Man Down
Rihanna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't even sleep at night, can't get it off my mind
I need to get out of sight, fore I end up behind bars
What started out as a simple altercation
Turned into a real sticky situation
Me just thinking on the time that I'm facing
Makes me wanna cry
'Cause I didn't mean to hurt him
Coulda been somebody's son
And I took his heart when
I pulled out that gun
Rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum
Man Down!
Rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum, bum rum bum bum bum
Man Down!
Oh mama mama mama
I just shot a man down
In central station
In front of a big ol' crowd
Oh, why? oh, why?
Oh mama mama mama
I just shot a man down
In central station
Little 22, I call her Peggy Sue
When she fits right down in my shoes
Whatchu expect me to do? if you're playing me for a fool
I will lose my cool, and reach for my fire arm
I didn't mean to lay him down
But its too late to turn back now
Don't know what I was thinking
Now he's no longer living
So I'm bout to leave town, aye uh
'Cause I didn't mean to hurt him
Coulda been somebody's son
And I took his heart when
I pulled out that gun
Rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum
Man Down!
Rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum, bum rum bum bum bum
Man Down!
Oh mama, mama, mama
I just shot a man down
In central station
In front of a big ol' crowd
Oh, why? Oh, why?
Oh mama, mama, mama, I just shot a man down (Criminal)(In central station)
Said, "I'd never thought I'd do it
Never thought I'd do it, never thought I'd do it!
Oh gosh, What ever happened to me
Ever happened to me, ever happened to me?
Why did I pull the trigger, pull the trigger, pull the trigger? Boom
And end a n****, end a n**** life so soon?
When mi pull the trigger, pull the trigger, pull it pon' you
Somebody tell me what I'm gonna, what I'm gonna do? Ehh
Rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum
Me say one man down (And wah me say)
Rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum
Then me went downtown
'Cause now I'mma criminal, criminal, criminal
Oh lorda mercy, now I am a criminal
Man Down, tell the judge please gimme minimal
Run out a town none a dem can see me now
Oh mama, mama, mama
I just shot a man down
In central station
In front of a big ol crowd
Oh, why? Oh, why?
Oh mama, mama, mama
I just shot a man down
In central station
"Man Down" is a song by Rihanna that tells the story of a woman who murders a man in retaliation for his mistreatment of her. The song starts with Rihanna expressing remorse for ending the man's life, acknowledging that what she did was wrong and that she can't sleep at night because of the guilt. She feels the need to get out of sight before she lands behind bars. The second verse reveals what led to the shooting; a simple altercation that escalated into a serious situation. The thought of the time she will spend in prison makes Rihanna cry. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Rum bum bum bum, man down!" repeatedly, as if she's announcing what she's done. The bridge of the song features a man's speech in Patois, in which he talks about pulling the trigger and ending a life so soon before asserting his intention to run away from town as a criminal.
The lyrics of the song are emotionally loaded and can be interpreted in different ways. On one hand, "Man Down" can be seen as Rihanna's way to empower women who have been wronged and are seeking justice for themselves. On the other hand, it can be perceived as glorifying violence and encouraging revenge. Whatever the interpretation, the song highlights the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions and dealing with the consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't mean to end his life, I know it wasn't right
I didn't have the intention to kill him, and I acknowledge that it was not the right thing to do
I can't even sleep at night, can't get it off my mind
I can't sleep and it's on my mind all the time
I need to get out of sight, fore I end up behind bars
I need to disappear before ending up in jail
What started out as a simple altercation
It began as a small argument
Turned into a real sticky situation
It turned into a difficult situation
Me just thinking on the time that I'm facing
I just think about the consequences I will face
Makes me wanna cry
It makes me feel like crying
'Cause I didn't mean to hurt him
I didn't mean to cause him harm
Coulda been somebody's son
He could have been someone's son
And I took his heart when
I broke his heart when
I pulled out that gun
I used the gun that I had
Rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum
Instrumental
Man Down!
It's a call that a man was killed
Oh mama mama mama
Oh my mother
I just shot a man down
I killed a man
In central station
In a public place
In front of a big ol' crowd
With many people around
Oh, why? oh, why?
Why did I do that?
Little 22, I call her Peggy Sue
My gun is a small caliber and I nicknamed it Peggy Sue
When she fits right down in my shoes
It's small enough to fit in my shoes
Whatchu expect me to do?
