Shivaree was a three-person American band formed in 1999 consisting of Ambr… Read Full Bio ↴Shivaree was a three-person American band formed in 1999 consisting of Ambrosia Parsley (vocals), Danny McGough (keyboards), and Duke McVinnie (guitar). They produced four full-length albums (only two of which enjoyed a North American release due to contract disagreements) and have approximately 500,000 combined sales to their name. They credit numerous other musicians in their work and are usually joined by two or three other collaborators when performing live. Their song Goodnight Moon was used in the Quentin Tarantino movie 'Kill Bill Vol. 2.'

Their final album, a collection of covers, was released in 2007, after which they disbanded.

Goodnight Irene
Shivaree Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Shame, shame on you
Shame, shame on you
Took my heart as a token
When returned, it was broken
Hide your face, shame on you

Shame, shame on you
Oh, shame, shame on you

Ran around with other guys
Tried to lie when I got wise
Foolish boy, shame on you

Shame, shame on you
Shame, shame, shame on you
Can you hold your head up high
Look your friends right in the eye?

No, you can't, shame on you
Oh, no, you can’t, so shame on you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Shivaree’s song “Goodnight Irene” are a powerful rebuke to a lover who has betrayed the singer’s trust. The opening lines “Shame, shame on you / Shame, shame on you” establish a tone of anger and disappointment that carries throughout the song. The singer accuses her lover of taking her heart as a “token” but returning it “broken”. The shame referred to in the title and throughout the lyrics is not just the shame the singer believes her lover should feel, but the shame that she feels for having ever trusted him.

The middle section of the song focuses on the lover’s infidelity, with the singer accusing him of “running around with other guys” and “trying to lie” to her. The use of the word “foolish” seems to indicate that the singer feels pity as well as anger towards her lover, but ultimately she returns to the message of shame: “Can you hold your head up high / Look your friends right in the eye? / No, you can't, shame on you / Oh, no, you can’t, so shame on you”.

Line by Line Meaning

Shame, shame on you
You should be ashamed of yourself.

Took my heart as a token
You took my heart as a symbol of love.

When returned, it was broken
When you gave it back to me, it was shattered into pieces.

Hide your face, shame on you
You should be ashamed to show your face in front of me.

Shame, shame on you
You should be ashamed of yourself.

Oh, shame, shame on you
You should be ashamed of yourself.

Ran around with other guys
You were unfaithful and messed around with other men.

Tried to lie when I got wise
You attempted to deceive me but I found out the truth.

Foolish boy, shame on you
You acted foolishly and should be ashamed of yourself.

Shame, shame on you
You should be ashamed of yourself.

Shame, shame, shame on you
You should be extremely ashamed of yourself.