You've got to show me, got to show me a little
You've got to give me, got to give me a little
Yes, all I want is, all I want is a little
What all I need is a little respect

What you want, baby I got
And what you need, you know that I've got it
All I'm askin' for is a little respect
When you come home bring it to me, give it to me
Your heart should go when you come on
Respect me, oh i, I-I-I

I ain't gonna do you wrong while you're gone
I ain't gonna do you wrong because I don't wanna
All I'm askin' for is a little respect

Respect me, I-I
Respect me
(Gotta have a little bit) respect me, I-I-I
(I need a little bit) respect me (respect) I-I-I-I

I'm out to give you all my money
But all I'm askin' in return honey
Is to give me my proper, my proper respect
When you come home bring it to me, give it to me
Your heart should go when you come on
Respect me, woo woo woo woo woo woo

Ooh your kisses sweeter than honey
So guess what, here is all o' my money
All I'm askin' for is a little respect

(Gotta have a little bit) respect me, I-I
(I need a little bit) respect me (respect)
(Gotta have a little bit) respect me, I-I-I
(I need a little bit) respect me (respect)
Break it down

Respect me baby when we're all alone
Respect me sugar when you come home
Respect me baby when you know it's oh so good
Respect me baby like I know you could
Respect me, respect me me
Respect me, oh I I-I-I

(Gotta have a little bit, just a little bit)
(I need a little bit, respect)
(Gotta have a little bit, just a little bit)
(I need a little bit, respect)

Come on, respect me when I'm cookin'
Come on, respect me when I'm cleanin'
Come on, respect me when I'm workin'
I-I-I-I, I-I-I-I
I-I-I-I, I-I-I-I
Shoo doo doo, shoo doo doo

You've got to show me, got to show me a little
You've got to give me, got to give me a little
Yes, all I want is, all I want is a little
What all I need is a little (respect) I-I-I-I


Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings

Respect Lyrics as written by Otis Redding

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Respect [*] song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

0 Comments

sort form View by:
  • No Comments

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

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.