I'm the king's thirty second son
Born to him in thirty second's time
Born to him the night still young
Born to him with two eyebrows on
And that's all I was wearing
When I woke up staring at the world

My mom had been around the graves of queens
But not at all a sex machine
She liked to keep her body clean, clean
Thought the world to be quite obscene
But she retired to her chamber
And we remain quite strangers

And to see me made her awful sad
And to touch me made her awful sad
And to see me made her awful
And to touch me made her awful

I'm the king's thirty second son
And all it took was thirty second's time
But a spoiled little prince I was not
Had a chamber maid and a chamber pot
And there's thirty one others just like me
There's thirty one others I can be

Someimtes I'd stand by the royal wall
The sky'd be so big that it broke my soul
And I stood on my toes to catch a glimpse
Of my mother's eyes and my mother's skin
And she retired to her chamber
And we remain quite strangers

And to see me made her awful sad
And to touch me made her awful sad
And to see me made her awful
And to touch me made her awful


And one morning I woke up
And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
Then one morning I woke up and I thought Rex, Rex, Rex
Then one morning I woke up
And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still counts
Gonna make it count
Gonna make it count
Gonna oh oh

Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two still counts
Gonna make it count
Gonna make it count
Gonna oh oh

Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the

I'm the king's thirty second son
There's thirty one others just like me
There's thirty one others on the way
There's thirty one others after that

Sometimes I stand by the royal gate
People screaming love and hate
And they scream
And they scream
And they scream
And they scream
Long live the king,
Long live the queen

And to see me made her awful sad
And to touch me made her awful sad
And to see me made her awful
And to touch me made her awful

And one morning I woke up
And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
Then one morning I woke up and I thought Rex, Rex, Rex
Then one morning I woke up
And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still counts
Gonna make it count
Gonna make it count
Gonna oh oh

Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still a goddamn number

Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two

Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king


Lyrics submitted by medicine, edited by mosthuman

Oedipus Lyrics as written by Regina Spektor

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Oedipus song meanings
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    General Comment

    I think that this song does not actually have anything to do with the Greek myth of Oedipus, but rather uses it as an ongoing metaphor to support the character that Regina creates.

    I see it that, if thirty second is to be interpreted as the number 32, then this child is searching to be appreciated and noticed by his mother. Then, if thirty seconds is to be interpreted as a time span of thirty seconds - as in half a minute - then perhaps the mother of the child had had a lover (the child's father) who had left her. Her lover left and had several other children. The mother was heartbroken and would retire to her room in depression, paying little heed to her child. The mother regretted seeing that child because it reminded her of her old romance, and she was saddened by that. She was disgusted with herself for having been foolish and being stuck with a kid. Yet, all the child wants is to be noticed by his mother, to excel and make her love him.

    That's how I see it.

    Image In Nationon September 20, 2007   Link

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