Christine Lavin (b. January 2, 1952) is a New York City-based singer, songw… Read Full Bio ↴Christine Lavin (b. January 2, 1952) is a New York City-based singer, songwriter, and promoter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded numerous solo albums, and has also recorded with other female folk artists under the name Four Bitchin' Babes. She has also put together several compilation albums of contemporary folk artists, including On a Winter's Night.

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".

Regretting What I Said
Christine Lavin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This song is called, "Regretting What I Said to You When You Called Me 11:00 On a Friday Morning to Tell Me that at 1:00 Friday Afternoon You're Gonna Leave Your Office, Go Downstairs, Hail a Cab to Go Out to the Airport to Catch a Plane to Go Skiing in the Alps for Two Weeks, Not that I Wanted to Go With You, I Wasn't Able to Leave Town, I'm Not a Very Good Skier, I Couldn't Expect You to Pay My Way, But After Going Out With You for Three Years I DON'T Like Surprises!!"
And it's subtitled "A musical apology"
In this song I attempt to take back everything I said while
Standing in a phone booth on the corner of 49th and 3rd

I didn't mean it when I said, "I hope
The cable in the elevator snaps
When you step on board"

And I was joking when I said
"I hope you crack your head
And get mangled by the downstairs revolving doors"

And I was kidding when I said, "I hope the
Number 103 bus hits and makes a pancake out of you"

I'm sorry
I'm sorry
Isn't it amazing what a woman in love will do?

And I really don't want to see your taxi on the 59th street bridge
Flip over
And crash through the rail
And I'd feel bad if at the airport you were
Mistaken for a local sex offender
Arrested, beaten up, and thrown in jail

And I really don't want to see you getting radiation poisoning
From the metal detector that all passengers on
Foreign and domestic flights must walk through

I'm sorry
Forgive me
For all the mean things I said to you

You thought I didn't have a temper
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, surprise
But I really don't want to see you
Dismembered by the marijuana sniffing dogs
When a simple little nipping would suffice
Would suffice

And I'm sorry that I said, "I hope
The plane explodes in mid-air
As it carries you away from me"
And I'm sorry that I said
"I hope you break both legs
On the mountain while you ski"

And I'm sorry for all the nasty things
I said about your mother
Even though we both know they're true

I'm sorry
Forgive me
I'm swallowing my pride
I'd feel so guilty if you died

Oh, I'm sorry
But I'm still mad at you

Overall Meaning

The title of this song gives a clue about the context in which the lyrics were written. Christine Lavin regrets saying some mean things to her partner over the telephone, things that were in retrospect an overreaction to the situation at the time. Her partner had called to share the news that they were leaving town for two weeks to go skiing in the Alps, but it was the surprise of the call and the premise that the skiing trip had not been discussed beforehand that caught Lavin off guard. Her initial reaction was one of frustration and annoyance, leading her to wish harm to her partner. She goes on to apologize for the things she said and expresses the things she doesn’t want to happen to her partner while they are away. Through the course of the song, she eventually admits to still being mad at her partner, but that she ultimately feels guilty for some of the things she said.

The song is a humorous and self-deprecating apology to her partner, and Lavin uses a variety of darkly comic scenarios to express her regret for her earlier outburst. She acknowledges that her behavior was not warranted, and recognizes that sometimes people say things they don't mean when they're feeling emotional. Lavin's charming and witty delivery makes the song amusing even as she expresses sincere regret for her words. The underlying theme of the song is that it's natural to get angry with someone you care about but that forgiveness is key to maintaining a loving relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

I didn't mean it when I said, "I hope The cable in the elevator snaps When you step on board"
I was not serious when I wished for something that would harm you

And I was joking when I said "I hope you crack your head And get mangled by the downstairs revolving doors"
I was not serious when I wished for something that would harm you

And I was kidding when I said, "I hope the Number 103 bus hits and makes a pancake out of you"
I was not serious when I wished for something that would harm you

And I really don't want to see your taxi on the 59th street bridge Flip over And crash through the rail And I'd feel bad if at the airport you were Mistaken for a local sex offender Arrested, beaten up, and thrown in jail And I really don't want to see you getting radiation poisoning From the metal detector that all passengers on Foreign and domestic flights must walk through
I do not wish any harm or misfortune upon you during your travels

You thought I didn't have a temper Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, surprise But I really don't want to see you Dismembered by the marijuana sniffing dogs When a simple little nipping would suffice Would suffice
Although you may believe I do not have a temper, I still do not wish for you to be harmed by the dogs at the airport

And I'm sorry that I said, "I hope The plane explodes in mid-air As it carries you away from me" And I'm sorry that I said "I hope you break both legs On the mountain while you ski"
I was not serious when I wished for something that would harm you

And I'm sorry for all the nasty things I said about your mother Even though we both know they're true
I apologize for any hurtful things I said about your mother, even if they were true

I'm sorry Forgive me I'm swallowing my pride I'd feel so guilty if you died Oh, I'm sorry But I'm still mad at you
I am sorry and regretful for what I said, but I am still upset with you

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

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