Ive Never Been to Me
Charlene Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴Hey lady, you, lady, cursin' at your life
You're a discontented mother and a rich inventive wife
I've no doubt you dream about the things you'll never do
But I wish someone had a talked to me like I wanna talk to you

Ooh I've been to Georgia and California, oh, anywhere I could run
Took the hand of a preacher man and we made love in the sun
But I ran out of places and friendly faces because I had to be free

I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me

Please lady, please, lady, don't just walk away
Cause I have this need to tell you why I'm all alone today
I can see so much of me still living in your eyes
Won't you share a part of a weary heart that has lived a million lies

Oh I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
While I sipped champagne on a yacht
I moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo and showed 'em what I've got
I've been undressed by kings and I've seen some things
That a woman ain't s'posed to see
I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me

Hey, you know what paradise is? It's a lie, a fantasy we create about
People and places as we'd like them to be but you know what truth is?
It's that little baby you're holding, and it's that man you fought with
This morning, the same one you're going to make love with tonight
That's truth, that's love

Sometimes I've been to cryin' for unborn children
That might have made me complete
But I, I took the sweet life and never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet
I spent my life exploring the subtle whoring that cost too much to be free
Hey lady, I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me

I've been to paradise, never been to me
(I've been to Georgia and California, and anywhere I could run)
I've been to paradise, never been to me
(I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
While I sipped champagne on a yacht)

I've been to paradise, never been to me
(I've been to cryin' for unborn children)

Overall Meaning

The song "I've Never Been to Me" by Charlene is a poignant reflection of a woman who has traveled the world in search of the ideal life but has never truly found what she's looking for. The opening verse talks about addressing a lady who is unhappy with her own life, despite being a rich and inventive wife and mother. The singer acknowledges that the woman might dream of doing things she's never done, but wishes someone would have talked to her about how life should be lived to the fullest extent.

Going into the chorus, Charlene sings about how she's been to various places across America and internationally as well. Although she's experienced many things, including making love to a preacher man on a beach, she's never found true satisfaction. Moving onto the second verse, she asks the lady not to walk away from her since she feels the need to tell her why she's alone today. She sees a troubled reflection of herself in the woman's eyes and pleads with her to share a part of her heart that's gone through many lies.

The bridge of the song stresses the importance of truth and how it can be found in the people you love. Paradise, according to Charlene, is merely a fantasy that people conjure up in their minds. Truth lies in the crying of unborn babies and the petty arguments with loved ones. In the final verse, the singer admits that she's spent her life indulging in the subtle "whoring" of chasing a fantasy that never came to fruition. Although she's been to paradise, she's never truly been to herself.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey lady, you, lady, cursin' at your life
Addressing the woman who is frustrated with her life

You're a discontented mother and a rich inventive wife
She is a dissatisfied mother and a woman who creates new things, even though she is rich

I've no doubt you dream about the things you'll never do
Acknowledging that she has dreams, but won't be able to do them

But I wish someone had a talked to me like I wanna talk to you
Wishing that someone had told her what she needs to hear

Ooh I've been to Georgia and California, oh, anywhere I could run
She has traveled to different states to escape

Took the hand of a preacher man and we made love in the sun
She fell in love with a religious man and became intimate with him

But I ran out of places and friendly faces because I had to be free
She lost all her friends because she wanted to be free

I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me
She has been to a good place, but hasn't known herself well

Please lady, please, lady, don't just walk away
Asking the woman not to leave

Cause I have this need to tell you why I'm all alone today
She needs to explain why she is alone

I can see so much of me still living in your eyes
She sees herself in the woman she is talking to

Won't you share a part of a weary heart that has lived a million lies
Requesting the other person to share her lies and tired heart

Oh I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
She has been to France and Greece

While I sipped champagne on a yacht
While drinking champagne on a boat

I moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo and showed 'em what I've got
She feels like the famous actress Jean Harlow in Monte Carlo, and revealed her assets

I've been undressed by kings and I've seen some things
She has been naked with royalty and experienced some things

That a woman ain't s'posed to see
Experienced things that women aren't supposed to see

Hey, you know what paradise is? It's a lie, a fantasy we create about
Defining paradise as an unrealistic ideal that people create

People and places as we'd like them to be but you know what truth is?
Explaining that the reality is different from a person's idealization

It's that little baby you're holding, and it's that man you fought with
The truth could be the child that she holds, and the man she had a fight with

This morning, the same one you're going to make love with tonight
She will make love with the same man she fought with that morning

That's truth, that's love
Love is based on the truth

Sometimes I've been to cryin' for unborn children
She has cried for children that she might have had

That might have made me complete
The children would have completed her life

But I, I took the sweet life and never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet
Living a good life, but it didn't bring happiness

I spent my life exploring the subtle whoring that cost too much to be free
She spent her life following her desires, and she paid a high price for her freedom

Hey lady, I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me
She has been to many good places, but she hasn't discovered herself

I've been to paradise, never been to me
She has been to a good place, but hasn't known herself well

(I've been to Georgia and California, and anywhere I could run)
She has traveled to different states to escape

(I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
She has been to France and Greece

While I sipped champagne on a yacht)
While drinking champagne on a boat

(I've been to cryin' for unborn children)
She has cried for children that she might have had

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kenneth W Hirsch, Ronald N. Miller

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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