Her credits include being an original cast member of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1968), the female lead (Sheila) in the Los Angeles company of Hair (1968), a number 1 single "The Right Time of the Night" (1977) and 3 Oscars for Best Song - "It Goes Like it Goes," from Norma Rae (1980), "Up Where We Belong," (with Joe Cocker) from "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982), & "I've Had the Time of My Life," (with Bill Medley) from "Dirty Dancing" (1987). (Her duets with Cocker & Medley were also #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.)
She toured with Leonard Cohen in 1972 & 1979. In 1987, she recorded "Famous Blue Raincoat" - an album of Cohen's compositions.
Came So Far for Beauty
Jennifer Warnes Lyrics
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I left so much behind
My patience and my family
My masterpiece unsigned
I thought I'd be rewarded
For such a lonely choice
And maybe he would answer
To such a hopeless voice
I gave to one and all
But the rumors of my virtue
They moved him not at all
I changed my style to silver
I changed my clothes to black
And where I would surrender
Now I would attack
I stormed the old casino
For the money and for the flesh
And I myself decided
What was rotten, what was fresh
And men to do my bidding
And broken bones to teach
The value of my pardon
The shadow of my reach
But no, I could not touch him
With such a heavy hand
His star beyond my order
His nakedness unmanned
I came so far for beauty
I left so much behind
My patience and my family
My masterpiece unsigned
The lyrics of Jennifer Warnes' "Came So Far for Beauty" reflect the experiences and struggles of a woman who has given up everything for beauty – her patience, her family, and her comfort – but has not been rewarded for her choices. She believed that by practicing her sainthood and virtuous behavior, she would finally be seen and appreciated by the man she loves, but he paid no attention to her reputation. So, she decides to change her style to silver, her clothes to black, and to be the one who attacks rather than surrenders. She takes control of her life and decides to storm the old casino for money and flesh. In her quest for power, she becomes willing to use violence and force others to do her bidding.
Despite her efforts, however, she finds that she cannot force the man she loves to notice her or respond to her advances. She discovers that his star is beyond her order and that she cannot touch him with such a heavy hand. Thus, in the end, she realizes that she has come so far for beauty and has left so much behind, including a masterpiece unsigned. She sacrificed everything in pursuit of beauty and love, but could not achieve either.
The lyrics reflect the tension between the desire to be loved and the realization that love cannot be forced or controlled. It also touches on themes of sacrifice, power, and women's struggle for agency.
Line by Line Meaning
I came so far for beauty
I gave up a lot to pursue beauty.
I left so much behind
I sacrificed many things to pursue beauty.
My patience and my family
I was willing to sacrifice my patience and familial relationships to pursue beauty.
My masterpiece unsigned
I haven't accomplished my greatest artistic work yet.
I thought I'd be rewarded
I expected some kind of reward for my sacrifices.
For such a lonely choice
I made a difficult and solitary choice to pursue beauty.
And maybe he would answer
I hoped that someone or something would respond to my pursuit of beauty.
To such a hopeless voice
I felt hopeless about achieving my goal of beauty.
I practiced all my sainthood
I tried to be virtuous and pure.
I gave to one and all
I was generous and kind to everyone.
But the rumors of my virtue
My reputation for being virtuous wasn't enough.
They moved him not at all
No one who could help me cared about my reputation for being virtuous.
I changed my style to silver
I changed my appearance to be more attractive and alluring.
I changed my clothes to black
I adopted a darker style to appear more mysterious and fascinating.
And where I would surrender
I used to give up easily.
Now I would attack
I became more assertive and aggressive in my pursuit of beauty.
I stormed the old casino
I took risks and pushed boundaries to achieve my goal of beauty.
For the money and for the flesh
I pursued wealth and physical pleasure to achieve my goal of beauty.
And I myself decided
I made my own decisions and acted independently.
What was rotten, what was fresh
I decided what was worth pursuing and what wasn't.
And men to do my bidding
I had others do my bidding and carry out my will.
And broken bones to teach
I hurt others to make them understand the value of what I was pursuing.
The value of my pardon
I believed that I had the power to pardon and forgive others.
The shadow of my reach
I had a negative impact on those around me.
But no, I could not touch him
I couldn't achieve my goal of beauty.
With such a heavy hand
I was too forceful and dominant in my pursuit of beauty.
His star beyond my order
The object of my pursuit was beyond my control.
His nakedness unmanned
I was unable to seduce and control the object of my pursuit.
Lyrics © RELENTLESS MUSIC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LISSAUER, LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind