10 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Express Yourself Lyrics
(Spoken:)
Come on girls
Do you believe in love?
'Cause I got something to say about it
And it goes something like this
Chorus:
Don't go for second best baby
Put your love to the test
You know, you know, you've got to
Make him express how he feels
And maybe then you'll know your love is real
You don't need diamond rings
Or eighteen karat gold
Fancy cars that go very fast
You know they never last, no, no
What you need is a big strong hand
To lift you to your higher ground
Make you feel like a queen on a throne
Make him love you till you can't come down
[You'll never come down]
(chorus)
Long stem roses are the way to your heart
But he needs to start with your head
Satin sheets are very romantic
What happens when you're not in bed
You deserve the best in life
So if the time isn't right then move on
Second best is never enough
You'll do much better baby on your own
[Baby on your own]
(chorus)
Express yourself
[You've got to make him]
Express himself
Hey, hey, hey, hey
So if you want it right now, make him show you how
Express what he's got, oh baby ready or not
Intermediate:
And when you're gone he might regret it
Think about the love he once had
Try to carry on, but he just won't get it
He'll be back on his knees
To express himself
[You've got to make him]
Express himself
Hey hey
What you need is a big strong hand
To lift you to your higher ground
Make you feel like a queen on a throne
Make him love you till you can't come down
[You'll never come down]
(intermediate)
So please
(chorus)
Express yourself
[You've got to make him]
Express himself
Hey, hey, hey, hey
So if you want it right now, make him show you how
Express what he's got, oh baby ready or not
Express yourself
[You've got to make him]
So you can respect yourself
Hey, hey
So if you want it right now, then make him show you how
Express what he's got, oh baby ready or not
Come on girls
Do you believe in love?
'Cause I got something to say about it
And it goes something like this
Put your love to the test
You know, you know, you've got to
Make him express how he feels
And maybe then you'll know your love is real
Or eighteen karat gold
Fancy cars that go very fast
You know they never last, no, no
What you need is a big strong hand
To lift you to your higher ground
Make you feel like a queen on a throne
Make him love you till you can't come down
[You'll never come down]
But he needs to start with your head
Satin sheets are very romantic
What happens when you're not in bed
You deserve the best in life
So if the time isn't right then move on
Second best is never enough
You'll do much better baby on your own
[Baby on your own]
[You've got to make him]
Express himself
Hey, hey, hey, hey
So if you want it right now, make him show you how
Express what he's got, oh baby ready or not
Think about the love he once had
Try to carry on, but he just won't get it
He'll be back on his knees
[You've got to make him]
Express himself
Hey hey
To lift you to your higher ground
Make you feel like a queen on a throne
Make him love you till you can't come down
[You'll never come down]
[You've got to make him]
Express himself
Hey, hey, hey, hey
So if you want it right now, make him show you how
Express what he's got, oh baby ready or not
Express yourself
[You've got to make him]
So you can respect yourself
Hey, hey
So if you want it right now, then make him show you how
Express what he's got, oh baby ready or not
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I love this song. It's basically just about standing up for yourself in a relationship. She's begging women around the world to not go for "second-best" just because he treats them nicely in bed, but then is never there for them when they need it most. She wants women to find men that will make them feel beautiful and special and give them strength, rather than being with men that degrade and humiliate them.
She adds that, if the men won't show how they feel, that the women should leave, and if they really do love their women, they'll be "back on their knees to express" themselves.
OMG. Only 2 comments? This is such a great song.
I'll add one :) I always thought this was a great song too but never thought about the lyrics. Luckily it's an encouraging song for going through a break-up which I'm going through right now. I feel bad that he didn't love me as much as I wanted him to, but no reason to feel bad, obviously he just didn't deserve someone like me cuz I had so much to give him. So I won't "go for second best." If he misses me, he'll be back on his knees, otherwise, forget him...it's funny how music...
