Born in Queens, New York to Swiss German-American Fred Lauper and Sicilian Italian-American Catrine Dominique, she began her career in a cover band, but soon began performing her own songs (though she almost quit singing altogether due to strained vocal chords in 1977). By 1980 she'd released a rockabilly album on Polydor with the band Blue Angel. Despite much critical acclaim, the album "went lead," as Lauper says, and the band split as Lauper filed for bankruptcy.
In 1983 she started dating her manager David Wolff with whom she released She's So Unusual, a worldwide hit album which made Lauper a household name. A mixture of teen-friendly pop-rock and edgier, almost punky sounds, the album's biggest hit, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, quickly established itself as a female anthem. Lauper won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards of 1984 for her work on the album. Lauper was the first female artist to have four consecutive Hot 100 Top 5 hits from one album.
Subsequent albums (such as True Colors, A Night to Remember, Hat Full of Stars) did not sell as well, but Lauper remains active to the present day and still retains a very strong fan base.
Lauper's latest album Memphis Blues was released in June 2011, premiering at #1 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart where it remained for 14 consecutive weeks. The album also reached #26 on the Billboard Top 200, and was later named the Billboard Blues Album of the year, also earning Lauper a Grammy nomination. This brought her total Grammy nominations to 13 with one win.
Witness
Cyndi Lauper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you'll change some how
And I am what you need to get out,
I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be
'Cause I'm crawling back
I'm searchin' the right track
I'm standin' at last I'm sure
I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be witness
Jailbird chained to walk
You used to talk, talk, talk
But the melody none at all my love
And I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Witness
Witness
Please let me out this time
'Cause I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
I don't want to be
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
I don't want to be
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Witness
The lyrics to Cyndi Lauper's song Witness are about a person who has been hurt and betrayed by someone they trusted, and now that person is trying to win back their trust by promising to change. However, the singer doesn't want to be a witness to their change, likely because they have been hurt too many times in the past and don't want to risk getting hurt again by believing in someone who has repeatedly let them down.
The singer seems to be at a crossroads, crawling back and searching for the right track. They acknowledge that they don't want to be a witness to the other person's supposed transformation, and they plead to be let out of the situation altogether. The other person seems to be a jailbird, chained to their past mistakes, and unable to change their ways despite promising to do so.
Overall, the song is a powerful statement about trust, betrayal, and the difficult decision to let go of someone who has hurt you, even if they promise to change. The singer realizes that being a witness to this person's supposed transformation would be too painful, and so they choose to walk away.
Line by Line Meaning
You're sorry now
You express remorse at this moment
And you'll change some how
You vow to modify your behavior in some way
And I am what you need to get out,
You want my help to escape your situation
I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be witness
I refuse to play an instrumental role in your escape, as it would be a burden to me
'Cause I'm crawling back
I'm searchin' the right track
I'm standin' at last I'm sure
I am reopening an old chapter of my life and actively searching for the correct path to follow
Jailbird chained to walk
You used to talk, talk, talk
But the melody none at all my love
You were once a captivating conversationalist, but now your speech lacks any appeal or substance
Please let me out this time
'Cause I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
I don't want to be
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
I don't want to be
No I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
I don't want to be
I don't want to be
I don't want to be a witness
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Witness
I urge you to leave me out of your plans, as I do not wish to bear witness to your actions
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALAN THOMAS DOYLE, FELIX MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rivanildo Ricarte
Sempre gostei dessa música! Uma das minhas preferidas do álbum!!! 👍👍👏👏
Rodrigo Carvalho
Love love this song 🇧🇷
Marcos Rafael
Eu amo elaaaa
Francisco de Asís Rodríguez
Me too
papper-head
Salve maninho é nois aquu só no HUE HUE HUE
Erik Johnson
She's So Unusual is a great album to this day. Cyndi Lauper's music was such a big part of my childhood.
Neide Saraiva
Fantástica em todas suas músicas Amo♥️
Eddye Kiske
The best ♥️ maior acerto da indústria do entretenimento. Álbum perfeito.👌🥂☮️🇧🇷⭐🌹✨
Aninha
Perfeita💕
cynfan5
I was a teen when this came out. My family was Jehovah's Witnesses. So I sang "I don't wanna be a Witness."