What do you expect me to do?
if you're playing me for a fool
If you're trying to deceive me
I will lose my cool, and reach for my fire arm
I will get angry and take my gun
But it's too late to turn back now
It's too late to change what happened
Don't know what I was thinking
I don't know what I was thinking
Now he's no longer living
Now he's dead
So I'm bout to leave town, aye uh
So I'm going to leave town now
'Cause I didn't mean to hurt him
I didn't intend to cause him harm
Coulda been somebody's son
He could have been someone's son
And I took his heart when
I broke his heart when
I pulled out that gun
I used the gun that I had
Rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum
Instrumental
Man Down!
It's a call that a man was killed
Oh mama, mama, mama
Oh my mother
Said, "I'd never thought I'd do it
I never thought I would do it
Never thought I'd do it, never thought I'd do it!
I never thought I would do it, never
Oh gosh, What ever happened to me
Oh my, what happened to me?
Ever happened to me, ever happened to me?
Has this ever happened to me?
Why did I pull the trigger, pull the trigger, pull the trigger? Boom
Why did I use my gun?
And end a n****, end a n**** life so soon?
And killed a man so soon?
When mi pull the trigger, pull the trigger, pull it pon' you
When I use my gun on you
Somebody tell me what I'm gonna, what I'm gonna do? Ehh
Does anyone know what I should do?
Rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum, rum bum bum bum
Instrumental
Me say one man down (And wah me say)
I mean that one man was killed
Then me went downtown
Then I went into the city
'Cause now I'mma criminal, criminal, criminal
Because I'm a criminal now
Oh lorda mercy, now I am a criminal
Oh my god, now I'm a criminal
Man Down, tell the judge please gimme minimal
Man Down, beg the judge to be lenient
Run out a town none a dem can see me now
Leave the town so nobody can see me
Oh mama, mama, mama
Oh my mother
I just shot a man down
I killed a man
In central station
In a public place
In front of a big ol crowd
With many people around
Oh, why? Oh, why?
Why did I do that?
Oh mama, mama, mama
Oh my mother
I just shot a man down
I killed a man
In central station
In a public place
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SHAMA JOSEPH, ROBYN FENTY, THERON THOMAS, TIMOTHY THOMAS, SHONTELLE LAYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bbygurl8821
as a sexual attack survivor I can definitely relate to how she felt in this video, sexual assault of any kind is simply NEVER okay.
@rachelsmith6359
But I meant to hurt him.
@dalryhenry1350
@bby gurrlzz, going through the comments I was wondering if I was the only one that saw that this was a very tragic video she was showing about a girl who met a guy at a club, misjudged him, had a good time with him, she left the club alone and he followed her and raped her, after which she tracked him down and killed him. How quickly when you are gripped by only hurt and anger your life can go from happy-go-lucky to very dark, and you make a wrong decision that you can't take back. Glad you discovered your strength, and hope that you are not just surviving but thriving despite that terrible experience you went though.
@ann5141
:'c
@user-ul9qw1xb1v
Ohw yk what I could be like I'm sorry but I'm actually proud you fought through everything even after that happened to you I hope you have talked with people about it or have had therapy don't let the past define you or haunt you
@bbygurl8821
@@dalryhenry1350 thank you for your kind words. sadly this subject rarely gives justice to its victims.. I wish society did more for rape or sexual assault victims. and that goes for all genders! especially males as they're situations are almost always neglected.
@gamerkitty8757
As a rape survivor, this hit me hard, it made me remember that feeling of being scared and not being able to get away.. I really hope this song brings to light that this does happen, more often then we know about. 😢
@user-ol5xy6xz5s
Yooo the guts of u saying that, is what's making us like the comment, jus curious how u got over that relationship, man down or!??
@gamerkitty8757
@user-ol5xy6xz5s it wasn't a relationship, it was literally a guy I met on meet me, he took me to his friends house and got me stoned I smoked 12 bowls of weed that night cause I wasn't feeling anything, and then once I started to feel it he took advantage of me while his friend was in the other room. I never reported it or anything. Because for the longest time I thought it was my fault. Because of how stoned I got I wasn't in control of my body and just blamed myself... so in a way i got away, but I didn't ever get justice.
@franciswaweru6778
@@gamerkitty8757 im sorry to hear about your story and also did u ever like talk to the guy after that