Do You Take This Man?
Diamanda Galás with John Paul Jones Lyrics

I'm very disappointed in you
I am displeased with your actions and behavior

And I don't handle disappointment well
I cannot cope with the feeling of being let down

I'd like to say I could forgive you
It would be nice to think that I am capable of granting you forgiveness

But I can never forgive - just forget
Regardless of what I may hope for, I will never be able to forgive you, but I can try to forget what happened

Now, it will take me ten long years to forget,
It will take a significant amount of time for me to move on from this situation

That's 12 months of the year
This is equal to 12 months per year

Four weeks of the month
This is equal to four weeks per month

And seven days a week
This is equal to seven days per week

Well that's a very tall order, I got to say
That is an extremely demanding task, I must admit

I don't have that much time to FORGET
I do not have enough time to forget what happened as quickly as I would like to

That's a whole lot of hard and lonely time
This is a significant period of difficult and solitary experiences

When we could be together
This is a time when we could be spending together

Husband, with this knife
Addressing her partner, she holds up a knife

I do you adore
She pledges her love to him

I take you out of this world baby
She intends to end her partner's life

With a lot of feeling
She is proceeding with the act with intense emotion

And with this feeling I do bestow upon you
She is conferring upon him

All my wordly gifts
Everything she has to offer in this world

Honey, wasn't it beautiful?
Addressing her partner caringly, she asks if they enjoyed the time they spent together

The lovely time we spent together
The memorable moments they shared together

It was SERENE
The moments they shared were very peaceful and calm

I will never forget you,
Even though she intends to end her partner's life, she promises to remember him

I will never forget you
She reiterates her commitment to remember him

Long as I live
Until the end of her life

"Do you take this man?"
A query as to whether she accepts and commits to her partner

Husband, with this blade
She now holds up a blade, a different weapon to use against her partner

I do you hold
She holds him under her control

I'll take what's mine
She seeks to claim ownership of something she feels belongs to her

And let the future
She is leaving the future to its devices

Keep the rest
Whatever's left shall remain untouched with no action taken by her

Baby, I take you from this world
She talks to her partner affectionately, then asserts that she's taking his life

To my place
Moving him from this world into the afterlife, under her control

To a place of feeling
He's being taken to a place where he can feel true emotion

Where I can love you
She claims to be able to love him to a stronger extent than she can in this world

And we can be alone together
Describing the future state where only the two of them are together

God I'm so grateful to be real with you baby
She thanks God for being able to communicate authentically with him

Lies are for a longer life
She realizes that lies lead to a longer life

And I have got so much to say...
There is a lot she wishes to convey to him

Shut up!!!
An abrupt command to not speak further

Don't cry baby
A comforting tone in response to his emotions

I'm feeling better all the time
She conveys an upbeat attitude about how she's feeling

I don't want to be angry, ok?
She attempts to maintain a calm demeanor

I'm trying not to do that
She is making an effort to not get angry

God, I'm so disappointed in you!
She again expresses her displeasure with him

Remember that drive?
She attempts to refer to a shared memory

We talked about the wild thing
A shared discussion about something exotic and new

For 24 hours-7
The conversation seemingly went on for days and days, unceasingly

While the dogs and the coyotes laughed
The scene was set in a place where wildlife actively participated in the experience

And the sun went up and down
Time passed as the sun rose and set

And your rod went in and out
She refers to a sexual act they shared

And the buzzards and the vultures howled:
Returning to the vivid descriptions of the surroundings and wildlife

"Do you take this man?"
A repeat of the question seen earlier

It was the summer
She sets the timing of the shared memory

It was hot
The weather was warm and possibly uncomfortable

And you loved me so much
Her partner cared for her deeply

You said: "Mama, may I take your hand?
He addressed her affectionately and sought to hold her hand

May I please, mama?"
He politely asked for permission to do so

Bitch! KEEP THOSE BUTTOCKS UP, MOMITO!
The tone is aggressive and demanding

Come on.
She implores him to act

I'm all you need. Be sweet
She is trying to convince him of her worthiness

Seriously, you know
She is being honest and sincere

I need to get in touch with you
She expresses a desire to reconnect with him

I need to get in touch with the real you
She asserts that he has not been acting like his true self

"Do you take this man?"
The query is repeated once again

(The oath)
This references the act of accepting and committing to a covenant

"I will."
The affirmative response to the earlier question

I'm very disappointed in you
The final repetition of her disappointment with him

I told you not to run off from me baby
She expresses a desire for him not to leave her presence

There's nowhere else for you to go
There is no other destination or option for him to explore

There's no one else you need
There is no other person who is able to fulfill his needs

You knew that
She reminds him that he has always known this

Now I have to get off my knees
She literally removes herself from a subservient position

Because I have some shopping to do
She has other more pressing matters to attend to

I have to think of my reputation
Preserving her public standing is of importance to her

And chump is not my name
She asserts that she is not a fool

This hurts me more than you
Acknowledging that ending his life is not an easy decision for her

So just think of the good times we had together
Reflecting on the positive moments shared with him

I'm your best friend baby
Reasserting her commitment to him

I really am, and I always will be, too.
She will continue to stand by him always