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".
Looked Good On Paper
Christine Lavin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A wonderful life
An Ivy League lawyer
An Ivy League wife
A big house out in Aspen
In East Hampton, too
A ten room apartment
West End Avenue
You might be thinking
What's the story in this
Well you see, she was drinking
The first time they kissed
The evening was foggy
But the morning was clear
She woke up groggy thinking
What am I doing here?
She should not have walked away
She should have run
When he asked her to stay
She thought she was the lucky one
He was misunderstood
By everyone around him
As they grew closer
She inched out on that limb
Distracted by silver
Dazzled by gold
She touched many things
She thought she never could hold
A guest at the table
She was just passing through
Your perspective gets twisted
When this happens to you
The years slid by quickly
'til she woke up one day
Her heart was telling her
You can't keep living this way
So she pressed for an answer
Looked deep in his eyes
She knew she was the only one
He didn't tell lies
And he says 'please be patient
These changes take time'
As he uncorks another bottle of wine
She admires the bouquet
And takes a long sip
Makes plans for the next
Clandestine trip
And he tells her he loves her
And squeezes her hand
But he's got to go home now
She understands
She stares out the window
Sees the cab pull away
She wants to go with him
But that won't happen today
And it won't happen tomorrow
Or the day after that
He's content with this set-up
He plans to stand pat
But he throws her a bone
Whenever she cries
And adds her to the list
Of those he tells lies
But it's never too late
To reclaim when your soul
Even when misguided love
Has taken it's toll
He did not believe her
When she said goodbye
He wanted to stop her
But he was too proud to try
She's on her own now
On the surface she's fine
But in a weak moment
She reflects on that time
He appears in her dreams
And she wakes up in tears
The lonely sound of her heartbeat
Taps into deep fears
But she keeps on moving
Reconnects with old friends
While he's taken up
With a young thing again
Who's impressed with his money
And his station in life
And doesn't care at all about
You know, the wife
This story's played over
Hundreds of times
We hear warning bells
And we see danger signs
We think we are different
But we end up the same
We must look in the mirror
For the person to blame
He looked good on paper
A wonderful life
An Ivy League lawyer
An Ivy League wife
A big house in Aspen
East Hampton, too
A ten room apartment
West End Avenue
You might be thinking
What's the story in this?
I admit I was drinking
The first time we kissed
The evening was foggy
But the morning was clear
I woke up groggy thinking
What am I doing here?
What am I doing here?
What was I doing there?
The song "Looked Good on Paper" by Christine Lavin tells the story of a woman who falls in love with a man who appears to have it all - an Ivy League education, a successful career, and luxurious homes. However, as their relationship progresses, she realizes that his wealth and status cannot make up for his dishonesty and lack of affection towards her. The song explores the themes of love, deception, and self-reflection.
In the first verse, Lavin describes the man's impressive credentials and wealth, which initially attract the woman to him. However, she soon realizes that her decision to stay with him was heavily influenced by her love of material things, rather than true affection. In the chorus, Lavin emphasizes the dangers of ignoring warning signs and rationalizing others' flaws in the name of love.
As the song progresses, the woman becomes more aware of her situation and begins to question her role in the relationship. Despite her growing doubts, she continues to stay with him, hoping that he will change. In the final verse, the relationship ends as she realizes that she cannot continue to live in a state of denial and begins to move on with her life.
The lyrics of the song are a commentary on the modern obsession with success and wealth, and the way in which material possessions can mask deeper issues in relationships. The song serves as a warning against ignoring red flags and compromising one's values for the sake of love.
Line by Line Meaning
He looked good on paper
On paper, his life appeared to be wonderful and impressive
A wonderful life
His life looked great and enviable
An Ivy League lawyer
He was educated at a prestigious law school
An Ivy League wife
He was married to a woman who was also educated at a prestigious institution
A big house out in Aspen
He owned a large and luxurious house in Aspen
In East Hampton, too
He also had a house in the affluent area of East Hampton
A ten room apartment
He owned an apartment with ten rooms
West End Avenue
This apartment was located on West End Avenue which is a famous street in Manhattan
You might be thinking
The artist is addressing the listener and assumes they have formed a question or thought regarding the previous lines
What's the story in this
The artist is asking what the listener thinks about the situation being described
Well you see, she was drinking
The reason for the events to follow was that the woman was under the influence of alcohol
The first time they kissed
This was the beginning of their romantic involvement
The evening was foggy
The night when they first kissed was hazy for her
But the morning was clear
She gained clarity after the hazy night
She woke up groggy thinking
The woman was in a state of confusion upon waking up
What am I doing here?
