After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's independent music scenes, particularly the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village, Spektor signed with Sire Records in 2004 and began achieving greater mainstream recognition. After giving her third album a major label re-release, Sire released Spektor's fourth album, Begin to Hope, which achieved a Gold certification by the RIAA. Her following two albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, each debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. 2016's Remember Us to Life peaked at 23 on the Billboard 200.
Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed June 11, 2019, Regina Spektor Day in New York City. Spektor was also inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019, by Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.
My Man
Regina Spektor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't kiss me sweet goodnight
Don't buy me flowers to smell
Why he's a rotten boy from hell?
My man don't treat me good
He eats all my food
And he leaves me such a mess
'Cause he loves me, he loves me, he really, really loves me
And his eyes are bluer then the bluest sky above the city
He don't agree but what a pity
He love me yes he does
My man don't treat me sweet
He walks the empty streets
And he drinks and smokes and swears
And they say he doesn't care
My man, he breaks my heart
He tears me all apart
And he leaves me such a mess
They say I'm cured but I am blessed
'Cause he loves me, he loves me, he really, really loves me
And his eyes are bluer then the bluest sky above the city
He don't agree but what a pity
He love me yes he does
Oh, my man, I love him so, he?ll never know
All my life is just despair but I don't care
When he takes me in his arms
The world is bright, alright
What's the difference if I say, "I'll go away?"
When I know ill come back on my knees someday
For whatever my man is
I'm his, forever more
Regina Spektor's song "My Man" tells the story of a woman in a relationship with a man who may not treat her right, but who she loves deeply. She describes how he doesn't kiss her goodnight, buy her flowers or treat her sweetly. He eats all her food and leaves her in a mess, yet she still feels blessed to be with him because he loves her truly. The narrative suggests that her love for him outweighs his bad behavior towards her, and the song ends with her acknowledging that she will always belong to him, even if he may not be the best to her.
Line by Line Meaning
My man don't treat me right
My significant other does not treat me well
Don't kiss me sweet goodnight
He does not show me physical affection
Don't buy me flowers to smell
He never buys me gifts or shows appreciation for me
Why he's a rotten boy from hell?
He is a terrible person, who treats me badly
My man don't treat me good
My partner is not good to me
He eats all my food
He takes advantage of my resources
And he leaves me such a mess
He does not clean up after himself
They say I'm cursed but I am blessed
Others may see me as unfortunate, but I know I am lucky
'Cause he loves me, he loves me, he really, really loves me
Despite all of his negative qualities, he loves me deeply
And his eyes are bluer then the bluest sky above the city
He has beautiful, captivating eyes that draw me in
He don't agree but what a pity
He does not share the same sentiment and that is unfortunate
He love me yes he does
But regardless, he loves me
My man don't treat me sweet
He does not act sweet towards me
He walks the empty streets
He goes out alone and leaves me behind
And he drinks and smokes and swears
He has unhealthy habits
And they say he doesn't care
Others think he has no regard for my feelings
My man, he breaks my heart
He hurts me emotionally
He tears me all apart
His actions damage me deeply
Oh, my man, I love him so, he’ll never know
Despite all of his flaws, I love him deeply and he is not aware of this
All my life is just despair but I don't care
My life is full of negative emotions, but my love for him outweighs all of it
When he takes me in his arms, the world is bright, alright
His physical embrace brings me happiness and makes everything better
What's the difference if I say, "I'll go away?"
Even if I threaten to leave him, there is no real difference
When I know ill come back on my knees someday
I know I will always come back to him, no matter what
For whatever my man is, I'm his, forever more
Regardless of his negative qualities, I will always be his and love him forever
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Maurice Yvain, Jacques Mardochee Charles, Albert Lucien Willemetz, Channing Pollock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ipresnell
I just saw Regina SPecktor in Ithaca, NY last night and she rocked my socks off!!!
@HelloKittykat21
Still loving this version ❤️
@barhanita
Again, she is not covering Billy Holiday! The song was first popularized by Mistinguett in France. Billy's version is Jazz, and the original is foxtrot. The first singer to sing it English was Fanny Brice (she also stepped a bit away from classic foxtrot version). So you can call it Mistinquett's or Fanny Brice's cover. The most amazing thing, that Regina is doing classic foxtrot version, and I love it.
@joegallagher8672
Billie
@santinasayz9337
@barhanita
Thank you! Your 100 correct and thanks for that! Also Edith piaf did a cover but even she said supposedly that it wasn't right for her 😮..she had respect for her fellow artists
@teebobaggins
"Ladies and Germs, please put your hands together for that doll of desire, the princess of punchlines-- please give it up for the one, the only-- Harleen Quinzel!"
@santinasayz9337
Excellent version hard to compare 👍 masterpiece 👏
Thanks so much Appreciated
@nachozman7
Thanks Jim
@GloriaC333
brilliant!!!!
@01001100smith
This is great...