The Other Woman
Nina Simone Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The other woman finds time to manicure her nails
The other woman is perfect where her rival fails
And she's never seen with pin curls in her hair

The other woman enchantes her clothes with french perfume
The other woman keeps fresh cut flowers in each room
There are never toys that's scattered everywhere
And when her baby comes to call
He'll find her waiting like a lonesome queen
'Cause when she's by his side
It's such a change from old routine

But the other woman will always cry herself to sleep
The other woman will never have his love to keep




And as the years go by the other woman
Will spend her life alone

Overall Meaning

In Nina Simone's The Other Woman, the singer describes the ways in which the other woman is seemingly perfect and put-together. The singer is likely addressing a man who has cheated on her with this other woman, as she speaks directly about the contrast between herself and the new lover. The other woman is preoccupied with image and presentation - she has perfectly manicured nails, French perfume, and a spotless home - whereas the singer likely represents the reality and messiness of the life they've built together. The other woman is always waiting for the man, poised to make him forget what he had before her, but the song reveals that this new relationship is unsustainable because it is based on an illusion. In the end, the other woman will never have his love to keep, while the singer knows that true love is about more than just appearances.


The song speaks not only to the specific experience of infidelity, but also to our societal preoccupation with surface-level success and perfection. The other woman in the song is successful at presenting herself in a certain way, but ultimately it is the singer who represents a more authentic form of intimacy. Simone's distinct voice gives weight to the song's challenging message, urging listeners to question what they value in a relationship.


Line by Line Meaning

The other woman finds time to manicure her nails
While the main woman is busy with life's chores, the other woman has abundant time to focus on her appearance.


The other woman is perfect where her rival fails
The other woman does not have any flaws that could be compared to the shortcomings of the main woman.


And she's never seen with pin curls in her hair
The other woman maintains a cleaner, more polished look with her hair than the main woman and never wears pin curls.


The other woman enchantes her clothes with french perfume
The other woman wears expensive French perfume on her clothes to seem even more alluring.


The other woman keeps fresh cut flowers in each room
The other woman offers a refreshing presence by always having fresh cut flowers in sight to create a welcoming environment.


There are never toys that's scattered everywhere
Unlike the main woman's home, the other woman keeps a tidy and immaculate space where toys are never found lying around.


And when her baby comes to call He'll find her waiting like a lonesome queen 'Cause when she's by his side It's such a change from old routine
When the other woman's lover arrives, she grants him her full attention and appears as a queen awaiting his presence, which is always welcomed because it's a change from his regular routine.


But the other woman will always cry herself to sleep The other woman will never have his love to keep And as the years go by the other woman Will spend her life alone
Even though the other woman may appear to have it all, she will never have the love that the main woman shares with her partner, and it will cause her to cry herself to sleep. Despite any temporary joys of being with him, as the years go by, she will ultimately be left alone.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jessie Mae Robinson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@mateirobert9104

The Other Woman finds time to manicure her nails
The Other Woman is perfect where her rival fails
And she's never seen with pin curls in her hai

The Other Woman enchants her clothes with french perfume
The Other Woman keeps fresh cut flowers in each room
There are never toys that are scattered e
verywhere
And when man comes to call
He'll find her waiting like a lonesome queen
'Cause when she's by his side is such a change from old routine

The Other Woman will always cry herself to sleep
The Other Woman will never have his love to keep
And as the years go by
The Other Woman will spend her life alone

The Other Woman will always cry herself to sleep
The Other Woman will never have his love to keep
And as the years go by
The Other Woman will spend her life alone



@saltypotato2973

i was a mistress (well, technically paramour because i'm not a woman) at fourteen and fifteen. though he had a boyfriend, not a husband, so i'm not sure if it counts.
when i was fourteen he was eighteen.
it started when i was a freshman and he was a senior.
i broke myself over him. i hated myself because i wasn't enough for him to choose me. i cried about him every night. i lived with that horrible sinking feeling you get from being severely depressed on a daily basis.
my emotions have become numbed from the experience. in order to actually feel something now it needs to be very, very strong.
he was so important to me and i was next to nothing to him.
i gave him everything and he took it without giving anything back.
his excuse was that i loved him too much.
let me say that again.
his excuse was that *i loved him too much*.
he wouldn't love me back because *i loved him too much*.
he would completely blow me off to hangout with his friends. when we were together he would always text his friends. if his friends asked to call when he was with me he'd go call them instead of talk to me. when we would finish... he would immediately start texting other people. he would text his boyfriend when he was with me. he'd talk to me about his boyfriend without realizing that every word made a new fissure in my heart.

im only sixteen now. this happened only a year ago, but im doing a lot better. i managed to get over him, and i think that's when he started to realize how valuable i'd be even as just a friend. he'd still choose his boyfriend over me any day.
im finally at a point where i'm starting to feel okay though. *finally*.



@jhonjairo2938

The other woman finds time to manicure her nails
The other woman is perfect where her rival fails
And she's never seen with pin curls in her hair

The other woman enchantes her clothes with french perfume
The other woman keeps fresh cut flowers in each room
There are never toys thats scattered everywhere

And when her man comes to call
He'll find her waiting like a lonesome queen
'Cause when she's by his side
It's such a change from old routine

But the other woman will always cry herself to sleep
The other woman will never have his love to keep
And as the years go by the other woman
Will spend her life alone



All comments from YouTube:

@nctman2719

Nina Simone - singing the pov of the wife
Lana Del Rey - singing the pov of the mistress

@cherryohbaby1545

and jeff buckley the pov of the husband

@ervn84

and I singing in the pov of the ladyboy

@exspiravit6920

@@cherryohbaby1545 Jeff Buckley kind of just sang as Nina Simone I never felt him trying to convey pining for his mistress. His version is as sympathetic to both women as anything.

@thiagoteofilo4545

Na vdd essa música não é sobre a mulher x amante. É mais um desabafo da solidão da mulher preta nos anos 50 em relação às brancas...

@gil4371

​@@thiagoteofilo4545the other woman se generalizando igual acontece com normal girl, gurioso biu

@felipesotto403

I accidentally found out it’s not a Lana song. I already loved it before but now I have to say: it’s even better when Nina sings it. It’s deeper.

@geohatz4838

I agree

@luccithedevil

tem tanta gente que não sabe que a versão da Lana não é a original...
Nina literalmente virou a Other Woman lol

@Soffiafaria

e já falaram q a música é dela…

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