The Lady With The Braid
Dory Previn Lyrics


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would you care to stay till sunrise
it's completely your decision
it's just that going home is such a ride
going home is such a ride
going home is such a ride
going home is such a low and lonely ride

would you hang your denim jacket
near the poster by picasso
do you sleep on the left side or the right
would you mind if i leave on the light
would you mind if it isn't too bright
now i need the window open
so if you happen to get chilly
there's this coverlet my cousin hand crocheted
do you mind if the edges are frayed
would you like to unfasten my braid

shall i make you in the morning
as cup of instant coffee
i will sweeten it with honey and with cream
when you sleep
do you have dreams?
you can read the early paper
and i can watch you while you shave
oh god the mirror's cracked
when you leave
will you come back?
you don't have to answer that at all
the bathroom door is just across the hall
you'll find an extra towel on the rack
on the paisley patterned papered wall
there's a comb on the shelf
i papered that wall myself
that wall
myself

would you care to stay till sunrise
it's completely your decision
it's just the night cuts through me like a knife
would you care to stay awhile and save my life?
would you care to stay awhile and save my life?
i don't know what made me say that
i've got this funny sense of humor
you know i could not be downhearted it i tried
it's just that going home is such a ride
going home is such a ride




going home is such a ride
isn't going home is such a low and lonely ride?

Overall Meaning

The Lady with the Braid is a song by Dory Previn that tells the story of a woman who invites a man to stay with her for the night. The woman’s invitation is filled with intimate details about her life, such as asking if the man sleeps on the left or right side of the bed and if he dreams. The woman also offers him a cup of coffee in the morning, and they discuss the possibility of him leaving and coming back. The main theme of the song is the woman’s loneliness, and how having the man stay the night could save her life.


The lyrics are an exploration of the woman’s desire for companionship and connection. She is searching for someone to share her life with, even if it is only for a night. The song communicates the need for human connection and the pain of loneliness. It also reflects on the idea that going home can be a lonely ride, which can be interpreted in many ways, from a literal journey home to a feeling of isolation or emptiness.


Overall, The Lady with the Braid is a hauntingly beautiful song that captures the timeless theme of human connection and companionship.


Line by Line Meaning

would you care to stay till sunrise
Can you please stay with me until the morning sun arrives?


it's completely your decision
You have complete freedom to decide on this matter.


it's just that going home is such a ride
Returning home can be such an unpleasant experience that I would rather avoid it.


going home is such a ride
I am emphasizing how difficult and lonely it is to go back home.


going home is such a ride
Reiterating that going home is quite an unpleasant experience.


going home is such a low and lonely ride
Emphasizes how lonely and depressing it feels to return home.


would you hang your denim jacket
Can you please hang your denim jacket?


near the poster by picasso
I would love it if you could hang it near the picasso poster I have in my room.


do you sleep on the left side or the right
I am curious to know if you prefer sleeping on the left or right side of the bed.


would you mind if i leave on the light
Can I keep the light on while we sleep?


would you mind if it isn't too bright
I don't want the light to be too bright, is that okay with you?


now i need the window open
I need the window to be open now.


so if you happen to get chilly
In case you feel cold or chilled...


there's this coverlet my cousin hand crocheted
I have this handmade coverlet from my cousin for you to use.


do you mind if the edges are frayed
Are you okay with the edges of the coverlet being frayed?


would you like to unfasten my braid
Can you please unfasten my braid?


shall i make you in the morning
May I prepare a cup of instant coffee for you in the morning?


as cup of instant coffee
I am referring to a cup of instant coffee to be prepared in the morning.


i will sweeten it with honey and with cream
I am planning to add honey and cream to your coffee to sweeten it.


when you sleep
While you are asleep...


do you have dreams?
Do you dream while sleeping?


you can read the early paper
I have the early newspaper here for you to read.


and i can watch you while you shave
I would love to watch you shave.


oh god the mirror's cracked
I am realizing that the mirror is cracked and expressing my surprise.


