Founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1959, The Supremes began as a quartet called The Primettes. Founding members Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglas public housing project in Detroit, were the sister act to The Primes (later The Temptations). In 1960, Barbara Martin replaced McGlown, and the group signed with Motown in 1961 as The Supremes. Martin left at the end of 1961, and Ross, Ballard, and Wilson carried on as a trio. After they achieved success in the mid-1960s with Ross as the lead singer, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes in 1967, and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. Ross left the group for a solo career in 1970, and was replaced by Jean Terrell. After 1972, the lineup of the Supremes changed frequently, with Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Greene all becoming members before the group ended its eighteen-year existence in 1977.
I Guess I'll Miss The Man
The Supremes Lyrics
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Explain it, if you can
His face was far from fine
But still I'll miss his face
And wonder if he's missing mine
He never smiled enough
But though his words were gruff
I never told him so
But then, I never got the chance
Some men are heroes
Some men outshine the sun
Some men are simple, good men
This man wasn't one
This man
Wasn't one
And I won't miss his moods
His gloomy solitudes
His blunt and thoughtless style
But please, don't get me wrong
He was the best to come along
In a long, long while
The lyrics of "I Guess I'll Miss The Man" by The Supremes talk about the mixed emotions and feelings of missing someone who was not perfect but still left a lasting impact. The singer admits that the man's face was "far from fine," but she still found something attractive about him. She liked his "shy, sad glance" and wished she had told him that. She wonders if he's missing her the way she misses him.
The song highlights the fact that not all men are heroes or perfect, but they can still leave a lasting impression on someone's life. The singer acknowledges that the man wasn't one of those extraordinary men. She won't miss his moody and thoughtless behavior, but she still thinks he was the best man to come along in a long while. The lyrics show that love is not always about perfection, and sometimes the most imperfect relationships can leave the deepest impact on someone.
The song can be interpreted as a message not only about what we should miss about someone but also how we should deal with missing someone. We often hold on to those we miss for the wrong reasons, even when they are not good for us. This song reminds us to appreciate what was good about that person and let go of what was not.
Line by Line Meaning
I guess I'll miss the man
I'm acknowledging that I will miss him, although it surprises me.
Explain it, if you can
I want to understand why I will miss him despite his faults.
His face was far from fine
He wasn't physically attractive, but it didn't matter to me.
But still I'll miss his face
I'll miss seeing him, even though his appearance wasn't his strong suit.
And wonder if he's missing mine
I'm curious if he ever cared about me as much as I cared about him.
He never smiled enough
He wasn't the type to smile often.
But though his words were gruff
Even though he spoke in a blunt way, I still liked him.
I liked his shy, sad glance
I found his reserved and sad demeanor endearing.
I never told him so
I never expressed how I truly felt about him.
But then, I never got the chance
I regret not telling him how I felt before it was too late.
Some men are heroes
Some men have heroic qualities.
Some men outshine the sun
Some men are so incredible that they outshine everything else.
Some men are simple, good men
Some men are humble, but still good people.
This man wasn't one
But the man I'm talking about wasn't one of those types.
This man
Referring to the man I'm talking about.
Wasn't one
Wasn't one of those exceptional types of men.
And I won't miss his moods
I won't miss his negative or unpredictable personality traits.
His gloomy solitudes
I won't miss the times when he would isolate himself in sadness or anger.
His blunt and thoughtless style
I won't miss how he would say things without much consideration for others' feelings.
But please, don't get me wrong
However, I want to make it clear that I still think he was one of the best people I've known.
He was the best to come along
Even though he had faults, he was still one of the best people I've known in a long time.
In a long, long while
It's been a while since I've met someone who made as much of an impression on me as he did, despite his faults.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind