The song stirred up some controversy due to its objectification of gender roles, with Winehouse insisting that her partner act manlier and tougher.
This version of the track includes a scatting intro to open the album, though the single edit of “Stronger Than Me” omits the introduction.
"I wrote [“Stronger Than Me} for a man that I was with at the time, who I wrote a lot of the songs about, and we had already split up a couple of times, and I really didn’t know why we were not supposed to be together. I mean, I know that if you break up with someone, when you get back together, it’s gonna be all the little things that annoyed you about them is gonna annoy you ten times more, but I didn’t understand why we weren’t supposed to be together. And then it just came to me one day how, "You should be stronger than me!” I’m the girl and you’re the boy. You’re seven years older than me, and you should really be someone for me to come to at the end of my day with my problems, not add to my problems at the end of the day. I guess I wrote “Stronger Than Me” when I realized he was a big girl."
– Winehouse via MTV Italia (2004).
Intro / Stronger Than Me
Amy Winehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've been here seven years longer than me
Don't you know you supposed to be the man?
Not pale in comparison to who you think I am
You always want to talk it through, I don't care
I always have to comfort you when I'm there
But that's what I need you to do, stroke my hair
Feel like a lady and you my ladyboy
You should be stronger than me
But instead you're longer than frozen turkey
Why'd you always put me in control?
All I need is for my man to live up to his role
Always wanna talk it through, I'm okay
Always have to comfort you every day
But that's what I need you to do, are you gay?
'Cause I've forgotten all of young love's joy
Feel like a lady and you my ladyboy
He said, "The respect I made you earn
Thought you had so many lessons to learn"
I said, "You don't know what love is, get a grip
Sound as if you're reading from some other tired script"
I'm not gonna meet your mother anytime
I just wanna grip your body over mine
Please tell me why you think that's a crime
I've forgotten all of young love's joy
Feel like a lady and you my ladyboy
You should be stronger than me
You should be stronger than me
You should be stronger than me
You should be stronger than me
The opening lines of the Intro/Stronger Than Me give us a hint of the song's theme - the gender roles in relationships. The singer acknowledges that her man has been in the relationship longer than she has and is supposed to be the one taking charge. However, the situation is the opposite, and the man is lesser compared to how he sees her. The singer states firmly that her man should be stronger than her but is not. He's longer than a frozen turkey, which emphasizes his indecisiveness and makes him completely reliant on her for emotional support. The singer believes that to maintain a healthy relationship, each partner must play their respective manly/feminine roles. However, her man is not living up to that role.
In the second stanza, the singer continues to portray the man as weak, indecisive, and overly dependent on her emotional nurturing. She has to comfort him regularly, which is not an issue, but it makes the man appear feminine, which doesn't appeal to the singer. The singer asks pointedly if he is gay, indicating that she doubts his masculinity. She notes that she's forgotten what a relationship full of passion feels like and has begun viewing herself as the more dominant partner in the relationship, with her man taking on the more submissive, feminine role.
The chorus repeats the singer's conviction that her man should be stronger than her and should take the initiative in the relationship. The singer reminds the man that she's not looking for someone to control her but rather for him to live up to his role.
Line by Line Meaning
Incomprehensible
Unclear and not understandable
You should be stronger than me
You should have more emotional strength than me
You've been here seven years longer than me
You have been in this relationship for seven years longer than me
Don't you know you supposed to be the man
Don't you realize that you are expected to be the stronger one in the relationship
Not pal in comparison to who you think I am
Not any less of a person compared to what you think of me
You always wanna talk it through, I don't care
You always want to have a conversation about our problems, but I am not interested in discussing it
I always have to comfort you when I'm there
I always have to reassure and comfort you when we are together
But that's what I need you to do, stroke my hair
But what I need you to do is to be there for me and provide me comfort and affection
'cause I've forgotten all of young love's joy
I have lost the happiness and excitement I felt in the early days of our relationship
Feel like a lady and you my lady boy
I feel like a woman, and you seem too weak and feminine in comparison
But instead you're longer than frozen turkey
But instead, you seem weak and unresponsive like a frozen turkey
Why'd you always put me in control?
Why do you always make me responsible for everything in our relationship?
All I need is for my man to live up to his role
All I want is for you to act like a man and take on the responsibilities that come with it
Always wanna talk it through, I'm okay
You always want to discuss our issues, but I am okay with leaving things unsaid
Always have to comfort you every day
I always have to provide you with reassurance and comfort each day
But that's what I need you to do, are you gay?
However, that is what I require from you. Is there a reason for your reluctance?
'Cause I've forgotten all of young love's joy
I can't seem to recapture the happiness and excitement I felt at the beginning of our relationship
Feel like a lady and you my lady boy
I feel like a woman, and you seem too weak and feminine in comparison
He said 'the respect I made you earn
He said, 'I made you earn my respect
Thought you had so many lessons to learn
He believed that I had a lot to learn in our relationship
I said, "You don't know what love is, get a grip"
I replied, 'You don't understand the true meaning of love, so you need to get a grip'
Sounds as if you're reading from some other tired script
It seems like you are repeating a tired, old argument instead of truly engaging with me
I'm not gonna meet your mother anytime
I'm not interested in meeting your family
I just wanna rip your body over mine
I just want to be physically intimate with you
Please tell me why you think
Please explain to me why you have a certain belief
That's a crime
Why do you see our relationship in a negative way?
I've forgotten all of young love's joy
I have lost the happiness and excitement I felt in the early days of our relationship
Feel like a lady and you my lady boy
I feel like a woman, and you seem too weak and feminine in comparison
You should be stronger than me
You should have more emotional strength than me
You should be stronger than me
You should have more emotional strength than me
You should be stronger than me
You should have more emotional strength than me
You should be stronger than me
You should have more emotional strength than me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Amy Winehouse, Salaam Remi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrJason005
You can tell from the first 20 seconds that she got really strong Jazz inspirations
@prodcdebeatz7205
She is so talented. She was slightly before my time and so growing up I only knew the struggles she faced. Now listening to her, what an artist. The world really lost a great one.
@brandonhealy7158
I’m the same as you. I love Amy’s music :)
@noabatmelech
Best album ever!!!! How I miss her honesty, she was frank from head to toe
@aaronsilver1755
Amy’s live gigs are always better than her albums that’s what I love it shows how good she was without trying
@milagrosgonzalezcerutti6245
Ella tenía una voz tan hermosa, que enamoraba a cualquiera. Hoy por hoy se habla más de su muerte que de su música. Se merecía a alguien que la amara más que Blake. Falleció siendo tan joven...
Pero su voz es lo que quedará en la historia de la música por siempre
@SPASPAWIZ
Amy is a dream and a tragedy. ❤️
@VaughnDoyle
I love the jazzy skatting in the beginning.
@aliasseila2098
I love her and this beat♡
@martingibbons7070
Sad loss to the world. R I P AMY