Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady
Helen Reddy Lyrics
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I would've sworn it was me.
I might've found out sooner
If you'd only let me close enough to see.
That ain't no way to treat a lady, no way to treat your baby,
Your woman, your friend. That ain't no way to treat a lady,
No way, but maybe it's a way for us to end.
I was only bein' a picture,
With all the colors, I know,
While you were busy lookin' into
Wide blue mirrors and lovin' the show.
That ain't no way to treat a lady, no way to treat your baby,
Your woman, your friend. That ain't no way to treat a lady,
No way, but maybe it's a way for us to end.
There's a funny kind of consolation keeping me sane,
And I'd really like to share it, crawl on deep in my brain;
And see the times you never felt me lovin' you or needin' you,
So leavin' you now, you still won't know how to feel the pain.
I was lookin' out for my happiness
While you were lookin' within
And before you knew your own reflection
Always starts to tire you, it's happened again.
That ain't no way to treat a lady, no way to treat your baby,
Your woman, your friend. That ain't no way to treat a lady,
No way, but maybe it's a way for us to end.
The lyrics to "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" tell a story of a woman who is mistreated by her partner. She questions whether he was involved with someone else while still claiming to love her, and feels overlooked while he is focused on himself. Despite her attempts to love and be loved, she realizes that his behavior is hurtful and not the way to treat a lady.
The first verse reveals the singer's confusion and pain in discovering that her partner was likely involved with someone else. Despite her suspicions and attempts to connect with him, he never allowed her to get close enough to see the truth. She expresses her hurt and frustration with the way she is being treated, and questions whether it's time to end their relationship. The repetition of the phrase "no way to treat a lady" emphasizes her belief that she deserves better treatment from her partner.
In the second verse, the singer describes herself as a colorful picture while her partner is focused on his own reflection in wide blue mirrors. She feels invisible and overlooked, while he is only interested in himself. She acknowledges that leaving the relationship will be painful, but suggests that it may be necessary for both of them to move on.
Overall, "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" is a powerful statement about the importance of treating others with respect and compassion, especially in intimate relationships. It is a reminder that love and partnership require mutual respect and attention, and that neglect and mistreatment can cause deep pain and resentment.
Line by Line Meaning
I guess it was yourself you were involved with,
I thought we were in a relationship, but it seems like you were only interested in yourself.
I would've sworn it was me.
I was so convinced that you loved me.
I might've found out sooner
If you had let me get close to you, I would've figured it out earlier.
If you'd only let me close enough to see.
You kept me at a distance and never let me truly see who you really are.
That ain't no way to treat a lady, no way to treat your baby, Your woman, your friend.
The way you treated me was disrespectful and hurtful, especially since we had a romantic connection.
That ain't no way to treat a lady, No way, but maybe it's a way for us to end.
Your behavior towards me might have been a sign that we should break up.
I was only bein' a picture, With all the colors, I know,
I was trying to be everything you wanted me to be, but you never saw me as anything other than an object.
While you were busy lookin' into Wide blue mirrors and lovin' the show.
You were too busy admiring yourself and not paying attention to how I felt.
There's a funny kind of consolation keeping me sane, And I'd really like to share it, crawl on deep in my brain;
I have a coping mechanism that helps me deal with the pain, but you wouldn't understand it if I tried to explain it to you.
And see the times you never felt me lovin' you or needin' you, So leavin' you now, you still won't know how to feel the pain.
You never realized how much I cared for you, and even if I leave you now, you won't feel the same hurt I'm feeling.
I was lookin' out for my happiness While you were lookin' within
I was trying to make myself happy by being with you, but you were only focused on yourself.
And before you knew your own reflection Always starts to tire you, it's happened again.
You're so obsessed with your own reflection that it's bound to become boring to you at some point, and that's why you've moved on to someone else.
That ain't no way to treat a lady, no way to treat your baby, Your woman, your friend. That ain't no way to treat a lady, No way, but maybe it's a way for us to end.
Your disrespectful behavior towards me is not acceptable in any way, especially since we had a romantic connection. However, it might be a sign that we should break up and move on.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARRIET SCHOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DUCKDUCKGOISMUCHBETTER
Zorn Wyche Helen Reddy was on the radio all day and night throughout the 70s and into the 80s. Along with a lot of other awesome singers of awesome music...that are sadly, largely unknown to younger people today through no fault of their own.
If you want to find other gems, just google the top 40 Easy Listening, Rock, Pop, Rhythm and Blues (R&B), Soul, Country & Folk music from the 50s through the early 80s, but especially during the 60s and 70s.
Then systematically go through and look up and listen to the songs one by one, and have a website with the lyrics handy when you do, because that will often transform the song in a good way for too, since the lyrics often had layers of meaning that songs simply do not have today.
This in depth level of personal project would probably take you years to get through...and provide you with a musical background similar to the Baby Boomers (I'm Gen X myself). If you enjoy this then, there are additional awesome songs that never made it to the Top 40 of any genre, but are still leaps and bounds better than anything of any genre today.
Point is, there is a huge catalog of awesome music available to the young people of today, and almost all of it, like this wonderful song, will be guaranteed to be "new to you"...and far better artistically and in every other way, than the musical swill that is being forced on you by the music industry today.
Good hunting.
@luvyesmusic
Helen Reddy doesn't get the respect she deserves. She was one of the greatest singers back in the day.
@piperaone
Back in the day here in Australia she was well respected and we loved her music.
@silasmarner7586
May she rest in peace.
@richardlawson6787
Whew ..just cried...how true ..men listen up...women are precious...treat them well..open doors...and thank God for them!!
@lisaclymer2705
No she doesn't. She wrote an "anthem" then sang a song about how men should treat woman. Either treat women as equals or handle us with kid gloves.
@lisaclymer2705
No, others were better. She sang an "anthem", them blew out her "anthem" with her follow up. Can we go back in time and pretend she was a pioneer?
@zackparsons3937
I grew up with her music and loved her, but it was years later that I fully realized what an extraordinary musician she was. Her phrasing, her perfect pitch, the uniqueness of her sound - she really had it all. This song is a real standout of her beautiful talent. Amazing vocals. Hard to believe she's gone, hard to believe how old I've gotten - time marches on. Glad I grew up in the era I did - happy carefree years.
@SalimKhan-gk1fh
Very well said Zack whenever I hear this song it takes me back to being 11 years old in the boiling hot summer of 1976 if you’re from the UK you will be aware of it ?
a beautiful song beautiful times carefree days where we didn’t need wealth /complications in life!
@gregfuller2387
The best is yet to come. 1💜
@kenlee-97
Also ,don't forget to give huge credit to Hariet Schock-
the original writer of this song,you can actually hear the Texas-ness in the piano playing in this tune ,or so my ears tell me...