Dilated to Meet You
Loudon Wainwright III Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

We're wondering when you will arrive
We're wondering what you'll be
We're wondering if you'll be a her
Or if you'll be a he
Maybe you'll arrive today
Perhaps tomorrow night
We're hoping you won't hurt too much
And that you'll be all right
Life has a few unpleasantries
We may as well confess
We suppose you'll cry a lot
And that you'll be a mess
There is one thing you should know well
Of this there is no doubt
You cannot get inside again
Once you have come out
Even though there's trouble
Even though there's fuss




We really think you'll like it here
We hope that you like us

Overall Meaning

The song "Dilated to Meet You" by Loudon Wainwright III is a poignant and insightful ode to the arrival of a newborn baby. Through the verses, the lyrics express the anxieties and hopes of the new parents-to-be who are eagerly anticipating the birth of their child. The opening lines of the song "We're wondering when you will arrive, We're wondering what you'll be, We're wondering if you'll be a her, Or if you'll be a he" immediately set the tone of anticipation for the arrival of the new member of the family.


The song goes on to express the inevitability of the challenges that life will bring for the new baby. The line "We suppose you'll cry a lot, And that you'll be a mess" acknowledges the difficult first few weeks of a newborn's life. However, the song also reassures the baby that there is love and support waiting for them outside the womb. The lines "Even though there's trouble, Even though there's fuss, We really think you'll like it here, We hope that you like us" demonstrate the love and excitement of the parents-to-be for their new bundle of joy.


Overall, "Dilated to Meet You" is a heartwarming and honest representation of the emotions involved in welcoming a new baby into the world. The song captures the complexities of starting a new family and the love and connection that already exists between parent and child.


Line by Line Meaning

We're wondering when you will arrive
We are eagerly waiting for your arrival


We're wondering what you'll be
We are curious about your gender and other physical attributes


We're wondering if you'll be a her
We are wondering if you'll be a girl


Or if you'll be a he
Or if you'll be a boy


Maybe you'll arrive today
We are hoping that you'll arrive today


Perhaps tomorrow night
Or perhaps you'll arrive tomorrow night


We're hoping you won't hurt too much
We hope that your arrival won't cause you too much pain


And that you'll be all right
We hope that you'll be healthy and fine


Life has a few unpleasantries
Life can be difficult and unpleasant at times


We may as well confess
Let's admit the truth


We suppose you'll cry a lot
We expect that you will cry frequently


And that you'll be a mess
We expect that you'll be messy and disorganized at times


There is one thing you should know well
We want to tell you something important


Of this there is no doubt
This is absolutely certain


You cannot get inside again
You cannot go back to the womb once you are born


Once you have come out
Once you are born


Even though there's trouble
Even though there may be problems or difficulties


Even though there's fuss
Even though there may be a lot of commotion or noise


We really think you'll like it here
We truly believe that you'll enjoy living in this world


We hope that you like us
We hope that you will like us and find our love and care comforting




Writer(s): Loudon Wainwright Copyright: Downtown Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing International Inc.

Contributed by Juliana O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions