A Woman Oversees – English Lyrics

• By: Brandi Carlile
• Album: Returning To Myself

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical artistry of Brandi Carlile with 'A Woman Oversees,' a soulful track from her album *Returning To Myself*. Through this song, you can learn to describe complex emotional dynamics in English, specifically the pain of a one-sided relationship where one person is used for their vulnerability. Its rich, jazz-influenced style and deeply personal songwriting make it a beautiful and powerful piece of modern Americana storytelling.

[English]

One time I went overseas

With a woman I know too deep

I live and breathe to hold her in

I love to hear her speak

We went to people's parties

And we haunted her old hometown

We rambled into restaurants

Tracking her old friends down

They all knew the magic number

The weather, the kids, TV

But this is where she pulls the strings

And slips into someone's grief

She's all tarot cards and gypsy moves

She's on fire with listening

No one sees it coming, no

The canary doesn't sing (sing, sing, sing)

She doesn't sing

For a woman oversees (sees)

(A woman oversees)

I feel for them and not because

Of what they're going through

I'm sure they used to try and reach inside an empty room

But she doesn't make it easy (no)

She hides behind her hair (hair)

She asks too many questions

And she cuts you off with care

She reaches deep inside you like an open cookie jar

And not because you're interesting

But to mine your broken heart

For borrowed pain to hide behind

Divorce, disdain, disease

And it ain't like she don't have her own

But hers is hers to keep (keep, keep, keep)

It's hers to keep

For a woman oversees (a woman oversees)

And in a chair sat right beside the puppeteer sits me

Recognizing maybe that I've said too many things

I've fallen prey to conversate, I've spoken her to sleep

Even an eviction would be a mercy in that place

Wordlessness is cruel, and I can't wipe it off my face

I know I need compassion, Lord

I'm sure she needs it too

She won't even make excuses

That would all be too much truth

It's too much truth

(A woman oversees)

When you're this far north of forty

The growing's up to you

Even if you grow away from me

And I'd die to watch you bloom

I opened up my eyes one time

When I went overseas

With a woman no one really knows

But I live to hear her speak

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
woman /ˈwʊmən/ A1	noun - an adult female human
oversees /ˌoʊvərˈsiːz/ B2	verb - to watch over and direct
speak /spiːk/ A1	verb - to talk or say something
grief /ɡriːf/ B2	noun - deep sorrow or distress
care /kɛər/ A2	noun - attention or concern verb - to feel concern or interest
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood noun - the center of emotion
truth /truːθ/ A2	noun - the quality or state of being true
bloom /bluːm/ B1	verb - to produce flowers verb - to develop in a positive way
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - to be aware of or familiar with
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to make musical sounds with the voice
keep /kiːp/ A1	verb - to have or retain something
reach /riːtʃ/ A2	verb - to stretch out an arm verb - to achieve or attain
hide /haɪd/ A2	verb - to conceal from sight
watch /wɑːtʃ/ A1	verb - to look at something attentively
listen /ˈlɪsən/ A1	verb - to give attention to
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ A2	adjective - damaged or not working adjective - emotionally hurt
empty /ˈɛmpti/ A2	adjective - containing nothing
open /ˈoʊpən/ A1	adjective - not closed or shut
borrowed /ˈbɔːroʊd/ B1	adjective - taken from someone else for temporary use
cruel /ˈkruːəl/ B1	adjective - willfully causing pain or suffering

Key Grammar Structures

• One time I went overseas

  ➔ Simple past tense

  ➔ The verb "went" is the past form of "go", used for an action that happened at a specific time in the past.

• I live and breathe to hold her in

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose (to + verb)

  ➔ The phrase "to hold" explains why the speaker "live and breathe" – it shows purpose.

• She doesn't sing

  ➔ Simple present negative with auxiliary "does not"

  ➔ "doesn't" is the contracted form of "does not" used with third‑person singular subjects.

• She asks too many questions

  ➔ Simple present with adverb of quantity "too many"

  ➔ "too many" modifies "questions" and expresses an excessive amount.

• She cuts you off with care

  ➔ Phrasal verb "cut off" + prepositional phrase "with care"

  ➔ "cut off" means to interrupt or stop someone, and "with care" shows the manner in which it is done.

• She reaches deep inside you like an open cookie jar

  ➔ Simile using "like" + noun phrase

  ➔ "like an open cookie jar" compares the way she reaches into you to the easy access of an open jar.

• It's hers to keep

  ➔ Possessive pronoun + infinitive of purpose

  ➔ "hers" shows ownership; "to keep" explains what she is allowed or expected to do with it.

• I opened up my eyes one time

  ➔ Phrasal verb "opened up" in simple past

  ➔ "opened up" means to widen or make something visible; here it is used metaphorically for becoming aware.

• When you're this far north of forty

  ➔ Conditional clause with present simple "when"

  ➔ "When" introduces a condition that is real or likely; the present simple "you're" expresses a current state.