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"
I'm the overtime man, girls
Where his love stop
Mine begin, oh
I'm the overtime man
And I don't mind puttin' the hours in
All you dudes, I'm warnin' you
You better see your old lady
All the way through
Stop gettin' what you want
And leavin' her uptight
Or I'll see that she get it
Her love rights
When you stumble and fall
Down on the job
I'm the one who sees
That her problem is solved, Lord!
I'm the overtime man-a
Where your love stop, mine begin
Lord, have mercy
I'm the overtime man, ya'all
And I don't mind puttin' the hours in
Listen, I'm Sheriff from sweetback
Rolled into one
Satisfaction guaranteed or get a refund
I'm a bad, bad, undercover cat
Girl, get your pencil
And make the note of that
When his motor stop a-runnin'
He pulls over to the curb
I'll be steady rollin' baby
Using my reserve
Lord, I'm an overtime man, ya'all
Where your love stop, mine begin
Lord have mercy
Overtime man, ya'all
Takes care of homework that's undone
The overtime man, yeah
Lord!
Will add your woman to his run
All you dudes
Tryin' to kill to birds with one stone
Throwin' your love in the street
And bring the leftovers home
You're invitin' me
To your residence
I'll be gettin' the joy, brother
While you're payin' the rent
While you're out in the street
Havin' yourself a ball
I'll be steady makin' my
Regular house calls, Lord!
'Cause I'm the overtime man, fellas
Where your love stop, mine begin
Listen
'Cause I'm the overtime man
Lord, I'm the long distance man
I got more love
Tender love
The moment you leave.
Where his love stop
Mine begin, oh
I'm the overtime man
And I don't mind puttin' the hours in
All you dudes, I'm warnin' you
You better see your old lady
All the way through
Stop gettin' what you want
And leavin' her uptight
Or I'll see that she get it
Her love rights
When you stumble and fall
Down on the job
I'm the one who sees
That her problem is solved, Lord!
I'm the overtime man-a
Where your love stop, mine begin
Lord, have mercy
I'm the overtime man, ya'all
And I don't mind puttin' the hours in
Listen, I'm Sheriff from sweetback
Rolled into one
Satisfaction guaranteed or get a refund
I'm a bad, bad, undercover cat
Girl, get your pencil
And make the note of that
When his motor stop a-runnin'
He pulls over to the curb
I'll be steady rollin' baby
Using my reserve
Lord, I'm an overtime man, ya'all
Where your love stop, mine begin
Lord have mercy
Overtime man, ya'all
Takes care of homework that's undone
The overtime man, yeah
Lord!
Will add your woman to his run
All you dudes
Tryin' to kill to birds with one stone
Throwin' your love in the street
And bring the leftovers home
You're invitin' me
To your residence
I'll be gettin' the joy, brother
While you're payin' the rent
While you're out in the street
Havin' yourself a ball
I'll be steady makin' my
Regular house calls, Lord!
'Cause I'm the overtime man, fellas
Where your love stop, mine begin
Listen
'Cause I'm the overtime man
Lord, I'm the long distance man
I got more love
Tender love
The moment you leave.
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Overtime Man Lyrics as written by Don Covay
Lyrics © RAWSTOCK MUSIC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.