I'm An Ordinary Man
Rex Harrison Lyrics
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Who desires nothing more than just an ordinary chance
To live exactly as he likes and do precisely what he wants
An average man am I, of no eccentric whim
Who likes to live his life free of strife
Doing whatever he thinks is best for him
Well, just an ordinary man
And your serenity is through
She'll redecorate your home, from the cellar to the dome
And then go on to the enthralling fun of overhauling you
Let a woman in your life
And you're up against a wall
Make a plan and you will find she has something else in mind
And so rather than do either, you do something else that neither likes at all
You want to talk of Keats or Milton
She only wants to talk of love
You go to see a play or ballet
And spend it searching for her glove
Let a woman in your life
And you invite eternal strife
Let them buy their wedding bands
For those anxious little hands
I'd be equally as willing
For a dentist to be drilling
Than to ever let a woman in my life
I'm a very gentle man
Even-tempered and good-natured who you never hear complain
Who has the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein
A patient man am I, down to my fingertips
The sort who never would, never could
Let an insulting remark escape his lips
A very gentle man
But, let a woman in your life
And patience hasn't got a chance
She will beg you for advice, your reply will be concise
And she'll listen very nicely, and then go out and do precisely what she wants
You are a man of grace and polish
Who never spoke above a hush
Now all at once you're using language
That would make a sailor blush
Let a woman in your life
And you're plunging in a knife
Let the others of my sex tie the knot around their necks
I prefer a new edition of the Spanish Inquisition
Than to ever let a woman in my life
I'm a quiet living man
Who prefers to spend the evening in the silence of his room
Who likes an atmosphere as restful as an undiscovered tomb
A pensive man am I of philosophical joys
Who likes to meditate, contemplate
Free from humanity's mad inhuman noise
Just a quiet living man
But, let a woman in your life
And your sabbatical is through
In a line that never ends comes an army of her friends
Come to jabber and to chatter
And to tell her what the matter is with you!
She'll have a booming boisterous family
Who will descend on you en mass
She'll have a large wagnarian mother
With a voice that shatters glass
Let a woman in your life
Let a woman in your life
I shall never let a woman in my life
The lyrics of Rex Harrison's "I'm an Ordinary Man" are a satirical take on the idea of a man who lives an uncomplicated and unremarkable life, content with his average existence. He takes pride in his unremarkable, easygoing nature and his lack of eccentricity, preferring to live his life free of strife and do whatever he thinks is best for him. However, he warns that if a woman were to enter his life, his peaceful existence would be turned upside down.
Harrison humorously explains how a woman would completely alter every aspect of his mundane life if he were to allow her in. She would redecorate his entire home, from the cellar to the dome, and go on to the "enthralling fun" of overhauling him. She would also fill his life with constant chatter and gossip, never allowing him to enjoy the silence and contemplation he craves. He describes how she would change his language, turning him from a man of grace and polish who never spoke above a hush, to someone who curses like a sailor.
