Woman
John Cale Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

You're ignorant, you're cool
You never learnt to say you're sorry
A woman in my past
is living on pins and needles

Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Its all my fault
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
What's a fool to do

A woman in my past
A woman in my present
A woman in my past
A woman in my present

I know your style
Smile when you're angry
that's no way
To get my attention

Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Laughing at me
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
All those memories

A woman in my past
A woman in the present
A woman in my past




A woman in the present
(repeat to fade)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to John Cale's song "Woman" speak to the complexities of previous and current relationships. The first two lines convey a sense of frustration towards someone who is "cool" and unable to apologize or acknowledge their mistakes. The refrain of "A woman in my past is living on pins and needles" suggests that there is someone from the past who is still affected by the singer's actions or lack thereof.


The repetition of "A woman in my past, a woman in my present" highlights the idea of a connection between past and present relationships. The line "I know your style, smile when you're angry, that's no way to get my attention" speaks to the idea that the singer knows the patterns and behaviors of the person they are addressing but they are not effective in getting their attention. The line "laughing at me, all those memories" suggests that the singer may be struggling with the way their past and present relationships are intertwined and may be causing pain or a sense of inadequacy.


Overall, the lyrics to "Woman" paint a complex picture of a person who is struggling with their past and current relationships. The repeated phrases and sense of frustration communicate a sense of emotional turmoil and a desire for resolution.


Line by Line Meaning

You're ignorant, you're cool
You may seem apathetic, but you are actually ignorant and lack knowledge of others.


You never learnt to say you're sorry
You are unwilling to apologize for your actions.


A woman in my past is living on pins and needles
A woman from my past is very anxious and fearful due to our previous relationship.


Oh, oh
An expression of frustration or regret.


It's all my fault
I am responsible for the negative impact of the past relationship on this woman's life.


What's a fool to do
I don't know what to do in this situation, as I feel like a fool for causing pain to this woman.


A woman in my past
The woman from my past still affects my life and relationships.


A woman in my present
There is currently a woman in my life who is impacted by my past.


I know your style
I know how you behave and react to situations.


Smile when you're angry
You hide your true feelings behind a smile.


That's no way to get my attention
Faking emotions won't get me to engage with you.


Laughing at me
You are making fun of me and my past mistakes.


All those memories
The memories of past relationships still haunt me.


A woman in my past
The woman from my past still impacts my current relationships and emotions.


A woman in my present
There is still a woman in my life that is affected by my past mistakes.


(repeat to fade)
The song ends by repeating the same message that the past continues to affect the present and future relationships of the artist.




Contributed by Sydney G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

keeroy

i saw john in prague at concert, it was one day after his birthday. the crowd shout "happy birthday, john" and he was so excited about it that he has prolonged the concert nearly to 2 hours... and it was i great performance.

Diana Armstrong-Zook

he can do no wrong when it comes to serving up a song, story ,emotions . too fucking good for most ... xo

dearmalika

This is fantastic!

steviesteele

Nice video. This song is credited as only being written by John Cale, not with Lou Reed. Although he would collaborate with LR on Songs for Drell (1990) in general they did not collaborate after JC left VU in 1968.

x

I WISH I GOT THIS FOR CHRISTMAS !!!

dewarknows

Nicely made video and song.

dirtypearl

Hmm, I will really have to dig out my cd of BLACK ACETATE and check the songwriting credits..I don't remember Lou having a credit there..nice clip at any rate

ro mc

I think John is referencing Lou in this song. He has said before that Lou would smile when he was angry at John or something John had done instead of talking it out.

keeroy

thanx! although... after the time i´ve recognized that the song is about woman/women and i´m showing john cale in the slide show :)))

keeroy

to be honest i don´t know it precisely. it´s a song from a time when cale and lou reed worked together. john cale knows it at best :D