hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United S… Read Full Bio ↴The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. These people inherited the countercultural values of the Beat Generation, created their own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs such as cannabis and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness.

In January 1967, the Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco popularized hippie culture, leading to the legendary Summer of Love on the West Coast of the United States, and the 1969 Woodstock Festival on the East Coast. Hippies in Mexico, known as jipitecas, formed La Onda Chicana and gathered at Avándaro, while in New Zealand, nomadic housetruckers practiced alternative lifestyles and promoted sustainable energy at Nambassa. In the United Kingdom, mobile "peace convoys" of New age travellers made summer pilgrimages to free music festivals at Stonehenge. In Australia hippies gathered at Nimbin for the 1973 Aquarius Festival and the annual Cannabis Law Reform Rally or MardiGrass. In Chile, "Festival Piedra Roja" was held in 1970 (following Woodstock's success), and was the major hippie event in that country.

Hippie fashions and values had a major effect on culture, influencing popular music, television, film, literature, and the arts. Since the 1960s, many aspects of hippie culture have been assimilated by mainstream society. The religious and cultural diversity espoused by the hippies has gained widespread acceptance, and Eastern philosophy and spiritual concepts have reached a wide audience. The hippie legacy can be observed in contemporary culture in myriad forms — from health food, to music festivals, to contemporary sexual mores, and even to the cyberspace revolution.
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Piece of My Heart
Janis Joplin Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on

Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man? Yeah
And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?
Honey, you know I did
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough
But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough

I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it if it makes you feel good
Oh, yes indeed

You're out on the streets looking good
And baby, deep down in your heart, I guess you know that it ain't right
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night
Babe, and I cry all the time
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again

I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well, you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good

I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c'mon now (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it, whoa

Take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good

Overall Meaning

"Piece of My Heart" is one of Janis Joplin's most popular and enduring songs. It was originally recorded by Erma Franklin, but Joplin's powerful and emotional version made it a hit. The lyrics address the idea of a woman giving everything she has to a man, but still wanting to give more despite the pain it causes. The repeated refrain of "come on and take it" shows the woman's desire to be loved and wanted, even if it means sacrificing her own well-being.


The song's emotional intensity is driven by Joplin's raspy, soulful voice and the backing of the Full Tilt Boogie Band. The powerful guitars and driving drums create a driving, rock-infused sound that perfectly matches the song's message. The lyrics are simple but powerful, speaking to anyone who has ever given their heart to someone who didn't deserve it.


Overall, "Piece of My Heart" is a powerful and emotional song that has resonated with audiences for decades. Its enduring popularity is a testament to Joplin's talent as a singer and the song's universal appeal to anyone who has ever loved and lost.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on
Encouraging the listener to take action or participate in something.


Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man? Yeah
Asking if the listener felt special in the relationship, and confirming that they did.


And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can? Honey, you know I did
Reminding the listener of all the effort and sacrifice put into the relationship to make it work, and asserting that they know it's true.


And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough
Acknowledging the struggle of the relationship but affirming the singer's determination to push through and prove their strength.


I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it) Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a) Have another little piece of my heart now, baby You know you got it if it makes you feel good Oh, yes indeed
Offering the listener more of the singer's heart, with the condition that it brings them happiness.


You're out on the streets looking good And baby, deep down in your heart, I guess you know that it ain't right
Observing that the listener may have superficial qualities but they also have a sense that their actions are wrong.


Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night Babe, and I cry all the time
Feeling unheard and neglected in the relationship, causing frequent tears.


But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again
Admitting that the relationship is painful but the physical comfort of the listener can make her forget her struggles.


I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it Take another little piece of my heart now, baby Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah Have another little piece of my heart now, baby Well, you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
Repeating the offer of the singer's heart and reminding the listener that they can have it as long as it makes them happy.


I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it) Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c'mon now (whoa, have a) Have another little piece of my heart now, baby You know you got it, whoa
Insisting that the listener takes more of the singer's heart, adding a sense of urgency.


Take it Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it) Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a) Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
Repeating the offer one more time, emphasizing that the listener can have a piece of the singer's heart only if it brings them joy.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bert Berns, Jerry Ragavoy

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Davide Di Pierro

Lyrics:
Well, come on, come on, come on, come on

Didn't I make you feel
Like you were the only man? Well, yeah
And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?
Honey, you know I did

And each time I tell myself that I
Well I think I've had enough
But well I'm gonna show you, baby
That a woman can be tough
I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it

Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
(Oh, oh, break a-)
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Oh, oh, have a-)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well you know you got it if it makes you feel good
Oh, yes indeed

You're out on the streets looking good
And baby, deep down in your heart
I guess you know that it ain't right
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night
Babe, and I cry all the time

But each time I tell myself that I
Well I can't stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms
I'll sing it once again
I said come on, come on, come on, come on, yeah, take it

Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
(Oh, oh, break a-)
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
(Oh, oh, have a-)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good

I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on, yeah, take it

Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
(Oh, oh, break a-)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c'mon now
(Oh, oh, have a-)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it, whoa

Take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
(Oh, oh, break a-)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Oh, oh, have a-)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good



Ale Benda

[Lyrics]

Well, come on, come on, come on, come on

Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man, well yeah
Didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can
Honey, you know I did
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough
But what I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough
I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
(Oh, oh, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart
Now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Oh, oh, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it if it makes you feel good
Lord, yes indeed

You're out on the streets looking good
And baby deep down in your heart I guess you know that it ain't right
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night
Babe, and I cry all the time
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again

I'll say come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
(Oh, oh, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
(Oh, oh, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good

I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
(Oh, oh, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c'mon now
(Oh, oh, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it whoahhhhh

Take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
(Oh, oh, break it)
Break another little bit of my
Heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Oh, oh, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good



All comments from YouTube:

Harm van de Seijp

I am 65 years old and in between realized that having grown up with the onset and rise of rock music was a great gift to my generation

Archangel Revelations

Absolutely

Bob Balmer

Absolutely wonder time to grow up. 67 and listen to Janis all the time

Melody Ault

I feel the same. I'm 64 and I feel so passionate about all the great music we have been able to experience! I love Janis.

Ella’s strange world

I’m 13 and completely agree I love all the music from the 60s-70s music and to me it’s amazing it’s just so interesting and fun

Marie Brown

Yes! I'm 61, and Janis Joplin's songs are just as wonderful today as when I first listened to them as a young girl in the 1960s.

100 More Replies...

Marc S

In honor of Janis Joplin, she passed away, 50 years ago today. Incredible talent and music, sadly she was only 27 years old. RIP Pearl

Matthias Paddeo

Pearl was the best, and she still is.

Powdersakk

Wow, 50 years without Janis. That's insane.

Gabriel Castro

Rest In Power Janis

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