Harrison satirizes the idea of the perfect relationship and emphasizes the freedom and independence that he values so much, rather than letting a woman invade his life. The lyrics are a witty commentary on male-female relationships and gender roles and highlight how some men may be afraid of the changes a woman could bring into their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm an ordinary man
I am a normal person
Who desires nothing more than just an ordinary chance
I just want an opportunity to live a normal life
To live exactly as he likes and do precisely what he wants
To live my life as I please
An average man am I, of no eccentric whim
I am just an ordinary person with no peculiar habits
Who likes to live his life free of strife
I enjoy a life without conflict
Doing whatever he thinks is best for him
I will always do what is best for me
Well, just an ordinary man
I am a regular person
But, let a woman in your life
However, when a woman enters your life,
And your serenity is through
your peace will be disturbed
She'll redecorate your home, from the cellar to the dome
She'll change the whole appearance of your home
And then go on to the enthralling fun of overhauling you
And then will start changing you as well
And you're up against a wall
You are trapped
Make a plan and you will find she has something else in mind
She will always have something else in mind
And so rather than do either, you do something else that neither likes at all
You end up doing something neither of you likes
You want to talk of Keats or Milton
You want to discuss literature
She only wants to talk of love
She just wants to talk about romance
You go to see a play or ballet
You go to a theater or a dance performance
And spend it searching for her glove
But end up looking for her lost glove
And you invite eternal strife
You are welcoming eternal conflict
Let them buy their wedding bands
Let them buy their own wedding rings
For those anxious little hands
For their restless hands
I'd be equally as willing
I would be equally happy
For a dentist to be drilling
To get my teeth checked by a dentist
Than to ever let a woman in my life
Instead of letting a woman in my life
I'm a very gentle man
I am a kind-hearted person
Even-tempered and good-natured who you never hear complain
I never complain and always have a good temperament
Who has the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein
I have a lot of compassion for others
A patient man am I, down to my fingertips
I am very patient
The sort who never would, never could
I would never be able to
Let an insulting remark escape his lips
Insult someone with my words
But, let a woman in your life
However, when a woman enters your life,
And patience hasn't got a chance
Your patience will be tested
She will beg you for advice, your reply will be concise
She will ask for your advice, and you will give a short answer
And she'll listen very nicely, and then go out and do precisely what she wants
She will listen politely but still do as she pleases
You are a man of grace and polish
You are cultured and refined
Who never spoke above a hush
Who never speaks loudly
Now all at once you're using language
Now suddenly, you're using a language
That would make a sailor blush
That is very vulgar
And you're plunging in a knife
You are causing yourself pain
Let the others of my sex tie the knot around their necks
Let other men get married
I prefer a new edition of the Spanish Inquisition
I would rather have the Spanish Inquisition back
I shall never let a woman in my life
I will never accept a woman in my life
Who prefers to spend the evening in the silence of his room
I like to spend my time alone in a quiet room
Who likes an atmosphere as restful as an undiscovered tomb
I prefer a tranquil atmosphere like an unexplored tomb
A pensive man am I of philosophical joys
I enjoy philosophical thoughts and contemplation
Who likes to meditate, contemplate
I like to think and reflect
Free from humanity's mad inhuman noise
Away from humanity's crazed and inhuman noise
In a line that never ends comes an army of her friends
A never-ending line of her friends appear
Come to jabber and to chatter
They come to talk away the time
And to tell her what the matter is with you!
And tell her all your problems
She'll have a booming boisterous family
Her family will be noisy and lively
Who will descend on you en mass
Who will arrive in large numbers
She'll have a large wagnarian mother
Her mother will be big and loud
With a voice that shatters glass
Whose voice is very loud and high-pitched
Let a woman in your life
If you let a woman in your life
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, FREDERICK LOEWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Tymala1
As a teen I was of course watching this for Audrey but now that I am older I am realizing how Rex was the bomb!
@janedoex1398
Yeah other he was a 45 y.o. incel in 1950.....
@kairon156
@@janedoex1398 Don't incel's want women in their life? He's more apart of the MGTOW crowd.
@gbonkers666
Oh yeah.....he was a great charmer....
@michaelshanks6932
He plays that conceited smarta$$ right up to the hilt, and takes over the role as completely as Yul Brynner took over the King of Siam. "The bomb," indeed.
@bryansammis998
The MGTOW Brotherhood World Anthem😃👍
@evillink1
We must protect this movie at all costs!
@EASYTIGER10
Great performance! Rex Harrison shows how to sing a song without actually singing.
@aminsadeghpour1549
I love Rex Harrison's performance as Professor Higgins.
I heard somewhere that when they were filming My Fair Lady they wanted Cary Grant for the role of Professor Higgins. Cary Grant told the studio: "Not only won't I do the part, but unless you hire Rex Harrison I will never make another movie for Warner Brothers again."
I guess the studio was licked.
@michaelshanks6932
If that story isn't true, then it should be.