While Greg Kihn may have found a home for his music when he moved to Berkeley in 1974 and signed on with Beserkley Records, it would take almost a decade to find a successful formula for his music. Winding from Dylanesque folk to merseyesque rock, by the early '80s Kihn and his band found they shared elements of new wave music, and scored their first US hit, "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)." Kihn had a bigger hit the following year with "Jeopardy," which peaked in the States at number 2. "Jeopardy" brought Kihn two of the highest honors an early eighties act could achieve: MTV put the video into heavy rotation, and Weird Al Yankovic recorded a parody. Kihn has been hard at work over the years, hosting a radio show, writing books and coming up with clever album titles (Kihnspiracy, Unkihntrollable). He has kinhtinued recording through it all, though it has proven difficult for Kihn to recapture the successes of 1982 and '83.
(http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/artists/gregkihnband.htm)
For You
Greg Kihn Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With her regards
Ballroom eyes shine vacancy
To see her, you gotta look hard
Wounded deep in battle
I stand stuffed like some soldier undaunted
To her Cheshire smile
I stand on trial
But, you let your four walls get in the way of the facts
Honey, get your carpetbaggers off of my back
You didn't even give me time to cover my tracks
Your said "Here's you mirror and your ball and jacks"
It's not what I came for
I came for you for you I came for you
But you did not heed my urgency
I came for you for you I came for you
But your life was one long emergency
Crawl into my ambulance
Your pulse is getting weak
Reveal yourself on now to me girl
While you've still got the strength to speak
'Cause their waiting for you at Bellevue
With their oxygen masks
But, but I can give it all to you now
If only you could ask
But don't tell your surgeon even he says it's too late
It's not your lungs this time
It's your heart that holds your fate
Don't give me money honey I don't want it back
You with your phony face and your union jack
Yes you know it's true
I came for you for you I came for you
But you did not heed my urgency
I came for you for you I came for you
But your life was one long emergency
Yeah, so you'll have to find the reason
The one you're living for
It's not your nursery mouth I came back for
It's not the way you're stretched out on that floor
'Cause I've broken all your windows
And I've ran through all your doors
And you should know that's true
I came for you for you I came for you
But you did not heed my urgency
I came for you for you I came for you
But your life was one long emergency
I came for you for you I came for you
But you did not heed my urgency
I came for you for you I came for you
But your life was one long emergency
I came for you for you I came for you
For you for you I came for you
For you for you I came for you
The lyrics of Greg Kihn's song "For You" tell a story of a man who is deeply in love with a woman, but she seems indifferent to the extent of his love. The song begins with the man receiving a princess card from the woman, which he cherishes as a token of her regard. He describes her as having "ballroom eyes, " which shine with vacancy, and says that one needs to look hard to see her. The metaphor suggests that the woman is guarded, and it requires effort to break through her defenses.
Despite his love for her, the man feels as though she does not reciprocate his feelings. He says, "I came for you, but you did not heed my urgency," indicating that he has made efforts to reach out to her before, but she did not respond. He feels as though she is not prioritizing the relationship, and that her life is one long emergency.
In the final verse, the man seems to give up hope. He says that he has broken all her windows and run through all her doors but still cannot reach her. He recognizes that he came for her, but she did not heed his urgency, and he is left with no choice but to walk away.
Overall, "For You" is a poignant and heartfelt song that captures the struggles and frustrations of unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
Princess card she sends me, with her regards
She sends me a greeting card like I'm her prince, trying to maintain the connection.
Ballroom eyes shine vacancy, to see her, you gotta look hard
Her eyes are always empty, and the only way to see her as a whole is to dig deeper.
Wounded deep in battle, I stand stuffed like some soldier undaunted
Fighting for her love is like being wounded in a war, but I'm still standing undaunted.
To her Cheshire smile, I stand on trial
Her smile is misleading, and I'm constantly being judged by it.
She's all I ever wanted
She's the one I desire the most, and I don't want anything else.
But, you let your four walls get in the way of the facts
You're letting your fears and doubts cloud your understanding of our situation.
Honey, get your carpetbaggers off of my back
Stop dragging me down with all of your negative baggage.
You didn't even give me time to cover my tracks
You didn't even give me a chance to fix things before you came to your conclusions.
Your said "Here's you mirror and your ball and jacks"
You're returning my childish and insignificant belongings as if they meant something to you.
It's not what I came for
I came for you, not these meaningless possessions.
I came for you for you I came for you, but you did not heed my urgency
I wanted you badly, but you chose to ignore my desperate pleas.
But your life was one long emergency
Your life is always in chaos and crisis mode, never giving us a chance to be together.
Crawl into my ambulance, your pulse is getting weak
You're in a fragile state, and I want to rescue you from it.
Reveal yourself on now to me girl, while you've still got the strength to speak
Be honest and open with me before it's too late.
'Cause they're waiting for you at Bellevue with their oxygen masks
The doctors are waiting for you in the hospital, ready to treat you for your condition.
But, but I can give it all to you now, if only you could ask
I have all of the love and care that you need, but you have to ask for it.
But don't tell your surgeon even he says it's too late
Even if the doctor says that it's too late, keep fighting for your life and love.
It's not your lungs this time, it's your heart that holds your fate
Your heart and emotions are causing you pain, and only they can decide your destiny.
Don't give me money honey I don't want it back
Don't try to buy your way out of this, our love can't be purchased.
You with your phony face and your union jack
You're hiding your true emotions behind a fake smile, and your British heritage doesn't make a difference.
Yeah, so you'll have to find the reason, the one you're living for
You have to find the passion and purpose that drive you in life.
It's not your nursery mouth I came back for
Your sweetness and naivety don't bring me back, it's your complicated soul.
It's not the way you're stretched out on that floor
Your physical presence isn't what truly attracts me.
'Cause I've broken all your windows, and I've ran through all your doors
I've tried every way to access your heart and soul.
I came for you for you I came for you, but you did not heed my urgency
I wanted you badly, but you chose to ignore my desperate pleas.
For you for you I came for you
My love and desire were solely for you.
Contributed by Olivia C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@fenderwoods
Better than the Springsteen original, but why the f••k did they cut off the 1st verse for the single?