She is known for her sense of humor, which is expressed in both her music and her onstage performances. Many of her songs alternate between emotional reflections on romance and outright comedy. Two of her more famous songs include "Sensitive New Age Guys" and "Bald Headed Men".
Damaged Goods
Christine Lavin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Such eager men make women feel ill at ease
Relationships never lasted long
Though there was nothing in particular
You could say he was doing wrong
But now his loneliness is beginning to show
His confidence is at an all-time low
The littlest decisions are the hardest to make
'Cause now he, he thinks of himself as damaged goods
So far no one's ever treated him as gently as he hoped they would
And he don't hold his head up quite so high
And he finds himself longing for the innocence of times gone by
She had her first man when she was 23
Years after all her girlfriends gave away their virginity
And now at last she thought her life had begun
But she sees things a little differently now that she's 31
She's had a lot of lovers, but no special man
Has ever really touched her or tried to understand
Now there's an awkward hesitation in everything she does
If only her life could be simple like it was
But now she, she thinks of herself as damaged goods
So far no one's ever treated her as gently as she hoped they would
And she don't hold her head up quite so high
And she finds herself longing for the innocence of times gone by
I don't know about you, but it seems like all of my friends
Are either being hurt or they are trying to mend the hurt
Been done to them by somebody else
And now they carry with them like a badge
A sadly damaged image of themselves
I've got a little sister, 15 years old
And there is so very much I think she should be told
But she won't listen, Lord knows I never did
And that's why I got so many scars, I struggle to keep hid
Sometimes I falter, sometimes I lose
Sometimes I get caught up wallowing in my blues
So undecided, I hesitate and yet
Every once in a while I just manage to forget
That I, I think of myself as damaged goods
So far no one's ever treated me as gently as I wished they would
And I don't hold my head up quite that high
And I'm longing for the simple days, I wonder how they got this way
Longing for the innocence of times gone by
Oh, those times gone by
The song "Damaged Goods" by Christine Lavin speaks about three different individuals who have all experienced pain in their relationships. The first person mentioned is a man who was always too open and eager to please, which made women uncomfortable. Although he never did anything wrong, his relationships never lasted long. However, now that he is alone, his confidence is at an all-time low, and he finds himself second-guessing and struggling to make even the smallest decisions. The reason for this is that he now thinks of himself as "damaged goods." He has never been treated as gently as he hoped, and this has taken a toll on him.
The second person mentioned is a woman who had her first relationship when she was 23 years old, long after all her friends had already experienced sex. She has had many lovers, but no special man has ever understood or touched her. As a result, she also thinks of herself as "damaged goods," and finds herself struggling with every decision she makes. Both the man and the woman in the song find themselves longing for the innocence of times gone by, when their lives were simpler and they were not weighed down by the pain of their past relationships.
Finally, the song acknowledges that many people carry around a "damaged" image of themselves due to past hurts. The singer herself admits to feeling like "damaged goods" at times, struggling to hold her head up high and longing for simpler days. The song touches on the pain of feeling like you will never be able to escape your past hurts or mistakes, and the fear that you will never find someone to love you as you truly are.
Line by Line Meaning
He was always a bit too open, a bit too quick to please
He had a habit of being too eager and upfront, which sometimes made women feel uncomfortable
Relationships never lasted long
His relationships never survived for extended periods
Though there was nothing in particular
Despite not having any significant flaws
You could say he was doing wrong
There were no problems with him doing something wrong, per se
But now his loneliness is beginning to show
However, his isolation is showing more visibly now
His confidence is at an all-time low
His confidence is at its lowest point
He's always second-guessing, look at him hesitate
He frequently hesitates and second-guesses himself
The littlest decisions are the hardest to make
He finds small decisions to be the most challenging
Cause now he, he thinks of himself as damaged goods
Currently, he believes that he is damaged, and it affects his self-worth
So far no one's ever treated him as gently as he hoped they would
No one has shown him as much kindness that he expected or felt he deserved
And he don't hold his head up quite so high
He no longer keeps his head up high, as he used to
And he finds himself longing for the innocence of times gone by
He misses the old times, when things were simple and more innocent
She had her first man when she was 23
She had her first romantic partner at the age of 23
Years after all her girlfriends gave away their virginity
In contrast to her friends, who gave up their virginity earlier in life
And now at last she thought her life had begun
She thought that finally, her life would start and possibly get better
But she sees things a little differently now that she's 31
Now that she is 31, her perspective on life is different from before
She's had a lot of lovers, but no special man
She has had many romantic partners, but none of them were significant
Has ever really touched her or tried to understand
None of her partners has understood her or fulfilled her emotional needs
Now there's an awkward hesitation in everything she does
Currently, she finds it challenging to feel comfortable or confident in her actions
If only her life could be simple like it was
If only things were simpler, like they used to be
But now she, she thinks of herself as damaged goods
Presently, she sees herself as damaged and feels it reflects on her self-value
I don't know about you, but it seems like all of my friends
It appears that most of my friends struggle in their romantic relationships
Are either being hurt or they are trying to mend the hurt
Either they are getting hurt by others or trying to heal wounds left by others
Been done to them by somebody else
Their negative experiences have mainly been caused by someone else
And now they carry with them like a badge
Now they wear these experiences as if it's a badge of honor
A sadly damaged image of themselves
An image of themselves that is unattractive, incomplete and damaged in a way
I've got a little sister, 15 years old
I have a 15-year-old sibling, a younger sister
And there is so very much I think she should be told
And there are many things that I believe I should tell her
But she won't listen, Lord knows I never did
Unfortunately, it's possible that she may not listen, even though I didn't listen when I was young
And that's why I got so many scars, I struggle to keep hid
Consequently, because of my mistakes, I have experienced pain that I try to hide
Sometimes I falter, sometimes I lose
Sometimes, I make mistakes or don't succeed
Sometimes I get caught up wallowing in my blues
Sometimes, I get trapped in my sadness or sadness related to a situation
So undecided, I hesitate and yet
I feel hesitant and indecisive at times
Every once in a while I just manage to forget
Every so often, I succeed in forgetting negative experiences from the past
That I, I think of myself as damaged goods
Nonetheless, I still see myself as damaged and unworthy in a way
So far no one's ever treated me as gently as I wished they would
Despite past efforts to be handled with care and gentleness, nobody has met that expectation
And I don't hold my head up quite that high
As a result, I do not always have high self-esteem and confidence
And I'm longing for the simple days, I wonder how they got this way
I long for the earlier times in life, and I am curious about how things became this complicated
Longing for the innocence of times gone by
I miss the simplicity and innocence of the past
Oh, those times gone by
All in all, it's a reminder of how things used to be better in the past
Contributed by Adrian A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.