I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
- Prince Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It was only last June
When her old man ran away
She couldn't stop crying
'Cause she knew he was gone to stay

It was ten thirty-five on a lonely Friday night
She was standin' by the bar,
She was lookin' alright, yeah

I asked if she wanted to dance
And she said all she wanted was a good man
And wanted to know
If I thought I was qualified, yeah

And I said, baby don't waste your time
I know what's on your mind
I may be qualified for a one night stand
But I could never take the place of your man

It hurt me so bad when she told me
With tears in her eyes (tears in her eyes)
He was all she ever had
And now she wanted to die

He left her with a baby
And another one on the way, yeah
She couldn't stop cryin'
'Cause she knew he was gone to stay

She asked me if we could be friends
And I said, oh, honey baby that's a dead end
You know and I know
That we wouldn't be satisfied
No

And I said, baby don't waste your time
I know what's on your mind
You wouldn't be satisfied (wouldn't be satisfied)
With a one night stand (uh, uh, uh)

And I could never take the place of your man, oh




Yeah, yeah, the place of your man (uh, uh, uh)
One, two

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Prince's "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" tell the story of a woman who has been abandoned by her husband and the man who tries to comfort her. The woman is heartbroken, crying because she knows her husband is not coming back. She's at a bar one night when the singer approaches her, asking if she wants to dance. She responds that all she wants is a good man and asks if he thinks he's qualified. The singer tells her that he may be qualified for a one-night stand but he could never take the place of her man.


The singer is aware that the woman is still in love with her husband and that he cannot fill the void that her husband has left. He knows that she wouldn't be satisfied with a one-night stand and that he could never replace her husband. The song captures the feelings of heartbreak and longing, and the difficulty of moving on after a relationship ends. It's a poignant and melancholic song that speaks to the human experience of love and loss.


Line by Line Meaning

It was only last June When her old man ran away She couldn't stop crying 'Cause she knew he was gone to stay
In June of last year, her partner left her and she wept inconsolably, knowing he wouldn't return.


It was ten thirty-five on a lonely Friday night She was standin' by the bar, She was lookin' alright, yeah
On a deserted Friday eve at 10:35 pm, she was near the bar, looking fine.


I asked if she wanted to dance And she said all she wanted was a good man And wanted to know If I thought I was qualified, yeah
I asked her for a dance and she told me she seeks a decent man and sought my eligibility.


And I said, baby don't waste your time I know what's on your mind I may be qualified for a one night stand But I could never take the place of your man
I explained that indulging in me would be futile. Although flings may interest me, I can never fully replace her former man.


It hurt me so bad when she told me With tears in her eyes (tears in her eyes) He was all she ever had And now she wanted to die
It pained me considerably to hear her say that her man was her everything, however, he's gone, and she can't continue living.


He left her with a baby And another one on the way, yeah She couldn't stop cryin' 'Cause she knew he was gone to stay
Not only did he leave her with one child, but another one was on its way. She sobbed continuously, realising his departure was definite.


She asked me if we could be friends And I said, oh, honey baby that's a dead end You know and I know That we wouldn't be satisfied No
She proposed we become friends, but I warned her of the futility of such that it would lead us nowhere, causing dissatisfaction to both of us.


And I said, baby don't waste your time I know what's on your mind You wouldn't be satisfied (wouldn't be satisfied) With a one night stand (uh, uh, uh)
I reiterated that I'm aware of her desires, and a mere one-night stand wouldn't suffice.


And I could never take the place of your man, oh Yeah, yeah, the place of your man (uh, uh, uh) One, two
Once more, I emphasised that, no matter what happens, I could never fill the empty space her serious partner left.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@frankmarasco6233