I'll add one :) I always thought this was a great song too but never thought about the lyrics. Luckily it's an encouraging song for going through a break-up which I'm going through right now. I feel bad that he didn't love me as much as I wanted him to, but no reason to feel bad, obviously he just didn't deserve someone like me cuz I had so much to give him. So I won't "go for second best." If he misses me, he'll be back on his knees, otherwise, forget him...it's funny how music can have the message you need sometimes.
LOVE this song...it's about testing his love for you...if you let him go and make him miss you he shall realize (during this time without you) and may come crawling back...never take 2nd place;) ..do something drastic and he will realize something and express himself!
Express Yourself-anthem is called. One of Madonna signature Dance/Rock artworks-and a live staple! Classic Madonna!
Your lover may check boxes that refer to short-term fun, but there might be some boxes you aren't paying attention to. They may have to do with his giving your life more meaning, giving you assistance in navigating life, and giving you the courage to be or do what you didn't think you could. Don't forget what's important to you. Does he? Does he remind you of your priorities and interests when you lose track? Don't lose your identity to someone else's. Are you losing your identity in his or in he assisting you in realizing who you are? Does he bring out the best in you? Be with someone who helps you pursue your interests and concerns and helps you become the person you imagine you can be. "Put your love to the test" isn't about being a tease or a brat to see if he'll stay with you anyway, or to see how much you can get him to spend on you. Rather it's about extending the checklist to more profound assessments of what you're getting out of the relationship. It's not just about whether this is the guy who will visit you in the hospital when your friends won't or is there for you when the chips are down, but also someone who enjoys your intellect, someone you're safe to be smart around? Is he someone who wants you to succeed, not just bend to help you up but enable you to go farther. Who knows? Maybe that describes him already and he was just waiting for you to notice.
[Edit: spelling]
good song.
I started dating again and fell in love with this song in a whole new way. It's so empowering!!
This song to me is about letting a man prove his devotion and love for you, and WALKING if he isn't showing you the signs.
That means he calls when he says he will. He asks you out, and reserves his weekends for you. He supports you when you need his support. He'll listen to you. He'll kiss you like he means it. He'll make love to you unselfishly. He'll tell you he loves you, he'll never leave you guessing. That's when you know he loves you. Anything other than that is just pussy footing and you don't have TIME for that.
Ladies, sit back and relax. Let the man do the work. Let your man prove his devotion to you. You don't need to text him, or call him, or ask him out, or do anything. If a man loves a woman, he'll do all of that. In the meantime, go be your awesome self and get busy with achieving your goals. Work hard. Get a makeover and pamper yourself, take good care of your beautiful body. The right guy won't hesitate to win you over.
This song is clearly a call for women to start nagging their husbands until they either become slaves in the relationship, or give up and leave.
Hi folks. I plan on buying her a single rose. My feelings over the last month have grown so great I am getting physically sick because we are not expressing them.
For whatever reason, she won't express herself until I open a safe place for her, it seems. Was she badly hurt? Was she abused? Does she have some cognitive syndrome? That's the problem. I don't know because she won't communicate.
What I don't understand is the lyric, "Long-stem roses are the way to your heart But he needs to start with your head". What does that mean, " start with your head"?
@AlfredNuemann It's a warning to the girl not to let herself be swept away emotionally or manipulated by a stand-alone romantic gesture that might possibly be empty. She needs to use her brain and think about what's best for a relationship. Buying roses is a perfectly fine idea, but as you say, the lines of communication need to be open to find out what the other person really wants and needs.
@AlfredNuemann It's a warning to the girl not to let herself be swept away emotionally or manipulated by a stand-alone romantic gesture that might possibly be empty. She needs to use her brain and think about what's best for a relationship. Buying roses is a perfectly fine idea, but as you say, the lines of communication need to be open to find out what the other person really wants and needs.
It occurred to me this song is about \n1. a woman being independent by providing sexual pleasure from her own self\n2. a woman demanding her male partner provide sexual pleasure to her through \n oral sex. \n\nI don\'t know if there are any guidelines I\'ve violated by including these comments. I tried to remain as professional as possible regarding the content.