Berkeley Woman
Bryan Bowers Lyrics


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I saw a Berkley woman
Sittin' in her rockin' chair
A dulcimer in her lap
A feather in her hair

Her breasts swayed freely
With the rhythm of the rockin' chair
She was a-sittin' and a-singin' and a-swayin'
Her cheeks were red I declare

Hard to believe
What my eyes showed me then
The color in her cheeks
Was just her natural skin

She wore no makeup
To make her look that way
She was a natural mama with the red cheeks
What more can I say

Well, I finally realized
There was hunger in my stare
In my mind I was swayin'
With the woman in the rockin' chair

But the lady I was livin' with
Was standin' right by my side
She saw my stare and she saw my hunger
And Lord it made her cry

With anger on her face
Yes, and the hurt in her eyes
Scratched me and she clawed me
Screamed and she cried

Oh, you don't give me near
All the lovin' that you should
Yet you're ready to go and lay with her
You're just no damn good

Well, I guess shes probably right
Oh, I guess I'm probably wrong
I guess she's not too far away
She hasn't been gone very long

I guess we could get together
And try it one more time
But I know that wanderlust would come again
We'd only wind up a-cryin'

So now you've heard my story
Plain as the light of day
Hard to feel guilty for lovin' the ladies
Thats all I gotta say

'Cept a woman is the sweetest fruit
That God ever put on the vine




Still no more love just one kinda woman
Than drink only one kinda wine

Overall Meaning

The song "Berkeley Woman" by Bryan Bowers is about a man who sees a woman sitting in a rocking chair on a porch, playing a dulcimer and singing. The woman has red cheeks that are natural, and her breasts sway with the rhythm of the rocking chair. The man realizes he is staring at her with hunger in his eyes, which makes his partner cry. The song is about the complexities of love and temptation and the realization that one might not be satisfied with just one partner.


The lyrics of the song depict a man's desire for the Berkeley woman, who seems carefree and natural. He is captivated by her beauty and is tempted to stray from his current partner. However, he realizes that his wandering tendencies will lead to more heartbreak and tears in the future. The song points out that there is no harm in admiring the beauty of various women, but settling down with one partner is essential for true fulfillment in life.


Overall, "Berkeley Woman" is about the complexity of human relationships and the challenges that come with staying committed to one person. It is a reminder that while some women may be tempting, it is crucial to focus on one person for a happy and fulfilling life.


Line by Line Meaning

I saw a Berkeley woman
I saw a woman from Berkeley


Sittin' in her rockin' chair
She was sitting on a rocking chair


A dulcimer in her lap
She had a musical instrument called dulcimer on her lap


A feather in her hair
She had a feather in her hair


Her breasts swayed freely
Her breasts were moving freely with the rhythm of the rocking chair


With the rhythm of the rockin' chair
Her breasts were swaying with the rhythm of the rocking chair


She was a-sittin' and a-singin' and a-swayin'
She was sitting, singing, and swaying on the rocking chair


Her cheeks were red I declare
Her cheeks were red in color


Hard to believe
It was difficult to believe


What my eyes showed me then
What my eyes were showing me at that moment


The color in her cheeks
The red color on her cheeks


Was just her natural skin
It was her natural skin color


She wore no makeup
She did not have makeup on her face


To make her look that way
To give the impression that she looked that way


She was a natural mama with the red cheeks
She was naturally a red-cheeked lady


What more can I say
I cannot say anything more


Well, I finally realized
I finally understood


There was hunger in my stare
I had a desire when I was looking at her


In my mind I was swayin'
In my mind, I was also swaying like her


With the woman in the rockin' chair
With the lady on the rocking chair


But the lady I was livin' with
The lady I was living with


Was standin' right by my side
She was standing right beside me


She saw my stare and she saw my hunger
She noticed my stare and my hunger for the other lady


And Lord it made her cry
It made her sad


With anger on her face
She had anger on her face


Yes, and the hurt in her eyes
She had pain in her eyes too


Scratched me and she clawed me
She scratched me and held me tightly


Screamed and she cried
She screamed and cried


Oh, you don't give me near
You do not provide me


All the lovin' that you should
All the love that you should give me


Yet you're ready to go and lay with her
But you are willing to go and sleep with her instead of me


You're just no damn good
You are just not a good partner


Well, I guess she's probably right
I think she is correct


Oh, I guess I'm probably wrong
I think I might be wrong


I guess she's not too far away
I think she has not been gone for too long


She hasn't been gone very long
She has been gone for only a short time


I guess we could get together
We could possibly get back together


And try it one more time
And give our relationship one more try


But I know that wanderlust would come again
But I know that my restless desire to travel and explore would return


We'd only wind up a-cryin'
And we would end up crying again


So now you've heard my story
This is my story that I wanted to share


Plain as the light of day
It is clear and straightforward


Hard to feel guilty for lovin' the ladies
It is difficult to feel guilty for loving women


Thats all I gotta say
That is all I have to say


'Cept a woman is the sweetest fruit
Except that a woman is the sweetest fruit


That God ever put on the vine
That was ever made by God


Still no more love just one kinda woman
But I still only love one type of woman


Than drink only one kinda wine
Just like how people only drink one type of wine




Contributed by Aiden H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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