I Can Make You A Man
Tim curry and the roxy cast Lyrics


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A weakling weighing ninety-eight pounds
Will get sand in his face
When kicked to the ground
And soon in the gym
With a determined chin
The sweat from his pores
As he works for his cause
Will make him glisten
And gleam
And with massage
And just a little bit of steam, haha
He'll be pink and quite clean
He'll be a strong man
Oh, honey, but the wrong man

He'll eat nutritious, high protein
And swallow raw eggs
Try to build up his shoulders
His chest, arms, and legs
Such an effort
If he only knew of my plan
In just seven days

I can make you a man

He'll do press-ups and chin-ups
Do the snatch, clean, and jerk
He thinks dynamic tension
Must be hard work
Such strenuous living
I just don't understand




When in just seven days
Oh, baby, I can make you a man

Overall Meaning

The song “I Can Make You A Man” by Tim Curry is a part of the musical film, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which was released in 1975. The song is the introduction of the character Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who is the main antagonist in the film. The song is about Frank-N-Furter's plan to transform a weakling weighing 98 pounds into a strong man. He mocks the typical methods of building physical strength, such as eating high protein, doing exercises like press-ups and chin-ups, and consuming raw eggs, and claims that he can transform the person into a man in just seven days using his own techniques.


The lyrics start with Dr. Frank-N-Furter explaining how a person who is weak will get sand in their face when kicked to the ground. He then goes on to talk about how going to the gym, working hard, and sweating will make the person glisten and gleam. Dr. Frank-N-Furter also mentions using massage and steam to transform the person. In the next verse, he mocks the traditional methods of building strength, like eating high protein and doing exercises like press-ups and chin-ups. He claims that he can transform a person into a man in just seven days using his own techniques, which remain unknown.


Overall, the song is a celebration of Dr. Frank-N-Furter's unconventional methods of transformation, which he believes are superior to traditional methods. The lyrics, combined with the music and Tim Curry's performance, make for an entertaining and catchy song that is a highlight of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”


Line by Line Meaning

A weakling weighing ninety-eight pounds
A man who is physically weak and thin and weighs only 98 pounds.


Will get sand in his face
He faces challenges and ridicule from others.


When kicked to the ground
He is easily defeated and humiliated.


And soon in the gym
In order to improve himself, he joins a gym.


With a determined chin
He is determined and motivated to change.


The sweat from his pores
He works hard and puts effort into his training, which leads to sweat.


As he works for his cause
He puts effort into achieving his goal of becoming stronger.


Will make him glisten
The visible sweat makes him shine and look radiant.


And gleam
His hard work pays off and he shines with pride.


And with massage
He uses relaxation techniques to recover from strenuous workout sessions.


And just a little bit of steam, haha
He enjoys steam therapy sessions after his workouts.


He'll be pink and quite clean
He will be refreshed and clean after his steam and massage sessions.


He'll be a strong man
He will have achieved his goal of becoming a physically strong man.


Oh, honey, but the wrong man
Unfortunately, his success does not make him the right man for the person addressing him.


He'll eat nutritious, high protein
He follows a healthy diet that is high in protein to support muscle growth.


And swallow raw eggs
He consumes raw eggs as a source of protein, which can be potentially dangerous.


Try to build up his shoulders
He focuses on building up his shoulder muscles through exercise.


His chest, arms, and legs
He also works on building up his chest, arms, and leg muscles.


Such an effort
He puts in significant effort to improve his physical strength and appearance.


If he only knew of my plan
He is unaware of the sinister plan the person addressing him has in mind.


In just seven days
The time it will take for the person addressing him to change him into what they want him to be.


I can make you a man
The person addressing him has a plan to completely transform him into their ideal.


He'll do press-ups and chin-ups
He performs exercises like press-ups and chin-ups to build upper body strength.


Do the snatch, clean, and jerk
He performs weightlifting exercises like the snatch, clean, and jerk to build total body strength and muscle mass.


He thinks dynamic tension
He follows the principle of dynamic tension, which involves tensing muscles during exercise to build strength.


Must be hard work
He believes that building strength through exercise requires significant effort and hard work.


Such strenuous living
He lives a rigorous lifestyle focused on physical fitness and strength training.


I just don't understand
The person addressing him does not understand why he goes through so much effort to build strength when they have a plan to transform him anyway.


When in just seven days
The person addressing him promises to transform him into their ideal in a very short period of time.


Oh, baby, I can make you a man
The person addressing him is confident that they can turn him into the ideal man they want him to be.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Richard O'Brien

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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