when you leave
After you leave...


will you come back?
Are you going to come back to me?


you don't have to answer that at all
You don't have to respond to my question if you don't want to.


the bathroom door is just across the hall
The bathroom door is right across the hallway.


you'll find an extra towel on the rack
I have left an extra towel for you on the towel rack.


on the paisley patterned papered wall
The towel rack is located on the wall that has paisley patterned wallpaper.


there's a comb on the shelf
I have left a comb for you on the shelf.


i papered that wall myself
I want you to know that I personally put up the wallpaper on that wall.


that wall
Referring to the wall with the paisley patterned wallpaper and towel rack.


myself
Emphasizes the fact that I am the one who personally put up the wallpaper.


isn't going home is such a low and lonely ride?
Again emphasizing how sad and lonely it feels to return home.


would you care to stay awhile and save my life?
I would love it if you could please stay with me for a while and make me feel better.


would you care to stay awhile and save my life?
I am repeating myself as I feel quite strongly about this.


i don't know what made me say that
I am not sure why I said that.


i've got this funny sense of humor
I am just trying to be humorous in my own way.


you know i could not be downhearted it i tried
Even if I wanted to feel down or sad, I just can't help but feel happy around you.


it's just that going home is such a ride
Once again, to express how unpleasant it is to return home.


going home is such a ride
Reiterating how lonely and difficult it is to go back home.


going home is such a ride
One more time to really drive the point home.


isn't going home is such a low and lonely ride?
To emphasize the point one last time.




Writer(s): Dory Langdon Previn Copyright: Bouquet Music, MCA Music Publishing A.D.O. Universal S

Contributed by Tyler T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@dallasheltzell

This song so haunted me when I first heard it at age 18 on a Denver radio station, and I immediately bought "Mythical Kings and Iguanas." I'm 71 now, still have that vinyl, still play it, and it haunts me even more deeply now than it did then. R.I.P. Dorothy.

@CionnFE

I’ve loved Dory and this song for years. It is so poetically desperate, lonely, yearning and exposing. In my view it speaks to what we are as human beings and so is a masterpiece!

@lucykinski

Love this comment

@patrickjsmyth

Beautiful, honest, elegant, haunting. What a great album.

@tamichock4692

I grew up listening to her and all her lyrics are engrained in me. I'm now 58 and still have my mom's old 70's LP that she played. Thanks for posting her music, so glad it lives on.

@tomelliott73

Found this song a week ago i can’t stop playing it
Love the way the tone changes it’s just beautiful

@mikeflavelle7143

This song is utterly majestic.

@stefanweidle5724

Also one of my favorites. I think it's this song that she broke my heart with: ÂťWould you care to stay to stay a while and save my lifeÂŤ. I wrote to her, visited her in Massachusetts and translated her book ÂťMidnight BabyÂŤ into German. Unfortunately there were misunderstandings and I lost contact, she was wonderful when you were around her but extremely difficult when exchanging letters. She was a great artist, and it has been one of the highlights of my life to be close to her.

@raycope2086

This beautiful song takes me back to a time when I was happy and enjoying being alive, and there was good music everywhere.
She has a special place in my heart, and listening to this again brings tears of nostalgia and loss.
Thanks for being in my ear when I needed you, Dory Previn.

@Wyngardian

No other female artist, with the possible exception of Sandy Denny, has ever conjured up quite the same juxtaposition of fragility, vulnerability, neediness and certifiable insanity as Dory Previn. Her music is SO ageless, and could speak to any generation: she fitted in so well with the rock audience between 1969 and 1977 that it's hard to believe she was born in the 1920s and came from a generation before such music ever existed. And no other songwriter could ever simultaneously warm the heart and chill the bones like she did. This song is a perfect example of that- carefree and warm one minute, shuddering, cold and frightened the next. All at the drop of one key. The only other song I know to do this so effectively is 'Pet Angel' by the Geraldine Fibbers: I often wonder if their singer Carla Bozulich was a Dory fan. More people should be.

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