She was confused about why she was with him
She should not have walked away
In retrospect, the woman realizes that she should have left him earlier
She should have run
She should have cut ties with him when she had the chance
When he asked her to stay
He wanted her to remain with him
She thought she was the lucky one
She believed that she was fortunate to be with him
He was misunderstood
Many people did not understand his actions and personality
By everyone around him
The people who knew him had misconceptions about him
As they grew closer
As their relationship became more intense
She inched out on that limb
She took a risk by getting involved with him
Distracted by silver
She was tempted by his wealth
Dazzled by gold
She was mesmerized by his riches
She touched many things
She experienced many luxuries she had never known before
She thought she never could hold
She thought she would never have access to such wealth and status
A guest at the table
She was only allowed to experience a small taste of his privileged life
She was just passing through
She was not really a permanent part of his life
Your perspective gets twisted
When you are in a certain situation, you can start to think and feel differently
When this happens to you
When you are caught up in a certain situation
The years slid by quickly
Time passed by rapidly
'til she woke up one day
At one point, she suddenly realized something important
Her heart was telling her
Her inner instincts were providing insight
You can't keep living this way
She knew she could not continue with the status quo
So she pressed for an answer
She pushed for a response and clarity
Looked deep in his eyes
She gazed intently into his eyes
She knew she was the only one
She was convinced that she was the only one he truly cared for
He didn't tell lies
He was honest with her
And he says 'please be patient
He asked her to wait and be understanding
These changes take time'
He explained that things would not change overnight and needed time
As he uncorks another bottle
He opened a new bottle of wine
Of wine
This was a reference to drinking
She admires the bouquet
She liked how the wine smelled
And takes a long sip
She drank deeply from her glass
Makes plans for the next
She was already thinking about the next secret meeting
Clandestine trip
This was a secret and hidden journey they were planning
And he tells her he loves her
He professed his love for her
And squeezes her hand
He held her hand tightly
But he's got to go home now
He needed to go back to his real life
She understands
She gets it and accepts it
She stares out the window
She looked out the window
Sees the cab pull away
She watched the taxi drive off
She wants to go with him
She wished she could leave with him
But that won't happen today
This was not a possibility at the moment
And it won't happen tomorrow
This was not a possibility in the near future either
Or the day after that
She would have to wait even longer
He's content with this set-up
He was happy with the way things were going
He plans to stand pat
He did not intend to make any changes
But he throws her a bone
He made a small gesture to please her
Whenever she cries
Whenever she is upset
And adds her to the list
He included her in a group of people
Of those he tells lies
He was not truthful with everyone and included her in that group
But it's never too late
It is always possible to take action
To reclaim when your soul
To take back control of your inner self
Even when misguided love
Even when love leads you astray
Has taken it's toll
When it has negatively impacted you
He did not believe her
He did not trust her or her words
When she said goodbye
When she tried to end the relationship
He wanted to stop her
He wished she would stay and was sad to see her leave
But he was too proud to try
His ego got in the way and he could not bring himself to beg her to stay
She's on her own now
She is independent
On the surface she's fine
Outwardly, she appears to be doing well
But in a weak moment
During a vulnerable time
She reflects on that time
She thinks back to her relationship with him
He appears in her dreams
He is still in her thoughts and memories
And she wakes up in tears
She feels emotional and sad upon waking up
The lonely sound of her heartbeat
She feels alone and sad
Taps into deep fears
It triggers her deepest anxieties and insecurities
But she keeps on moving
She continues to live her life and move forward
Reconnects with old friends
She got in touch with friends she had not spoken to in a while
While he's taken up
While he starts to date someone else
With a young thing again
He starts to date a younger woman
Who's impressed with his money
She is drawn to his wealth and status
And his station in life
She likes that he is in a high social position
And doesn't care at all about
She is not concerned at all about
You know, the wife
The woman he is married to
This story's played over
This situation is not uncommon
Hundreds of times
It has happened many times before
We hear warning bells
We might sense that something is not quite right
And we see danger signs
We can detect the presence of warning signs
We think we are different
We believe we are special and things will not end badly for us
But we end up the same
We often end up in similar situations as other people
We must look in the mirror
We need to examine ourselves and our choices
For the person to blame
We need to take responsibility for our actions and choices
Contributed by Jasmine M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.