Lady
spektor regina Lyrics


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Lady sing the blues so well
As if she mean it
As if it's hell down here
In the smoke-filled world
Where the jokes are cold, they don't laugh at jokes
They laugh at tragedies

Corner street societies
But they believe her
They never leave her while she sings
She make them feel safe

She says, 'I can sing this song so blue
That you will cry in spite of you
Little wet tears on your baby's shoulder
Little wet tears on your baby's shoulder

And I have walked these streets so long
There ain't nothin' right, there ain't nothin' wrong
But the little wet tears on my baby's shoulder
Little wet tears on my baby's shoulder.'

Lady lights a cigarette, puffs away, no regrets
Takes a look around, no regrets, no regrets
Stretches out like branches of a poplar tree
Says, 'I am free;' sings so soft as if she'll break

Says, 'I can sing this song so blue
That you will cry in spite of you
Little wet tears on your baby's shoulder
Little wet tears on your baby's shoulder

And I have walked these streets so long
There ain't nothin' right, nothin' wrong
But the little wet tears on my baby's shoulder
Little wet tears on my baby's shoulder
But on this stage I've learned to fly
Learned to sing and learned to cry
Little wet tears on my baby's shoulder
Little wet tears on my baby's shoulder

But now it's time to say goodbye
Some might laugh, but I will surely cry
Little wet tears on my baby's shoulder
Little wet tears on my baby's shoulder.'

Lady lights a cigarette
Puffs away
And winter comes




And she
Forgets

Overall Meaning

In Regina Spektor's song Lady, she sings about a woman who is a professional singer and can sing the blues so well that it moves people to tears. The woman is often singing in smoke-filled clubs where the audience is not there to laugh at jokes but instead to find comfort in the tragedies of life. She sings with such sincerity and depth that her listeners believe her and never leave her while she performs. Even though the world around them is full of pain, hearing her sing makes them feel safe.


The Lady is a figure of freedom, who takes pleasure in the little things like lighting a cigarette and looking around, never regretting who she is or what she does. She compares herself to a poplar tree, and sings softly as if she'll break. The Lady tells the audience that she's been singing for so long that there's nothing right or wrong in the world anymore, but she still feels the tears on her baby's shoulder. Nevertheless, singing on stage has taught her how to fly and how to express herself.


The song ends with Lady lighting a cigarette as winter comes and she forgets. It's unclear whether this means that she quits her job or whether she has passed away. The song is a haunting affirmation of the power of music to transcend the suffering in our lives.


Line by Line Meaning

Lady sing the blues so well
Lady sings the blues exceptionally well


As if she mean it
As if she genuinely feels the emotions in the blues songs she sings


As if it's hell down here
As if she is living through hell on earth and her songs reflect that


In the smoke-filled world
In a world filled with smoggy air and haze


Where the jokes are cold, they don't laugh at jokes
Where humor is scarce and people only find tragedy funny


They laugh at tragedies
They find humor in tragedy and sadness


Corner street societies
People living in communities on street corners


But they believe her
But they trust her and her music


They never leave her while she sings
They stick around while she performs


She make them feel safe
She makes them feel comforted and secure


She says, 'I can sing this song so blue
She claims that she can sing a song that's so melancholic


That you will cry in spite of you
That you will cry no matter how much you try to hold it back


Little wet tears on your baby's shoulder
Tears that fall on a baby's shoulder showing the depth of sadness of the song


And I have walked these streets so long
She has walked on these streets for a very long time


There ain't nothin' right, there ain't nothin' wrong
There isn't anything good or bad about these streets


But the little wet tears on my baby's shoulder
But the tears that fall on a baby's shoulder when she sings her songs


Lady lights a cigarette, puffs away, no regrets
Lady lights a cigarette and smokes without any remorse


Takes a look around, no regrets, no regrets
Looks around without any shame or guilt


Says, 'I am free;' sings so soft as if she'll break
Says that she is free and sings so softly that it feels like she's about to break


But now it's time to say goodbye
But it's now time to bid goodbye


Some might laugh, but I will surely cry
Some people may find it funny, but she is sure that she will cry


Little wet tears on my baby's shoulder
The tears that fall on a baby's shoulder when she is singing


But on this stage I've learned to fly
But on this stage, she has learned to be confident and bold as if she's flying


Learned to sing and learned to cry
Learned how to sing emotional songs and how to express emotions through singing


And winter comes
The winter season has arrived


And she
And Lady


Forgets
Forgets about her past struggles and the pain she expressed through her music




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: REGINA SPEKTOR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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