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.
Pound of Flesh
Regina Spektor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then you can't be forgiven
If you're not forgiven
Then you can't be forgotten
If you're not forgotten
Then you can live forever
If you live forever
Then you'll begin to dream
Death, death, death
Deaaath
Ezra Pound sat upon my bed
Asked me which books as of late I've read
Ezra Pound sat upon my bed
Asked me which books as of late I've read
Asked me if I've, uh, I've read his own
And whether I could spare a pound
Of flesh to cover his bare bones
I says, man, take a pound
Take two
What's a pound of flesh between
Friends like me and you?
What's a pound
Of flesh among friends?
What's a pound
Of flesh among friends?
But if you're never sorry
If you're never sorry
If you're never sorry
Then you can't be forgiven
If you're not forgiven
Then you can't be forgotten
If you're not forgotten
Then you must live forever
If you live forever
You cannot be reborn
If you're not reborn, then
You can't be a baby
If you're not a baby
You can't learn how to crawl
If you cannot crawl away
Then you must stay in bed all day
If you stay in bed all day
You're sure to have some visitors
Ezra Pound will sit upon your bed
Ask you which books as of late you have read
Ask you if you've, uh, uh, read his own
And whether you could spare a pound
Of flesh to cover his bare bones
You'll say, man, take a pound
Take two
What's a pound of flesh between
Friends like me and you?
What's a pound
Of flesh among friends?
What's a pound
Of flesh among friends?
What's a pound
Of flesh among friends?
The lyrics of Regina Spektor's "Pound of Flesh" discuss themes of forgiveness, forgetfulness, and mortality. The opening lines introduce the idea that if one is not sorry, they cannot be forgiven, and if they are not forgiven, they cannot be forgotten. This leads to the notion of living forever, which ultimately leads to a dream about death. The repetition of "death" throughout the song emphasizes the importance and inevitability of mortality.
In the second verse, Ezra Pound, a famous American poet, is introduced. Regina Spektor sings about Pound sitting on her bed, asking her which books she's read lately. He then asks if she's read his own work and requests a pound of flesh to cover his bare bones. Spektor's response suggests a willingness to give even more than he asks for, underscoring the depth of their friendship.
The final verse brings the themes full circle. The idea of not being sorry and the inability to be forgiven or forgotten leads to the inability to be reborn and the consequent inability to crawl away or leave bed. This leads to the inevitability of having visitors, with Ezra Pound himself being the visitor in this scenario. The repetition of the question "what's a pound of flesh among friends?" throughout the song highlights the importance of friendship and suggests a willingness to give anything to those we care about.
Line by Line Meaning
If you're never sorry
If you don't feel remorse for your wrongdoings
Then you can't be forgiven
Forgiveness is impossible if you don't acknowledge your mistakes
If you're not forgiven
If someone doesn't forgive you for your actions
Then you can't be forgotten
They will remember your misdeeds and won't let it go
If you're not forgotten
If you're still remembered, you'll live on through people's memories
Then you can live forever
Your legacy and the impact you made can last beyond your lifetime
If you live forever
If you never die, you'll eventually start thinking about death
Then you'll begin to dream
You'll start having thoughts about death in your mind
Of death
You'll think about your own mortality and succumbing to death
Deaaath
A repetition of death, emphasizing the concept and fear of it
Ezra Pound sat upon my bed
Regina is imagining the late American poet Ezra Pound visiting her
Asked me which books as of late I've read
The imaginary Pound asked Regina about her recent reading material
Asked me if I've, uh, I've read his own
Pound inquired if she had read his own writing
And whether I could spare a pound
He asked Regina to give something to him
Of flesh to cover his bare bones
He asked for a small physical offering
I says, man, take a pound
Regina humorously agrees to give Pound what he asked for
Take two
She even offers more flesh to him
What's a pound of flesh between Friends like me and you?
