Barbra Streisand (born Barbara Joan Streisand; April 24, 1942 Brooklyn, Ne… Read Full Bio ↴Barbra Streisand (born Barbara Joan Streisand; April 24, 1942 Brooklyn, New York), is an Academy Award-winning American singer, theater and film actress, composer, film producer, and director. She has won Oscars for Best Actress and Best Original Song as well as multiple Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and an honorary Tony Award. She received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor on December 7, 2008. She is the most successful female recording artist according to the Recording Industry Assoc. of America (RIAA).

Barbra Streisand has recorded more than 60 albums, almost all with Columbia Records. Her early works in the 1960s (her debut The Barbra Streisand Album which won two Grammy Awards in 1963, followed by The Second Barbra Streisand Album, The Third Album, My Name Is Barbra, etc.) are considered classic renditions of theater and nightclub standards, including her version of Happy Days Are Here Again. Beginning with My Name Is Barbra, her albums were often medley-filled keepsakes of her television specials.

Starting in 1969, Streisand tackled contemporary songwriters; like many talented singers of the day, she found herself a fish out of water in attempts to tackle rock, but her vocal talents prevailed and she gained newfound success with the pop and ballad-oriented Richard Perry-produced album Stoney End in 1971. The title track, written by Laura Nyro, was a big hit for Streisand.

Streisand's 1980 album, Guilty featured the songwriting, production and vocal talents of Barry Gibb and was the best-selling album of her recording career. During the 1970s, she was also highly prominent in the pop charts, with number-one records like The Way We Were, Evergreen, No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (her duet with Donna Summer), and Woman In Love; some of these came from soundtracks of her films. She recently took part in supporting Haiti in singing "We are the World 25th anniversary.

When the 1970s ended, Streisand was named the most successful female singer in the U.S. - only Elvis Presley and The Beatles having sold more albums. [1]

[1] In 1982, New York Times music critic Stephen Holden wrote that Streisand was "the most influential mainstream American pop singer since Frank Sinatra."

Supper Time
Barbra Streisand Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Supper time
I should set the table
'Cause it's supper time
Somehow I'm not able
'Cause that man of mine
Ain't coming home no more
Oh, supper time

Kids will soon be yelling
For this supper time
While I keep from telling
That that man of mine
Ain't coming home no more
While I keep explaining
When they ask me where he's gone
While I keep from crying
When I bring the supper on
How can I remind them
To pray at their humble board
How can I be thankful
When they start to thank the Lord,
Oh, Lord!

Supper time,
I should set the table
'Cause it's supper time
Somehow I'm not able
'Cause that man of mine

Ain't coming home no more
Ain't coming home no more

Overall Meaning

The song Supper Time by Barbra Streisand is a heartbreaking tale of a woman dealing with the sudden loss of her husband. The song is set during suppertime, when the woman should be setting the table and getting dinner ready. However, she is unable to do so because her husband, the man she normally shares this meal with, has passed away. She is torn between wanting to be strong for her children and hiding her own pain from them. She struggles with how to explain his absence to them and how to maintain her faith and sense of gratitude during this difficult time.

The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a woman grappling with the aftermath of loss. The repetition of the phrase "supper time" emphasizes the routine and familiarity of a normal family meal, while the line "somehow I'm not able" highlights the sudden disruption of that routine. The woman is consumed with sorrow and yet still feels a responsibility to her children to keep things as normal as possible. The line "while I keep from crying when I bring the supper on" particularly encapsulates the woman's attempts to hold it together for her family's sake.

Overall, Supper Time is a poignant and emotional song that captures the pain and confusion that often comes with grief. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of being kind to those who are suffering and of the resilience of the human spirit.

Line by Line Meaning

Supper time
It's time for dinner

I should set the table
I should prepare the table for dinner

'Cause it's supper time
Because it's the usual time for dinner

Somehow I'm not able
However, I am unable to do so

'Cause that man of mine
Because my husband

Ain't coming home no more
Is never coming back

Oh, supper time
Oh, dinner time

Kids will soon be yelling
My children will soon be calling out for dinner

For this supper time
For this mealtime

While I keep from telling
While I refrain from telling them

That that man of mine
That their father