I Understand
Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Rodney Cohen, November 22, 1921 – October 5,… Read Full Bio ↴Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Rodney Cohen, November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for the catchphrase "I don't get no respect!" and his monologues on that theme. He is also remembered for his 1980s film roles, especially in Easy Money, Caddyshack, and Back to School. He began writing jokes at the age of 15, and started performing before he was 20. He took his act to the road for ten years, adopting the stage name Jack Roy. His first run at comedy was to no avail. Rodney Dangerfield married Joyce Indig, in 1949 and had two children: Brian and Melanie. During the 1950s Rodney was an aluminum siding salesman, living in New Jersey. The comedian made another attempt at stand up comedy, this time as Rodney Dangerfield. In 1961 Rodney divorced from his wife. When he appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" ("Toast of the Town" (1948)), Rodney Dangerfield made Ed Sullivan laugh. Few people ever provoked any kind of reaction out of the legendary Ed Sullivan. Dangerfield had the image of a lovable disgruntled everyman type that became a hit all across nightclubs in the 1960s. Dangerfield also made many appearances on the "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962) and "The Dean Martin Show" (1965) in the 1970s. Rodney Dangerfield snatched a minor supporting part in the movie The Projectionist (1971), in 1971. By the mid 1970s he had cemented his image as a comedian constantly tugging at his red tie, always proclaiming he gets no respect. His big break came with many appearances on "Saturday Night Live" (1975), bringing himself to a much wider audience and proving hysterical on many occasions. In 1980, Dangerfield became a cornerstone of American comedy with the classic Caddyshack (1980). Here, he played Al Czervik, a rich golfer who was a basically nice guy that was extremely outspoken and very obnoxious. His character was often unhappy with the rich snobbery he was around, and he takes on the rich people that are so snobby to him. The average guy that his character portrayed was an instant hit, and a formula that Dangerfield often stuck with. Also in 1980 Rodney came out with a popular comedy album, 'Rappin Rodney'. The album earned Dangerfield a Grammy for best comedy album. The next movie on Rodney's agenda was Easy Money (1983), a comedy that showed him as an insulting working class person that suddenly becomes a millionaire. The movie was also a big hit. Dangerfield became very sparse in his roles on TV and film about this time. The year 1986 saw the comedy Back to School (1986), his biggest film to date. The comedy was one of the first to gross over 100 million. In 1994 Dangerfield starred in his first dramatic role in the successful Oliver Stone film, Natural Born Killers (1994). He played an abusive father that drove one of the killers crazy. His part was critically acclaimed. In 1995 Dangerfield entered the world of cyberspace, becoming the first entertainer to have a website on the world wide web. In 1997 he starred in Meet Wally Sparks (1997), a political and talk show satire that was poorly received. In 2000, Dangerfield starred as the Devil in Little Nicky (2000). The movie was potentially a huge hit, but was a failure by most accounts. Dangerfield took a very small part, but was top billed in the direct to video The Godson (1998), and starred in the direct to video My 5 Wives (2000). But it has not been all smooth sailing for this comedian. In 1997 he admitted to a lifelong bout with depression, and on his 80th birthday had a mild heart attack. He has major fans from all kinds of people from all different backgrounds. Dangerfield had made a record 70 appearances on the "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962), and had discovered many struggling comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Roseanne, Robert Townsend, Sam Kinison and Tim Allen. The comedian owned a legendary nightclub in Manhattan called Dangerfield's. In the 1990s he made highly publicized appearances on "The Simpsons" (1989), "In Living Color" (1990), "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" (1995), "Home Improvement" (1991), "Suddenly Susan" (1996), among others. In 1993 he married Joan Child, a woman thirty years younger than him, and is a Mormon. He died on October 5, 2004 after falling into a coma following heart surgery.

I Understand
Rodney Dangerfield Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Why do you go on pretending
You know you want to be free
Darling, you know I'll let you go
You'd do the same for me

I understand
And darling, you are not to blame
If when we kiss it's not the same
I understand
It's not your fault because your heart has changed it's mind
You didn't mean to be unkind
I understand
Forgetting you will be far from easy
I've grown so used to your charms
I'll miss that old thrill and no one can fill
The place here in my arms
But if you find our love was really meant to be
Then darling, hurry back to me
And I'll understand

I understand
And darling, you are not to blame
If when we kiss it's not the same
I understand.
It's not your fault because your heart has changed it's mind
You didn't mean to be unkind
I understand
Forgetting you will be far from easy
I've grown so used to your charms
I'll miss that old thrill and no one can fill
The place here in my arms




But if you find our love was really meant to be
Then darling, hurry back to me

Overall Meaning

In the song "I Understand," Rodney Dangerfield sings about a relationship that has reached its end. He addresses his significant other, saying that he knows they want to be free and that he understands this desire to move on. He communicates his willingness to let her go and recognizes that she would do the same for him. The chorus of the song emphasizes his understanding and reassures her that she is not to blame for the change in their relationship. He acknowledges that the feeling between them is no longer the same and that it is not her fault because her heart has changed. He recognizes that forgetting her will be challenging as he has grown used to her charms, and no one can fill the void that she has in his arms.


The lyrics suggest that Rodney Dangerfield has come to terms with the end of the relationship and is gracefully accepting her desires. Rather than being angry or bitter towards her, he expresses understanding and supports her in her decision. The song speaks to the idea that sometimes relationships end, even though it may be difficult to accept, and that it is possible to move forward in a positive and supportive way.


Line by Line Meaning

Why do you go on pretending
Why do you continue to act as if everything is alright?


You know you want to be free
It's clear you desire to be liberated.


Darling, you know I'll let you go
My affectionate one, you're aware that I will release you.


You'd do the same for me
If the situation was reversed, you'd show me the same kindness.


I understand
I comprehend your feelings and your decision to leave.


And darling, you are not to blame
Beloved, you're not at fault for wanting to move on.


If when we kiss it's not the same
If the passion we had is no longer there when we kiss.


It's not your fault because your heart has changed it's mind
It's not your fault for your heart changing its mind about our relationship.


You didn't mean to be unkind
You didn't have the intention of being cruel.


Forgetting you will be far from easy
It will be challenging for me to forget about you.


I've grown so used to your charms
I've become accustomed to your alluring qualities.


I'll miss that old thrill and no one can fill
I will long for the excitement we had, and no one else can replace it.


The place here in my arms
The spot where you used to fit perfectly when I held you.


But if you find our love was really meant to be
However, if you discover that our love truly belonged together.


Then darling, hurry back to me
Then beloved, return to me at once.


And I'll understand
I'll be accepting of your decision if you return to me knowing our love was destined.




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM PAT BEST

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Hi Bye

people who think what he does is easy have no idea how hard it actually is. He never fumbles over is words either. The guy was a treasure

Nathanial Broadway

He spoke from the heart ❤

Leo Whalen

I think this is way harder than what the comedians do now. They sort of just have a one way conversation that connects all the topics. This guy rattles off 30 one liners in a matter of minutes.

Aaron Boseman

The diction is immaculate

Diane Amaral

Hahaha whoo hooo

NickYo

Why would it be easy

28 More Replies...

Carlos Quiñones

"I told my therapist I'm having suicidal thoughts. He said I had to start paying him in advance." - Rodney Dangerfield. Genius.

nyterpfan

"One girl I dated was so ugly--when I took her home to meet my mother she spread newspapers on the floor." (ROTFLMAO--that might just be my all-time favorite!!)

Loraine Skellinger

Jj 😮

Dave Aston Acoustic

classic

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