Don't You Want Me
Glee Cast Featuring Lea Michele (Rachel) and Darren Criss (Blaine) Lyrics
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You were workin' as a waitress in a cocktail bar
When I met you
I picked you out, I shook you up, and turned you around
Turned you into someone new
Now five years later on, you've got the world at your feet
Success has been so easy for you
But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now
Don't, don't you want me?
You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see me
Don't, don't you want me?
You know I don't believe it when you say that you don't need me
Rachel & Blaine
It's much too late to find you think you've changed your mind
You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry
Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ohh?
Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ohh?
Rachel
I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar
That much is true
But even then I knew I'd find a much better place
Either with or without you
The five years we have had have been such good times
I still love you
But now I think it's time I lived my life on my own
I guess it's just what I must do
Rachel & Blaine
Don't, don't you want me?
You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see me
Don't, don't you want me?
You know I don't believe it when you say that you don't need me
It's much too late to find you think you've changed your mind
You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry
Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ohh?
Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ohh?
Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ohh?
Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ohh?
Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ohh?
Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ohh?
Don't you want me, baby?
The Glee Cast's version of "Don't You Want Me" is a cover of the classic song by the Human League. The song tells a story of two people who met when the female lead was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. The male lead claims he "picked her out" and "turned her into someone new." He takes credit for her success, saying that he is the reason she has made it in the world. However, the female lead has had enough of his arrogance and declares that she is ready to live her own life, either with or without him. She tells him that he better change his mind about their relationship, or they will both be sorry.
The song is ultimately about power dynamics in relationships. The male lead believes that he has control over the female lead because of his role in her success. He uses this power to try to control her, but she is not willing to let him have that control anymore. The female lead is asserting her independence and agency, telling him that she doesn't need him as much as he thinks she does.
In Glee's version, Blaine takes on the role of the male lead and Rachel takes on the female lead. Their voices blend beautifully together, creating a harmonious duet that captures the power of the song's message.
Line by Line Meaning
You were workin' as a waitress in a cocktail bar, When I met you
I met you when you were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar
I picked you out, I shook you up, and turned you around, Turned you into someone new
I transformed you into a new person
Now five years later on, you've got the world at your feet, Success has been so easy for you
You are now successful and have achieved great things over the past five years
But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now, And I can put you back down, too
I am the reason for your success and I can also bring you down
Don't, don't you want me?, You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see me
Do you not want me anymore? It's hard to believe that you won't even see me
You know I don't believe it when you say that you don't need me
I find it hard to believe that you don't need me
It's much too late to find you think you've changed your mind, You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry
It's too late to realize that you changed your mind. It's better if you change it back or we'll both regret it
Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ohh?
Do you not want me anymore?
I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, That much is true
I was also working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when we first met
But even then I knew I'd find a much better place, Either with or without you
I knew that I could find a better place in life, with or without you
The five years we have had have been such good times, I still love you
The past five years have been great for us, and I still love you
But now I think it's time I lived my life on my own, I guess it's just what I must do
I think it's time for me to live my life on my own, even though it's hard for me to do so
Contributed by Zachary Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@codychase9800
Kurt is traumatized
@edellms8837
omg yeah 😳😂
@anastasiav865
Cody Chase at 0:23 Kurts reaction xD okay i think weve had enough of that!
@keren4811
Cody Chase ikr just look at his face on 1:10
@aly8950
Anastasia V lol when he clapped 😂
@sweetsecretshayaty
Cody Chase I actually feel sorry for Kurt here
@sk8rflip429
I wish Lea and Darren could've sang more duets together their voices just sound SO fabulous together!
@FroYo....
Halle W luckily they went on a live tour recently
@super_awesome_paws9247
They do!!
@alyssabannon4965
I wish they did less bro they annoying