Precious
Esperanza Spalding Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Love me or leave me
But please
Don't deceive me
And say you
Love me how I am
You love the way
I fit some ideal
Not the real woman
You've yet to understand
See love ain't all heaven
And I am no angel
But I do the best I can

You always wanted
Something more from my body
And said you needed
Something more from my loving
But all you got was me
And that's all that I can be
I'm sorry if it let you down

Now it's no nice excuse
But all the magic was used
Up on trying to uphold
Some kind of tame
Flattering persona
That soon enough
Was getting real old
It takes more than pressure
To change rock to diamond
Now all you have is sand
Slipping through your fingers

You always wanted
Something more from my body
And said you needed
Something more from my loving
But all you got was me
And that's all that I can be
I'm sorry if it let you down

But I'm not gonna sit around
And waste
My precious divine energy
Trying to explain
And being ashamed of things
You think are wrong with me
I'm not gonna sit around
And waste
My precious divine energy
Trying to explain
And being ashamed
Of what you think
Is wrong with me

Set you up
You say I set you up
Like I was different
Than what I am
Offering you now
And drug your heart around
Did you forget about
All of the love
And the acceptance
That you promised me too?

You always wanted
Something more from my body
And said you needed
Something more from my loving
But all you got was me
And that's all that I can be
I'm sorry if it let you down
You always wanted
Something more from my body
And said you needed
Something more from my loving
But all you got was me
And that's all that I can be
I'm sorry if it let you down

But I'm not gonna sit around
And waste
My precious divine energy
Trying to explain
And being ashamed of what
You think is wrong with me
I'm not gonna sit around
And waste
My precious divine energy
Trying to explain




And being ashamed of what
You think is wrong with me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Esperanza Spalding's "Precious" tell the story of a woman who is tired of being told that she isn't good enough and can no longer try to be something she's not. The first verse sets the tone by saying that the person she loves should either accept her as she is or leave, but not deceive her by pretending to love the person they want her to be. The second verse acknowledges the other person's wish for "something more" from her body and loving, but she expresses her frustration by saying that all they got was her and that's all she can be, apologizing if it let them down.


In the third verse, the woman has had enough of feeling like she needs to explain herself to someone who will never understand her. She won't waste any more of her "precious divine energy" trying to justify or be ashamed of the things the other person thinks are wrong with her. The final verse is a response to the other person's accusation that she set them up by not being who she pretended to be. The woman asks if they forgot about the love and acceptance they promised her too, and reiterates that all she can be is herself.


Overall, "Precious" touches on themes of self-acceptance, honesty in relationships, and the power dynamics that can come into play when one person is asked to change for another. It is a poignant and relatable exploration of the difficulties inherent in navigating relationships and the importance of staying true to oneself.


Line by Line Meaning

Love me or leave me
Either accept me for who I am or let me go


But please
A plea to be treated honorably


Don't deceive me
Do not lie or mislead me


And say you
Be honest about your feelings if


Love me how I am
You truly love me for who I am


You love the way
You love me for fitting into a certain ideal


I fit some ideal
I fit into the image of the perfect woman


Not the real woman
But not the actual person that I am


You've yet to understand
You have not taken the time to truly know me


See love ain't all heaven
Love is not always idealistic and perfect


And I am no angel
I am not perfect or flawless


But I do the best I can
But I try my hardest to be the best version of myself


Now it's no nice excuse
It's not a pleasant explanation


But all the magic was used
All the passion and excitement was exhausted


Up on trying to uphold
In the effort of maintaining


Some kind of tame
A form of acceptable and conventional


Flattering persona
Image that pleased others


That soon enough
Which eventually


Was getting real old
Became uninteresting and tiresome


It takes more than pressure
It takes more than forceful influence


To change rock to diamond
To transform something to its ideal form


Now all you have is sand
All that is left is disappointment and loss


Slipping through your fingers
Fading away from your grasp


But I'm not gonna sit around
I will not idly wait


And waste
Squandering


My precious divine energy
My valuable and spiritual energy


Trying to explain
Attempting to justify or defend myself


And being ashamed of things
Feeling humiliated over things


You think are wrong with me
That you perceive as faults in me


Set you up
Betrayed or misled you


You say I set you up
You believe I deceived you


Like I was different
As if I was not the same person


Than what I am
Than my true self


Offering you now
Presenting myself to you currently


And drug your heart around
Playing with your emotions


Did you forget about
Have you failed to remember


All of the love
All the affection and care


And the acceptance
And the approval


That you promised me too?
That you also committed to providing?




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ESPERANZA SPALDING

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

DeeDee Lavell

The words of a strong woman, melody of a musical dreamer, bass playing of stylin gifted Goddess. What a song !

Diane Wentz

DeeDeeLavell: Word! I doubt anyone else has described this song more elegantly and eloquently.

afu

Based

Himansh Pandey

EXACTLY

jewelofaries

"You've always wanted something more from body"
"You said you needed something more from my lovin"
"But all I've got is me and that's all that I can be, sorry if it lets you down." My girl !!! My fav from her.

Apithanie Fraser

This song hs made me reflect on my current situation... no more wasting my precious divine energy! What a positive message x

africanbella28

Good for you💕💕💕

Mark Martinelli

amazing. the final chorus at 3:38 is so powerful; the backing vocals she does...could use a repeat about 1000 more times

koukalicious

Kudos to the Grammy's for recognizing TALENT and not just looking at popularity! Love this girl!

Callme Rachel

Progressive jazz. It's now one of my favorite genres, I love Esperanza's songs. Proof that not all modern music is bad.

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