(How much longer?)
There's a devil waiting outside your door
And he's bucking and braying and pawing at the floor
And he's howling with pain and crawling up the walls, oh yeah
There's a devil waiting outside your door
He's weak with evil and broken by the world
He's shouting your name and he's asking for more, give him more, give him more
There's a devil waiting outside your door, oh yeah
Loverman! Since the world began
Forever, amen till end of time
Take off that dress I'm coming down, I'm your loverman
'Cause I am what I am, what I am, what I am
L is for love, baby
O is for only you that I do
V is for loving virtually all that you are
E is for loving almost everything that you do
R is for rape me and
M is for murder me and
A is for answering all of my prayers
N is for knowing your loverman's going to
Be the answer to all of yours
Loverman! Till the bitter end
While empires burn down forever and ever
And ever and ever amen, I'm your loverman
So help me, baby so help me
'Cause I am what I am, what I am what I am, what I am
I'll be your loverman!
There's a devil crawling along your floor
There's a devil crawling along your floor
With a trembling heart, he's come through the door
With his strain and sex and his jumping paw, oh yeah
There's a devil crawling along your floor
And he's old and he's stupid and
He's hungry and he's sore
And he's lame and he's blind
And he's dirty and he's poor
Give him more, give him more, give him more, give him more, give him more, give him more
There's a devil crawling along your floor, oh yeah
Loverman! Now here I stand, forever amen
'Cause I am what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am
Forgive me baby, my hands are tied
And I got no choice, no I got no choice at all
I'll say it again
L is for love and
O is for o yes I do
V is for virtue, so I ain't gonna hurt you
E is for even if you want me to
R is for render unto me, baby
M is for that which is mine and
A is for any old how, darling and
N is for any old time
I'll be your loverman! I got a master plan
To take off your dress and be your man
Seize the throne, seize the mantle
Seize the crown 'cause I am what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am
Your loverman!
There's a devil lying by your side
You might think he's asleep
But look at his eyes
He wants you, baby, to be his bride
There's a devil lying by your side, oh yeah
Oh he's a loverman!
Oh he's a loverman!
Can you comphrend
'Cause I am what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am
'Cause he's a loverman!
A real loverman!
A real loverman!
(How much longer?)
There's a devil waiting outside your door
And he's bucking and braying and pawing at the floor
And he's howling with pain and crawling up the walls, oh yeah
There's a devil waiting outside your door
He's weak with evil and broken by the world
He's shouting your name and he's asking for more, give him more, give him more
There's a devil waiting outside your door, oh yeah
Loverman! Since the world began
Forever, amen till end of time
Take off that dress I'm coming down, I'm your loverman
'Cause I am what I am, what I am, what I am
L is for love, baby
O is for only you that I do
V is for loving virtually all that you are
E is for loving almost everything that you do
R is for rape me and
M is for murder me and
A is for answering all of my prayers
N is for knowing your loverman's going to
Be the answer to all of yours
Loverman! Till the bitter end
While empires burn down forever and ever
And ever and ever amen, I'm your loverman
So help me, baby so help me
'Cause I am what I am, what I am what I am, what I am
I'll be your loverman!
There's a devil crawling along your floor
There's a devil crawling along your floor
With a trembling heart, he's come through the door
With his strain and sex and his jumping paw, oh yeah
There's a devil crawling along your floor
And he's old and he's stupid and
He's hungry and he's sore
And he's lame and he's blind
And he's dirty and he's poor
Give him more, give him more, give him more, give him more, give him more, give him more
There's a devil crawling along your floor, oh yeah
Loverman! Now here I stand, forever amen
'Cause I am what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am
Forgive me baby, my hands are tied
And I got no choice, no I got no choice at all
I'll say it again
L is for love and
O is for o yes I do
V is for virtue, so I ain't gonna hurt you
E is for even if you want me to
R is for render unto me, baby
M is for that which is mine and
A is for any old how, darling and
N is for any old time
I'll be your loverman! I got a master plan
To take off your dress and be your man
Seize the throne, seize the mantle
Seize the crown 'cause I am what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am
Your loverman!
There's a devil lying by your side
You might think he's asleep
But look at his eyes
He wants you, baby, to be his bride
There's a devil lying by your side, oh yeah
Oh he's a loverman!
Oh he's a loverman!
Can you comphrend
'Cause I am what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am
'Cause he's a loverman!
A real loverman!
A real loverman!
Lyrics submitted by SantanicoPandemonium, edited by favolablue
Loverman Lyrics as written by Nicholas Edward Cave
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Great version of a great song,
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I agree with the last poster (partenopei) This song is about lust, plain and simple. There is nothing creepy about it, unless you consider all men creepy. By this I mean that I see the lyrics as describing the darkside of all men when they hunger for sex. It's exaggerated and it is not meant to be taken literally that he's a devil or that he is possessive of her. It's about a simple guy whose brilliant master plan is to get his girl's dress off. He can't help himself, he wants sex, and he will say or do whatever he needs to in order to get it. And in his lust induced haze, he gets all territorial (even some mild mannered men get like in the bedroom) but there is no violence in the song.
The song is basically about the male need for sex. He is a typical pig of a man but one whom I find sort of endearing because he makes at least the effort to profess undying love.