You're so Vain
Egotistic Charade: Unveiling Vanity in 'You're So Vain'
Lyrics
You walked into the party
You made a grand entrance into the party.
Like you were walking on a yacht
Your demeanor was confident and luxurious, as if you owned a yacht.
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your hat was strategically positioned to cover one eye in a stylish manner.
Your scarf, it was apricot
Your scarf had an apricot color.
You had one eye on the mirror
You were self-absorbed, checking yourself in the mirror.
And watched yourself gavotte
You observed your own dance moves, specifically a gavotte.
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
Girls fantasized about being your dance partner.
They'd be your partner, and
Continuation of the girls' admiration for you.
You're so vain
Directly addressing the person – stating they are excessively self-centered.
You probably think this song is about you
Suggesting that the person believes the song is specifically about them.
You're so vain,
Reiteration of the person's vanity.
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Repeating the idea that the person thinks the song is about them.
Don't you?
Asking a rhetorical question, emphasizing the person's self-centeredness.
Don't you?
Reinforcing the rhetorical question.
Oh, you had me several years ago
Reflecting on a past relationship with the person several years ago.
When I was still naive
Expressing a sense of naivety during that past time.
Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair
Recalling the person's statement about being a pretty couple and never parting.
And that you would never leave
Contradicting the earlier statement by revealing the person did leave.
But you gave away the things you loved
The person sacrificed things they loved, including the singer.
And one of them was me
Confirmation that the singer was one of the things given up.
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Describing dreams that were shattered, represented by "clouds in my coffee."
Clouds in my coffee, and
Reiteration of shattered dreams and their impact.
You're so vain
Repeating the assertion of the person's vanity.
You probably think this song is about you
Reiterating the belief that the person thinks the song is about them.
You're so vain, you're so vain
Reaffirming the person's vanity.
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Restating the belief that the person thinks the song is about them.
Don't you?
Repeating the rhetorical question about the person's self-centeredness.
Don't you?
Emphasizing the rhetorical question.
Well I hear you went to Saratoga
Referring to the person's visit to Saratoga and their successful horse race.
And your horse, naturally, won
Detailing another achievement – flying a Learjet to witness a solar eclipse.
Then you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia
Implying the person is constantly in the right place or doing something noteworthy.
To see the total eclipse of the sun
Suggesting the person's association with the extraordinary, like a solar eclipse.
Well, you're where you should be all the time
Asserting that the person is always where they should be or with someone influential.
And when you're not, you're with some underworld spy
Speculating on the person's potential involvement with the underworld or espionage.
Or the wife of a close friend,
Implying a romantic entanglement with a close friend's wife.
Wife of a close friend, and
Reiteration of the romantic suggestion.
You're so vain
Repeating the assertion of the person's vanity.
You probably think this song is about you
Reiterating the belief that the person thinks the song is about them.
You're so vain, you're so vain
Reaffirming the person's vanity.
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Restating the belief that the person thinks the song is about them.
Don't you?
Repeating the rhetorical question about the person's self-centeredness.
Don't you?
Emphasizing the rhetorical question.
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