Piece Of My Heart
Janis Joplin/Big Brother Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man? Yeah
And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?
Honey, you know I did
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough
But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it if it makes you feel good
Oh, yes indeed
You're out on the streets looking good
And baby, deep down in your heart, I guess you know that it ain't right
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night
Babe, and I cry all the time
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again
I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well, you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c'mon now (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it, whoa
Take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
"Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin is a song about a woman who has given everything she can to make her man happy, but is not receiving the love and respect she deserves in return. She pleads with him to take another piece of her heart, despite the pain he inflicts upon her. Janis' powerful and soulful delivery brings to life the intense feelings of love, heartbreak, and resilience in the song's lyrics.
The opening lines, "Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man? Yeah / And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?" represent the woman's frustration that her love and devotion are not being reciprocated. However, she is determined to show her strength and resilience, declaring "But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough." The repetition of the refrain, "Come on, come on, come on, come on and take it," emphasizes her willingness to continue giving, in spite of the pain.
The chorus, with its repeated call to "take another little piece of my heart now, baby," showcases the vulnerability and tenderness of the woman's love, despite the hurt she is experiencing. The final lines, "You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good," suggest that the woman is willing to give up everything for the sake of love and the happiness of her partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on
Encouraging someone to act or respond to her advances.
Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man? Yeah
Expressing how she made him feel special, loved, and appreciated.
And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?
Highlighting all the things she has done for him and all she has given him.
Honey, you know I did
Affirming that she has done everything in her power to make him happy.
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough
Admitting that she has reached a breaking point or feels like she can no longer give anymore.
But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough
Asserting that she is strong and can withstand whatever comes her way.
I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Encouraging him to take another piece of her heart even though she knows the pain it may cause.
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Offering him the opportunity to take another part of her heart even though it may hurt her.
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Asking him to break another part of her heart in order to make him happy.
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Offering him another opportunity to take a part of her heart.
You know you got it if it makes you feel good
Acknowledging that he can take as many pieces of her heart as he wants if it makes him happy.
You're out on the streets looking good
Observing that he is out in public looking handsome or attractive.
And baby, deep down in your heart, I guess you know that it ain't right
Implying that she knows he is up to no good or doing something wrong.
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night
Bemoaning the fact that he never comforts or listens to her when she is upset or crying.
Babe, and I cry all the time
Admitting that she is often upset and crying because of him.
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain
Acknowledging that she is hurting because of him and that she is close to her breaking point.
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again
Expressing that even though he hurts her, she still loves him and wants to be close to him.
I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Repeating her willingness to let him take more pieces of her heart.
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
Reiterating that he can take as much of her heart as he wants if it makes him happy.
I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Urging him to take another piece of her heart because she needs him in her life.
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Offering him another opportunity to take a piece of her heart, even though it may cause her pain.
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c'mon now (whoa, have a)
Asking him to break another part of her heart, even though it may hurt her.
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Offering him another piece of her heart even though it may hurt her.
You know you got it, whoa
Repeating that he can take as much of her heart as he wants if it makes him happy.
Take it
Encouraging him to take whatever he wants from her because she loves him.
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Offering him yet another piece of her heart, even though it may hurt her.
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Asking him again to break more of her heart in order to make him happy.
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey
Offering him yet another piece of her heart, even though it may cause her pain.
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
Reiterating that he can take as much of her heart as he wants if it makes him happy.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bert Berns, Jerry Ragavoy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@KocUniversityLawSchoolValedict
//Lyrics//
Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on
Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man? Yeah
And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?
Honey, you know I did
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough
But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough
I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it if it makes you feel good
Oh, yes indeed
You're out on the streets looking good
And baby, deep down in your heart, I guess you know that it ain't right
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night
Babe, and I cry all the time
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again
I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well, you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c'mon now (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it, whoa
Take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
@That_AMC_Guy
@@aicdbckmkemcm Never said they weren't *Good*, but I can certainly understand why the suits at Columbia said "ditch the band, keep the singer". Janis is always on point and from a technical standpoint, that's awesome. If it came down to fixing a track in editing, it's not hard to match her vocal takes, since all are very similar.
Recording a band in the studio is so much more involved than recording a band live. Big Brother was a GREAT Band "LIVE". But in the studio, they were too loose to be able to replicate performance after performance. Why do you think the Wrecking Crew recorded 95% of all hit songs from 1958 through 1975?? Because they could rip a band track out in 3-4 takes saving record companies HUGE amounts of money.
Why was Pete Best replaced by Ringo??? Because Ringo was the human metronome and could keep a beat. Sure, Pete was an amazing live drummer, but in the studio couldn't keep 4/4 time to save his life. Sort of why even RINGO was replaced on a few recordings.... a session man can keep a beat, and be edited to the point you'd think it's all one performance.
Had Big Brother been around in the 50's, when recording equipment dictated capturing a live performance, they may have stood a chance. But by the 60's, time cost money.
And they'd have wasted a LOT of time, Money and recording tape to capture that PERFECT live performance in the studio every time.
Basically, it comes down to economics. Sure, they were a good band. But if they weren't willing to be allowed to be augmented by session players, they may have sealed their own fate. I'm not privvy to what went on behind closed doors.
@tomdorsey5965
Saw her live at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Janis Joplin was amazing. She didn't hold back. She gave everything she had inside when she preformed. She had nothing left for herself. Her performance lives in my head.
@istherelifeonmars2772
Janis Joplin... I can't get enough of this sublime voice ✌
@davejames7135
Even the outtakes are better than a majority of the current songs.
@SexySaxon
I love this verson...."Take" !
@tombrettin8731
One of the Greats ! Janis put on one hell of a good show. There will never be another like her.
@tomaspetrel1190
Janis qué grande! La voz blanca del blues... sentimiento al máximo que transmite sin limitación. Janis forever!
@janaduraes8636
Amoooooo essa Música 😍😍😍😍😍😍
@wil-co3425
Que fuera del Rock sin ella... 💖 larga vida a la bruja cósmica💥\m/.
@KocUniversityLawSchoolValedict
//Lyrics//
Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on
Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man? Yeah
And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?
Honey, you know I did
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough
But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough
I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it if it makes you feel good
Oh, yes indeed
You're out on the streets looking good
And baby, deep down in your heart, I guess you know that it ain't right
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night
Babe, and I cry all the time
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again
I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well, you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c'mon now (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it, whoa
Take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
@jerryattheolympics1428
Peerless and timeless Janis at her best. Just fabulous ! R.I.P. doll x