@Steve OK..i'l take a stab. Obviously, it is well known that Prince possessed a wonderful and unique falsetto- immediately recognizable. And while his baritone is not one of particular note he definitely improved it through the years and there are plenty of examples of his excellent capabilities there (Shhh, live version of nothing compares for example). He certainly did not have “trouble carrying a note,” Far from it there’s plenty of great live examples of his singing and he very rarely is off key.
The guitar god thing has been debated to death. He’s great. Plenty of examples. It’s a bit subjective but Miles Davis called him a genius on guitar and that’s good enough for me. Seriously, listen to live version of Just my Imagination…I could go on but would rather focus on lyrical content. Because he’s underrated there…
Lyrically, oh boy are you way off base. There are so many examples of his brilliant and perceptive lyrics and at his best almost non cliched. Songs such as Pop Life, If I was your Girlfriend, SOTT, Last December, Anastasia, Controversy, Sexuality, 7, Holy River, When u were mine, and on and on so aptly get under social realities few pop writers have ever ventured to face. His navigating the extremes of sex and god opened a pandora’s box of unanswered questions that invites us back time and again. I could write pages on some of his absolute genius works that reflect that but let me dive right into the wheelhouse you use as an example of lack of lyrical depth- the 1999 album. He was in his mid 20 so okay there’s some immaturity there but look deeper. Oh, I could easily go to the genius of Little Red Corvette and talk about it being the tightest metaphor between sex and cars in rock history. And of course LRC is really a double metaphor- it’s not just sex but also LRC refers to a womans privates.. Machiavellian Dirty little prince. 😊
No , dig into into the B side where he explores the depths of relationships as described by the color wheel theory of love in psychology.
Automatic- Starts off in a Mania love, This type of love tends to lead a partner into a type of madness and obsessiveness. On the color wheel, it is represented by the color purple!!! Of course…He constructs the vocal delivery in an hypnotic, trance like state. Totally subservient and under control of his master. The whole thing devolves into sadomasochism as a foreshadowing/metaphor for the pain you feel in this type of behavior.
Next is Something in the Water Does not compute which moves into an Eros type love but that devolution is met with “treating a man so bad.” He is repeatedly hurt over and over. Confusion sets in as he examines his failed relationships and climaxes with his legendary screams- both anger and sadness and finally acceptance.
Then Lady Cab Driver- Having been blinded and hypnotized by love, then hurt over and over again Prince emerges as the Ludus lover- now dominate and in control. He is no longer interested in committed relationships but rather just the fun and adventure of casual sex. But ah he’s not done there. Taking us through an epic trilogy wasn’t enough- the emotional center is a class work on the social views of sex and love- all at the center of this magnificent work. Yes, he has sex with his antagonist. But each pelvic thrust is dedicated to some form of lover or hate, good and bad, sex and devine. You can dismiss this as overly sexed drivel and that works! Or you can dive into the rabbit hole and analyze the complexity of the concepts and the social backslap this whole thing represents.
Man and this is the tip of the iceberg of great lyrical work in his career…so much more. He wasn’t perfect, nobody is, and there plenty of examples of lazy songwriter but man at his peak he is something to behold.
But I’ll finish with this- overrated comment: He is: 1. Guitarist – in the conversation as on of the greats. 2. Vocalist- great. 2. Lyrical writer- in the conversation as one of the greats. 3. Live performer- in the conversation as one of the greats. 4. Dancer- great. 5. Producer- great. 6. Multi instrumentalist- in the conversation as one of the greats. 7. Engineer- he could do it. 8 Composer- pop one of the greats. 9. Prolificacy – in the conversation as most prolific. 10. Ehh I could go on but why…
Nobody ticks all those boxes- thus not overrated but actually underrated….
Crying indeed…



All comments from YouTube:

@erycleaf9725

If Prince had never written a song, he would still have been known as one of the greatest singers of all time. If he never sang a song, he would have been known as one of the guitar greats. If he didn't play guitar, he would have been a first call session bassist or keyboardist. If he didn't sing or play an instrument, he could have been a dancer on anyone's stage. He did all of those things to support his songs. He was the full package. God, I miss him!

@Linuscreeper

Couldn't have put it any better myself!

@candelise

Well....he might have "got by" as a producer, I suppose!!
Seriously, he was an artistic comet that we, most likely, won't see in our lifetime again!

@noellyyra6111

Damn good comment

@stagrov8086

You forget his irresistable charisma on stage 😁

@isabel1983

It’s like the universe chose him to be full of talent 💜

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@marcusa.fromthebay7514

This was his BEST BAND EVER!! My homegirl is KILLING the drum kit!!!

@stellacolv

I think this is the most perfect song I ever heard it’s just everything right

@AustrianJager

Nobody will ever take the place of this man! I saw him twice live. The best concerts of my life.

@phoenixstarrchild385

I saw Prince live once on his Purple Rain tour, no one will ever understand or beat him in his prime. Not even Michael Jackson or James Brown. He even admitted that himself.

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