This Woman's Work

I have a somewhat different comprehension of this oh-so-beautiful song. To me, this song deals with the difficulty of watching your kids grow up and eventually become independent individuals as well as hoping you gave your kids all they needed to become fully fonctional as adults in Life. All of this through the eyes (voice?) of the mother of an expecting woman.

"I stand outside this woman's work" "This woman's world" (I have to know and accept my role as a grandmother and not intervene inappropriately in my grandchild's life because it's not MY kid)

"Ooh, it's hard on the man" "Now his part is over" "Now starts the craft of the father" (Any father as sensible as I am agrees that it's hard for a man to accept that men have such a little contribution in the "creation" process that it almost makes us feel obsolete)

"I know you have a little life in you yet" "I know you have a lot of strength left" (I know how you feel now that you're expecting but I also know how strong you are)

"I should be crying, but I just can't let it show" "I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking" "Of all the things I should've said" "That I never said" "All the things we should've done" "That we never did" "All the things I should've given" "But I didn't" (Ultimately, parents are worried that they may have made the wrong choices concerning their beloved kids throughout their life as parents and ultimately, wrong choices will have been made. It's just so hard to accept that!)

"Oh, darling, make it go" "Make it go away" (Please, tell me you understand that everything I did for you I did with your well-being in mind, whatever the results were)

"Give me these moments back" "Give them back to me" "Give me that little kiss" "Give me your hand" (I remember when you were my little girl. I so miss those precious moments we had)

This song just rips my heart out. Being a parent is really the most beautiful and most terrible thing that a human being can live.

I first heard this song during the waiting room scene in She's Having a Baby. The whole is about having a baby. It is from the father's perspective (I stand outside this woman's work, This woman's world.). There are complications, and the lives of both mother and child are threatened. The father is worried out of his mind and starts thinking on what might happen if his beloved and their child are gone forever. He is helpless and is left with guilt and memories that he wants his lover to make go away by pulling through, by being okay.

I think that from Kate Bush's perspective this song is about a man losing his wife and not ever really opening up to her the way he knows he should have. Watch her video on youtube and I think that everyone will agree because she pretty much spells it out for you. I believe that the song is from both the husband's perspective and the ghost of the dead wife's perspective.

Pray God you can cope. I stand outside this woman's work, this woman's world. Ooh, it's hard on the man, Now his part is over. Now starts the craft of the father. (This first part is the only real part that confuses me because I am not sure exactly who's perspective it is from. "Pray God you can cope" sounds to me like the wife's praying that her husband will be okay now that she is gone. On the other hand "I stand outside this woman's work, this woman's world" sounds like it is from the husband's perspective. This part does kind of sound like a woman having a child and a man not being able to take part in that, but the video does not make it seem like this at all. I could see why these lines might make someone think that it was about having children. The part that states "Now starts the craft of the father" is definitely about God stepping in once the wife dies. It is not about children like people were saying, at least not from Kate Bush's perspective.)

I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left. I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left. (When this part of the song starts all of a sudden the wife appears next to the husband. I believe this is the ghost of the wife trying to tell him to be strong and that he will make it.)

I should be crying, but I just can't let it show. I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking of all the things I should've said, that I never said. All the things we should've done, that we never did. All the things I should've given, but I didn't. Oh, darling, make it go, make it go away. Give me these moments back. Give them back to me. Give me that little kiss. Give me your hand. (This part is the man feeling remorseful over never being able to express the emotions that he knows he should have expressed. I agree with LITTLEWING13 when he mentioned men holding back from giving emotionally, or having difficulty expressing emotions. The husband knew that he did this and he felt terrible once his wife was gone, knowing that he would never be able to see her, touch her or tell her how much he loved her again.)

I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left. I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left. (Once again this is from the dead wife's perspective. Watch the video and I think you will agree with me.)

I should be crying, but I just can't let it show. I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking of all the things we should've said, that were never said. All the things we should've done, that we never did. All the things that you needed from me. All the things that you wanted for me. All the things that I should've given, but I didn't. Oh, darling, make it go away. Just make it go away now. (Once again from the husband's perspective. He is so sad that his wife is gone and he just wants the pain to go away.)

I could be wrong about a few parts, but I believe it is pretty much correct.

UGH! this song absolutely slays me. one of kate's best. i mean, how many songs can truly claim to induce spontaneous sobbing fits??? wow.

this is the best crying song ever...

When my sister was sick I couldn't listen to this without crying.

'I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left. I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left.'

this part was me pleading with her to get better. it's so haunting.

Me again. I watched the video one more time and now I am a little more confused. Now I think that the husband was actually saying all these things in the waiting room, not knowing yet if his wife was alive or dead. The wife appearing makes it seem like she is gone, but he just doesn't know it yet.

The most perplexing part was the very end though. At the very end of the video the nurse walks out and starts talking to the husband with a smile. The husband gets a very ambiguous look on his face leaving the end open to interpretation on whether or not she lived or died. This would be cool to make it open ended like that, but the wife constantly appearing throughout the video telling him he will be alright makes me think that she died. Who knows, maybe she died and they brought her back. The end just confused the hell out of me. What does everyone else think?

This song kills me. It's song writing at it's finest.

I also think this song is about the husband's view of his wife giving birth and having a tough go of it. The one thing I want to point out is the double meaning: I know you have a little life in you yet.

His wife both has a little life in her meaning she can continue, and also literally a little life.

brilliant

I think the song ties together her feelings on her dying mother and her own pregnancy. It's incredibly sad and beautiful :(

this is beautiful. I also like maxwell's cover.