27 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
I've Never Been To Me Lyrics
Charlene - I've Never Been To Me
(emu)
Hey lady, you lady
cursing at your life
You're a discontented mother
and a regimented wife
I've no doubt you dream about
the things you'll never do
But,
I wish someone had talked to me
like I wanna talk to you.....
Ooh I've been to Georgia and California
and, anywhere I could run
I took the hand of a preacher man
and we made love in the sun
but I ran out of places
and friendly faces
because I had to be free
I've been to paradise
but I've never been to me...
Please lady, please, lady
don't just walk away
'cause I have this need to tell you
why I'm all alone today
I can see so much of me
still living in your eyes
won't you share a part
of a weary heart
that has lived million lies.......
Ooh I've been to Nice and the Isle of Greece
while I've sipped champagne on a yacht
I've moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo
and showed 'em what I've got
I've been undressed by kings
and I've seen some things
that a woman ain't supposed to see.......
I've been to paradise,
but I've never been to me.......
Hey, you know what paradise is? It's a lie. A fantasy we create about
people and places as we'd like them to be.
But you know what truth is?
it's that little baby you're holding
it's that man you fought with this morning
the same one you're going to make love with tonight
that's truth, that's love.........
Sometimes I've been to crying for unborn children
that might have made me complete
but I.....I took the sweet life
I never knew
I'd be bitter from the sweet
I've spent my life exploring
the subtle whoring
that costs too much to be free....
hey lady......
I've been to paradise......
but I've never been to me..........
(emu)
cursing at your life
You're a discontented mother
and a regimented wife
I've no doubt you dream about
the things you'll never do
But,
I wish someone had talked to me
like I wanna talk to you.....
and, anywhere I could run
I took the hand of a preacher man
and we made love in the sun
but I ran out of places
and friendly faces
because I had to be free
I've been to paradise
but I've never been to me...
don't just walk away
'cause I have this need to tell you
why I'm all alone today
I can see so much of me
still living in your eyes
won't you share a part
of a weary heart
that has lived million lies.......
while I've sipped champagne on a yacht
I've moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo
and showed 'em what I've got
I've been undressed by kings
and I've seen some things
that a woman ain't supposed to see.......
I've been to paradise,
but I've never been to me.......
people and places as we'd like them to be.
But you know what truth is?
it's that little baby you're holding
it's that man you fought with this morning
the same one you're going to make love with tonight
that's truth, that's love.........
that might have made me complete
but I.....I took the sweet life
I never knew
I'd be bitter from the sweet
I've spent my life exploring
the subtle whoring
that costs too much to be free....
hey lady......
I've been to paradise......
but I've never been to me..........
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I love it. I remember the woman libbers hated it though. They said it was a song suggesting that a woman's place was to have babies and wait at home for their husbands.
I always thought it was more about not regreting what you haven't done, as much as regretting what you have. She's telling her "I did all these things, but they didn't make me happy. Don't necesarily think you're missing out on something."
exactly,its a song for those many people who sit at home thinking of the 'better life' somewhere else.The singer is saying that we make our own happinness wherever we are and all the ideas of the 'high life' are just a silly fantasy that will never give happiness
exactly,its a song for those many people who sit at home thinking of the 'better life' somewhere else.The singer is saying that we make our own happinness wherever we are and all the ideas of the 'high life' are just a silly fantasy that will never give happiness
The last stanza makes me think that perhaps one of her regrets was an abortion.
“I've been to crying for unborn children that might have made me complete”
That she decided her life would be better/sweeter without it, and now she regrets it
“I took the sweet life I never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet”
Quite possibly the ultimate song of regret.
i love this song ! really powerful
i always thought this song was about a prostitute
the second to last stanza is spoken.. i've also heard this song artist by different names...odd
I think this is such a powerful song and it is about regret. To me, it about a women telling another 'lady' about what she has done in her life and telling her that she is not missing much. The singer has seen and done everything yet she is still bitter - but she had to do all that stuff to discover that paradise was realy the ordinary life, being at home with the kids and husband etc... I think it alsop has a message of have fun while you are young. This song reminds of that film with the drag queen simply because it is in it lol. but the lyrics of it make me think of my miother because she could quite easily have been the person whom this song was sung to- she was the 'discontented moither and regimented wife' and she left my father and us 6 children to go have a life that she had missed out on while she was young.. she has yet to realise that she had the happiness and 'paradise' at home and will not find it where she is looking.
I think this song is about a woman who went through life and experienced all sorts of relationships and been to many places but yet did not find happiness and did not find her true self.
Did Randy Crawford originally sing this? I much prefer her version as I've always thought it was to do with prostitution and links very well with 'Street Life'.