In My House
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas Lyrics


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Every single time you take me out with you
You always flirt around with someone new
But I never criticize the tearful things you do
'Cause I'm so afraid of losing you

But in my lonely room, tears I don't have to hide
'Cause I just lock my door and let myself go
And lay right down and cry

Every place we go, people are whispering
About your flirting ways, & it hurts me so to hear
But in the public's eye I just push behind all my hurt inside
And pretend i don't mind

But in my lonely room, tears I don't have to hide
In my lonely lonely lonely lonely room
I push my pride aside and lay right down & cry




In my lonely room, in my lonely room
Let myself go, lay right down and cry

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas's song "In My Lonely Room" reveal a heart-wrenching tale of insecurity and internal suffering. The singer is clearly in love with someone who is unfaithful and flirts with other people, even right in front of them. Despite the obvious hurt this causes, the singer never criticizes them, instead opting to keep their feelings to themselves in fear of losing them. The singer tries to push their hurt aside and pretend everything is okay in the public eye, but in their lonely room, they have a safe space to let their emotions flow freely.


This song speaks to the universal experience of feeling insecure in a relationship and wanting to hold on to someone despite the pain they cause. The singer's decision to keep silent about their feelings may seem self-destructive, but it is a relatable experience for many people who have been in similar situations. The line "Tears I don't have to hide, 'cause I just lock my door and let myself go" perfectly captures the feeling of finally having a private space to let out all the emotions that have been bottled up for so long.


Line by Line Meaning

Every single time you take me out with you
Whenever you take me out with you


You always flirt around with someone new
You always flirt with someone else


But I never criticize the tearful things you do
I never criticize your behavior that makes me feel sad


'Cause I'm so afraid of losing you
Because I'm scared of losing you


But in my lonely room, tears I don't have to hide
When I'm alone in my room, I don't have to hide my tears


'Cause I just lock my door and let myself go
I lock the door and allow myself to be emotional


And lay right down and cry
I lay down and cry


Every place we go, people are whispering
Wherever we go, people are whispering about us


About your flirting ways, & it hurts me so to hear
They talk about how you flirt, and it hurts me to hear them


But in the public's eye I just push behind all my hurt inside
In public, I hide my pain and keep it to myself


And pretend i don't mind
I pretend that it doesn't bother me


In my lonely room, tears I don't have to hide
But when I'm alone in my room, I don't have to hide my tears


In my lonely lonely lonely lonely room
In my very lonely room


I push my pride aside and lay right down & cry
I set aside my pride and cry alone


In my lonely room, in my lonely room
In my room, where I'm alone and lonely


Let myself go, lay right down and cry
I allow myself to be emotional and cry




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JR., BRIAN HOLLAND, EDWARD HOLLAND, EDWARD, JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, LAMONT HERBERT DOZIER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Dwayne S. Jones

I have always loved this song since a child and it still sounds great to this day. Thinking of you mom always Love you.

altanett

We had some good sounds back in the 60’s. So glad I came up in that era. The songs had substance. Thank you Motown! ❤️

Bridgett Garvin

Wow, my mom use to play this ALL THE TIME. I can't believe i found it. This is FOR YOU MOM.
RIS❤❤❤❤❤

Daryl Taylor

Martha Reeves one of my all-time favorite singers

Valerie Johnson

I've looked for this song for years just found it in 2019. My mom's neighbor would play this and cry.

ARCENIA Crout

I LOVE this song!

Christine Taylor

Beautiful track we should not forget. Get it played!. Gem. HX

Wayne Brasler

Among her best records ever and Motown did almost nothing to  promote it.  This was to have been followed by the hypnotic "No One There" and that even didn't BECOME a single.  Then she did another fabulous record, "I Won't Be the Fool I Was Before" and THAT didn't get released.  When it finally came out on an album it was in mono, and it was the stereo version that was the killer.  Motown had no shame with some of its greatest artists.

Humboldt Bear

'No One There' was a single in the UK.

robert

I love diana, but berry gordy was blinded by love.  martha never got the respect she deserved at Motown.  or the stardom.

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