Learning

I think the "me" in this song represents the world.

"No one will answer your prayers until you take off that dress" - no one will do anything for you and you won't get anywhere if you're aiming for showbiz or the music biz unless you exploit yourself sexually. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but in many ways it can be true.

"No one will hear all your crying until you take your last breath" - it seems like too many people go uncared for and ignored until they die.

So yeah, it's a simple song and nothing that's never been said before, but I love it anyways.

Hmm.. I think it's not about all the stuff you 're talking about. I think he talks about diversity, about being different. In particular he talks about being gay, trans or queer and all the infighting is caused from this. "No one will answer your prayers until you take off that dress" -> "You are admissible and acceptable only if you follow our rules, if you stop being yourself" in other words

For me he is obviously talking to himself in this song. So when he is saying "But you will learn to mind me, And you will learn to survive me", for me he just tries to convice himself he's not wrong, bad and sinful as they want him to believe. And he is trying to reasure himself that sometime he will accept and will manage to coexist with himself in peace.

I think it's just about life in general. Sometimes, nobody really cares about you unless you do something to get their attention. You only get what you want if you allow yourself to be exploited. Likewise, one could imagine how a depressed individual is entirely without help but is mourned heavily by a community which did nothing for them.

And this sucks. People living uncared for, not getting sympathy or doing what they want. But, like the song says, you're just going to live with it. You might be crying now, but then you'll get some water and take a few breaths and you'll just keep doing the same things you've always done.

'Me', in this interpretation, is a sort of general avatar of society. You just learn to accept that nobody really cares and keep on living, since we're programmed genetically to keep going until we die despite even destructive metaphysical angst. After all, everyone else (father, sister, husband) are still alive and going, even if they're all miserable too. Just suck it up.

Im pretty sure this song is about abuse sexual or other wise. and about the pain that comes along with it and the cycle of abuse. "your father before you and your sister too" not about taking off your dress off to get into show business. this song is incredibly touching and the topic is not sung in songs often enough. what a beautiful release.

Pretty much all of his first two albums are very autobiographical and he is possibly the least masculine male on the planet, so it is quite likely that this is all quite literal. These are things he and all LGBT people have heard thousands of times in their lives, and my own personal experience makes this song hit very hard for me. Its very comforting to know I share this kind of experience with someone, though I still cry when I hear it.

The song is sung from the point of a slave owner, to the young slave, coming of age , learningbthatbwhen the Massa wants sex, she must comply. Her Daddy learned to mind. Her husband learned to mind. Now it's her turn.

Is he commenting on trans women who the church won’t accept until they repent of their identity and take off that dress?