Been beat up and battered 'round
Been sent up, and I've been shot down
You're the best thing that I've ever found
Handle me with care

Reputations changeable
Situations tolerable
Baby, you're adorable
Handle me with care

I'm so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Won't you show me that you really care

Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on

I've been fobbed off, and I've been fooled
I've been robbed and ridiculed
In day care centers and night schools
Handle me with care

Been stuck in airports, terrorized
Sent to meetings, hypnotized
Overexposed, commercialized
Hand me with care

I'm so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Won't you show me that you really care

Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on

I've been uptight and made a mess
But I'll clean it up myself, I guess
Oh, the sweet smell of success
Handle me with care

Overall Meaning

Handle With Care by Jenny Lewis is a re-imagined version of the famous song by the Traveling Wilburys from the 1980s. In this rendition, Jenny Lewis sings with her distinctive and soothing voice, transforming the song into a soulful experience. The lyrics talk about being battered and beaten up in life, but finding solace in a lover who handles them with care. The song reflects on how reputations and situations change and how it's essential to be treated with love and care during tough times.

The first stanza talks about the hardships life throws our way, like being beaten up, sent up, and shot down, but in the midst of it all, finding a person who is the best thing ever found, someone who will handle the singer with care. The second stanza talks about how situations and reputations change, but the person singing is adorable and requests to be treated with care. The third stanza speaks of the singer's loneliness and how she still has some love to give, asking the other person to show that they really care. The last part of the song invites the other person to lean on the singer, put their body next to hers, and dream on, as everybody needs someone to lean on.

Line by Line Meaning

Been beat up and battered 'round
I've been through some tough times

Been sent up, and I've been shot down
I've experienced failures and setbacks

You're the best thing that I've ever found
You are the most positive thing in my life

Handle me with care
Be gentle with me, I'm vulnerable

Reputations changeable
What people think of you can change

Situations tolerable
I can handle tough situations

Baby, you're adorable
You're cute and lovable

I'm so tired of being lonely
I'm tired of feeling alone

I still have some love to give
I still have love to share

Won't you show me that you really care
Please show me that you care about me

Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Everyone has someone they can rely on