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 ↴
ARTIST: Christine Lavin
ALBUM: Future Fossils
(spoken)
'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,
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
#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 Steet 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.
------------------
Yyy2t@virginia.edu
Christine Lavin's "Regretting What I Said..." is a musical apology to a lover or a significant other from the perspective of a person who said some very mean things in the heat of the moment. The song starts with a spoken-word intro, where Lavin explains the backstory, "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!!"". The lyrics revolve around the apologies for the harsh words spoken, and the singer’s fear that their partner may suffer from some kind of accident along the way.
The song is a commentary on the irrational behavior that love can inspire in us. It explores the limitations of our self-control when we are emotionally invested in someone, revealing a rather humorous portrayal of the situation at hand. The song conveys the idea that one may say things they don't mean out of the fear of losing someone they love, despite how absurd or hurtful it may be.
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 didn't actually wish harm upon 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 said that.
And I was kidding when I said, 'I hope the
#103 bus
Hits and makes a pancake out of you.'
That comment was meant as a joke and not a threat.
I'm sorry...
I'm sorry...
Isn't it amazing what a woman in love will do?
I apologize for my words and actions.
And I really don't want to see your taxi on the 59th Steet Bridge
Flip over
And crash through the rail.
I do not desire to witness a tragedy of that magnitude happening to you.
And I'd feel bad if at the airport you were
Mistaken for a local sex offender,
Arrested, beaten up, and thrown in jail.
I would regret you being mistaken for someone else and facing unjust consequences.
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 want you to get sick from the metal detector.
I'm sorry...
Forgive me...
For all the mean things I said to you.
Please excuse my earlier remarks.
You thought I didn't have a temper.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, surprise!
I have a temper, which I hope you realize now.
But I really don't want to see you
Dismembered by the marijuana sniffing dogs
When a simple little nipping would suffice,
I do not want to see the dogs hurt you physically.
Would suffice.
It would be enough to simply scare you.
And I'm sorry that I said 'I hope
The plane explodes in mid-air
As it carries you away from me.'
I truly regret having said that.
And I'm sorry that I said,
'I hope you break both legs
On the mountain while you ski.'
I shouldn't have expressed that hope.
And I'm sorry for all the nasty things
I said about your mother
Even though we both know they're true.
I apologize even for my true but unkind words.
I'm sorry...
Forgive me...
I'm swallowing my pride,
I'd feel so guilty if you died!
I'm humbling myself because I don't want to live with guilt.
Oh, I'm sorry,
But I'm still mad at you.
Even though I'm apologetic, I'm still upset with you.
Contributed by Savannah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.