She jokes about the phrase from Shakespeare's 'Merchant of Venice' and the idea that friends would give each other something of themselves
You cannot be reborn
If you don't die and live forever, you can't experience rebirth or start anew in a different form
If you're not reborn, then
If you don't experience reincarnation
You can't be a baby
You can't experience the innocence and newness of life
If you're not a baby
If you're not a new life
You can't learn how to crawl
You can't experience the first steps of growth and learning
If you cannot crawl away
If you're unable to move and make progress
Then you must stay in bed all day
You're stuck in the same place, unable to make any forward movement
You're sure to have some visitors
People may come to see you while you're stuck in that position
Ezra Pound will sit upon your bed
The imaginary Pound has now metaphorically transitioned to visiting someone else
Contributed by Christian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kika
"Pound Of Flesh"
If you're never sorry
Then you can't be forgiven
If you're not forgiven
Then you can't be forgotten
If you're not forgotten
Then you can live forever
If you live forever
Then you'll begin to dream
Of death...
Ezra pound sat upon my bed
Asked me which books as of late I've read
Ezra pound sat upon my bed
Asked me which books as of late I've read
Asked me if I've read his own
And whether I could spare a pound
Of flesh to cover his bare bones
I says, man, take a pound, take two
What's a pound of flesh between
Friends like me and you?
What's a pound of flesh among friends?
But if you're never sorry...
If you're never sorry
Then you can't be forgiven
If you're not forgiven
Then you can't be forgotten
If you're not forgotten
Then you must live forever
If you live forever
You cannot be reborn
If you're not reborn then
You can't be a baby
If you're not a baby
You can't learn how to crawl
If you cannot crawl away
Then you must stay in bed all day
If you stay in bed all day
You're sure to have some visitors
Ezra pound'll sit upon your bed
Ask you which books as of late you have read
Ask you if you've read his own
And whether you could spare a pound
Of flesh to cover his bare bones
You'll say, man, take a pound, take two
What's a pound of flesh between
Friends like me and you?
What's a pound of flesh among friends?
lilac-w-i-n-e
i didn't realise this was live until i heard the applause... wow.
Stratford Upon Anon
This song actually deals, as I feel it at least, with the feeling one gets from loving a poet like Ezra Pound who was indeed anti-Semitic--much like the era he grew up in, though this hardly makes it excusable--and only in his later years apologized deeply for his "mistakes in youth." In his old age he grew very close with noted Jewish poet Allen Ginsberg, even influencing his work to a large extent, which I always saw as an interesting fact.
The 2nd Coming
🙂
J. S.
lol.. hilarious!
Kika
"Pound Of Flesh"
If you're never sorry
Then you can't be forgiven
If you're not forgiven
Then you can't be forgotten
If you're not forgotten
Then you can live forever
If you live forever
Then you'll begin to dream
Of death...
Ezra pound sat upon my bed
Asked me which books as of late I've read
Ezra pound sat upon my bed
Asked me which books as of late I've read
Asked me if I've read his own
And whether I could spare a pound
Of flesh to cover his bare bones
I says, man, take a pound, take two
What's a pound of flesh between
Friends like me and you?
What's a pound of flesh among friends?
But if you're never sorry...
If you're never sorry
Then you can't be forgiven
If you're not forgiven
Then you can't be forgotten
If you're not forgotten
Then you must live forever
If you live forever
You cannot be reborn
If you're not reborn then
You can't be a baby
If you're not a baby
You can't learn how to crawl
If you cannot crawl away
Then you must stay in bed all day
If you stay in bed all day
You're sure to have some visitors
Ezra pound'll sit upon your bed
Ask you which books as of late you have read
Ask you if you've read his own
And whether you could spare a pound
Of flesh to cover his bare bones
You'll say, man, take a pound, take two
What's a pound of flesh between
Friends like me and you?
What's a pound of flesh among friends?
maria carmen
Gracias
Richard H Blumberg
Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic who was a major figure of the early modernist movement. Pound helped discover and shape the work of contemporaries such as T. S. Eliot, James Joyce, Robert Frost and Ernest Hemingway. Pound was arrested for Treason in Italy by U.S. Counter Intelligence Corps in 1945 and was sent to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington D.C. after being found "Incompetent" to stand trial. During his stay at St. Elizabeth's, he befriended Eustace Mullins, the most definitive author on the Federal Reserve System. Pound was released and returned to Italy, stating upon his arrival; " When I left the hospital I was still in America, and all America is an insane asylum." He died in Italy in1972.
Richard H Blumberg
You R Welcome! I luv this song so much!
Marianne Jasmijn
Thanks so much for explaining! Now these lyrics really make sense!:)
Tolý Яogêt
The first Regina's song I discovered was Pound of Flesh...
I'm glad I did it, because from then on, I've always been in love.