Superman
Ruthanne Lyrics

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Out in your eyes
Strong on the outside
Face like you made to be paid for your time
Smooth just like a gangster
Sharper than a pencil
Swept me off of my feet, straight up to the sky

And I fell for your disguise

Caught up in the flashing flights
Oh, but I shoulda known, too good to be true
Love ain't always what it seems

I thought he was a superman
But he can't fly
And he told me lies
Why am I surprised?
Oh, no superman
He the menace still
'Cause he can't feel
No, nothing's real
Superman
Who's gonna save your soul
When you ain't so super anymore?

Looks, they gon' fade
Body's overrated
Boy, you already look like you so jaded
Too much of the bottle
Getting you in trouble
What happened to a man like you thought you'd be, babe?

But you're living for the nights
Caught up in the flashing flights
Oh, but I shoulda known, too good to be true
Love ain't always what it seems

I thought he was a superman
But he can't fly
And he told me lies
Why am I surprised?
Oh, no superman
He the menace still
'Cause he can't feel
No, nothing's real
Superman
Who's gonna save your soul
When you ain't so super anymore?

But I shoulda known
I shoulda
I shoulda known
Oh, but I shoulda known, too good to be true
Love ain't always what it seems

I thought he was a superman
But he can't fly
And he told me lies
Why am I surprised?
I thought he was a superman
But he can't fly
And he told me lies
Why am I surprised?
Oh, no superman
He the menace still
'Cause he can't feel
No, nothing's real
Superman

Who's gonna save your soul
When you ain't so super anymore?

Overall Meaning

In "Superman," Ruthanne reflects on a relationship that didn't unfold quite as she had hoped. She paints a picture of a man who is smooth, confident, and seemingly flawless, but as the song progresses, she realizes that his exterior was just a disguise. She fell for his charm and outward strength, but it turns out he is not who he seemed to be. He cannot fly like Superman and, more importantly, he cannot be the savior he promised her.

Ruthanne describes the disappointment of realizing that the man she thought was her hero is actually just like any other flawed human being. She laments that there is no one left to save his soul. In the final lines of the song, Ruthanne acknowledges that she should have seen through his facade, but couldn't resist the illusion he created. She acknowledges the all-too-human tendency to be drawn to what looks good on the surface, even if it doesn't hold up under closer inspection.

Overall, "Superman" is a poignant reflection on the pitfalls of idealization and the importance of being able to see the humanity in those we admire.

Line by Line Meaning

Out in your eyes
Your eyes reflect something special about you.

Strong on the outside
You act tough and determined to everyone else.

Face like you made to be paid for your time
You have the face of someone who is only interested in getting paid for their services.

Smooth just like a gangster
You are smooth and confident like a gangster.

Sharper than a pencil
Your wit and intelligence are above average.

Swept me off of my feet, straight up to the sky
You impressed and enchanted me to an extreme degree.

And I fell for your disguise
I was fooled by your facade.

Caught up in the flashing flights
I got caught up in the excitement and the fast-paced lifestyle.

Oh, but I shoulda known, too good to be true
I should have known that what I was experiencing was too perfect to be real.

Love ain't always what it seems
Not everything appearing to be love is true love.

I thought he was a superman
I thought he was invincible and perfect.

But he can't fly
He cannot live up to the impossible expectations I have placed upon him.

And he told me lies
He has deceived me with false stories.

Why am I surprised?
I should have expected this.

He the menace still
He is still causing harm and being destructive in my life.

Cause he can't feel
He is unable to experience genuine emotions.

No, nothing's real
Nothing about him or our relationship was real or true.

Who's gonna save your soul
Who will be there to rescue you when you need help?

When you ain't so super anymore?
When you are no longer perfect and amazing, who will be there for you?

Looks, they gon' fade
Looks will eventually disappear.

Body's overrated
A perfect body is not the most important quality to have.

Boy, you already look like you so jaded
You already seem tired and unenthusiastic about life.

Too much of the bottle
You are relying on alcohol too much to escape reality.

Getting you in trouble
Alcohol is causing problems for you.

What happened to a man like you thought you'd be, babe?
What happened to the amazing person you used to be, that I thought you would become?

Writer(s): Ruth Anne Cunningham, Dave Richardson, Sonny J Mason, Clifton Knight, Lester Johnson

Contributed by Micah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

咪秀不會剪片的

4y↑3

Out in your eyes
Strong on the outside
Face like you made to be paid for your time
Smooth just like a gangster
Sharper than a pencil
Swept me off of my feet, straight up to the sky

[Pre-Chorus]
And I fell for your disguise
Caught up in the flashing flights
Oh, but I shoulda known, too good to be true
Love ain’t always what it seems

[Chorus]
I thought he was a superman
But he can’t fly
And he told me lies
Why am I surprised?
Oh, no superman
He the men of steel
‘Cause he can’t feel
No, nothing’s real
Superman
Who’s gonna save your soul
When you ain’t so super anymore?

[Verse 2]
Looks, they gon' fade
Body’s overrated
Boy, you already look like you so jaded
Too much of the bottle
Getting you in trouble
What happened to a man like you thought you’d be, babe?

[Pre-Chorus]
But you’re living for the nights
Caught up in the flashing flights
Oh, but I shoulda known, too good to be true
Love ain’t always what it seems

[Chorus]
I thought he was a superman
But he can’t fly
And he told me lies
Why am I surprised?
Oh, no superman
He the men of steel
‘Cause he can’t feel
No, nothing’s real
Superman
Who’s gonna save your soul
When you ain’t so super anymore?

[Bridge]
But I shoulda known
I shoulda
I shoulda known
Oh, but I shoulda known, too good to be true
Love ain’t always what it seems

[Chorus]
I thought he was a superman
But he can’t fly
And he told me lies
Why am I surprised?
I thought he was a superman
But he can’t fly
And he told me lies
Why am I surprised?
Oh, no superman
He the men of steel
‘Cause he can’t feel
No, nothing’s real
Superman
Who’s gonna save your soul
When you ain’t so super anymore?

All comments from YouTube:

咪秀不會剪片的

4y↑3

C Smith

5y↑1

Heard it yesterday on Radio 2 and when the chorus hit it was shivers up the spine. Great!

Philip Haggard Berry

This is really great very loose in the sense that I mostly listen to electronic music which is locked up tight with digital interfaces and the ever present "quantise" button. This song is a breath of fresh air. By the way I found your song from Kimbra's Instagram. You should messege her.