Like many enigmatic songs, there may not be enough of a crystal clear message in the lyrics to lock down an exact interpretation, but there is a mood that comes through clearly.
Many lines and phrases say something that appears to be very serious, and then the very next lyric reverses the tone and somehow, even illogically, negates the concern that was raised earlier. The song opens with an extreme version of this, when it refers to the subject of the song jumping out of a window, which suggests a suicide attempt, but we are immediately told that she does so with a smile, and "last time" indicates that this is a repeated event, so there's no loss of life.
Later, a stanza repeats "it's no trouble at all," which delivers that same reversal of mood: It implies that some situation might seem like it would be trouble, but it's not. That actually occurs first in the title: "The lady don't mind" implies that there is some circumstance that might make you expect that someone would mind… but she doesn't. Again and again, something seems like it conveys pain and suffering on some level, but the woman who is the subject of the song feels OK… or seems to.
In the second half of the song, however, we have reason to suspect that the truth is not so rosy. When she looks in the mirror, she lets her feelings show, apparently regarding whether or not love is what she's after. And the song's final lines repeat the doubt ("Who knows what she's thinking") suggesting that overall, this is a woman who feels lack of love, and pain, but puts on a brave face, claims otherwise and (metaphorically?) smiles as she jumps out the window.
There are enough hints here (especially "love is what she's after") to latch onto the interpretation that others have suggested, that sex is part of the unspoken context ("I go up and down" – perhaps the narrator is a man who has sex with her?). That all sounds right, but I think that first and foremost, Byrne's lyrics are deliberately avoiding specifics while the theme is clear: A woman who is struggling with life's difficulties seems not to, and perhaps we'd like to think so, but the way the challenges weight on her is there if you pay attention.
Like many enigmatic songs, there may not be enough of a crystal clear message in the lyrics to lock down an exact interpretation, but there is a mood that comes through clearly.
Many lines and phrases say something that appears to be very serious, and then the very next lyric reverses the tone and somehow, even illogically, negates the concern that was raised earlier. The song opens with an extreme version of this, when it refers to the subject of the song jumping out of a window, which suggests a suicide attempt, but we are immediately told that she does so with a smile, and "last time" indicates that this is a repeated event, so there's no loss of life.
Later, a stanza repeats "it's no trouble at all," which delivers that same reversal of mood: It implies that some situation might seem like it would be trouble, but it's not. That actually occurs first in the title: "The lady don't mind" implies that there is some circumstance that might make you expect that someone would mind… but she doesn't. Again and again, something seems like it conveys pain and suffering on some level, but the woman who is the subject of the song feels OK… or seems to.
In the second half of the song, however, we have reason to suspect that the truth is not so rosy. When she looks in the mirror, she lets her feelings show, apparently regarding whether or not love is what she's after. And the song's final lines repeat the doubt ("Who knows what she's thinking") suggesting that overall, this is a woman who feels lack of love, and pain, but puts on a brave face, claims otherwise and (metaphorically?) smiles as she jumps out the window.
There are enough hints here (especially "love is what she's after") to latch onto the interpretation that others have suggested, that sex is part of the unspoken context ("I go up and down" – perhaps the narrator is a man who has sex with her?). That all sounds right, but I think that first and foremost, Byrne's lyrics are deliberately avoiding specifics while the theme is clear: A woman who is struggling with life's difficulties seems not to, and perhaps we'd like to think so, but the way the challenges weight on her is there if you pay attention.