A Woman Left Lonely
Scott Walker Lyrics


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A woman left lonely will soon grow tired of waiting
And soon she'll do crazy things on lonely occasions
A simple conversation with a new man, now and then
Makes a touchy situation when a good thing comes to an end

And when she gets lonely she's thinking about her man
He's taken her for granted 'cause he just don't understand
And the fevers of the night- they can burn an unloved woman
And like a red hot flame- try to push all love aside...

Oh yes, it does...

A woman left lonely is a victim of a man
When he can't keep up his own way she's gotta do the best she
Can

A woman left lonely...





A woman left lonely...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Scott Walker's "A Woman Left Lonely" convey the feelings of a lonely and abandoned woman waiting for her man to come back to her. The song speaks to the reality that when women are left alone for too long, their minds and emotions can get the best of them. The opening line of the song, "A woman left lonely will soon grow tired of waiting" sets the tone for the rest of the song. As the song progresses, we hear that the woman is trying to cope with her loneliness by indulging in conversations with other men, which could potentially be a touchy situation leading to the end of her good thing.


As the woman gets lonelier, she reminisces about the man who left her and sees that he has taken her for granted. The lyrics "He's taken her for granted 'cause he just don't understand" express the sense of betrayal and lack of acknowledgment that women often feel in relationships.


The chorus of the song speaks to the immense pain that comes with being unloved and unwanted, "And the fevers of the night- they can burn an unloved woman, And like a red hot flame- try to push all love aside." The song ends with the phrase "A woman left lonely" repeated twice, concluding the song on a note of emotional emptiness and loneliness.


Line by Line Meaning

A woman left lonely will soon grow tired of waiting
When a woman is constantly waiting for the attention and love of her man, she tends to feel lonely and ignored which in turn makes her grow tired.


And soon she'll do crazy things on lonely occasions
As a result of being lonely, a woman is likely to do things that she wouldn't normally do on rare occasions.


A simple conversation with a new man, now and then
Occasionally talking to other men can easily complicate things in the relationship of a woman left lonely.


Makes a touchy situation when a good thing comes to an end
When a relationship that used to be happy and perfect comes to an end, all aspects of the situation can become very delicate and complicated for the woman involved.


And when she gets lonely she's thinking about her man
When a woman is lonely, she tends to think about her man who has taken her for granted because he doesn't realize what she needs.


He's taken her for granted 'cause he just don't understand
The man has taken the woman's love and attention for granted because he doesn't understand how important they are to her.


And the fevers of the night- they can burn an unloved woman
The loneliness and emptiness that a woman feels at night time can be intense enough to slowly destroy her self-worth and joy for life.


And like a red hot flame- try to push all love aside...
The intense feelings of loneliness and neglect can cause a woman to push away all forms of love, and close herself off from positive emotions and experiences in her life.


A woman left lonely is a victim of a man
When a woman is left alone and unloved, it's often the fault of the man in her life who failed to provide her with the attention and love that she deserves.


When he can't keep up his own way she's gotta do the best she can
When the man fails to fulfill his role in the relationship, the woman is forced to make the best out of her situation and cope with the loneliness and emptiness in any way she can.


A woman left lonely...
The final repetitions of this phrase serve as a refrain, continuously emphasizing the central theme of the song's underlying message.




Contributed by Max O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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