'Man Down' Lyrics Analysis

The song 'Man Down' by Rihanna we all hear all the time and is one of my personal favorites. But hearing the lyrics over and over, I have never questioned it, and I am sure lots of people don't. But it actually has some very strong and literal topics in it. The whole song is about her shooting a man in front of everyone, she didn't mean to do it, but it's too late now. At first I thought it was figurative, but looking at the lyrics, with all the details, it seems very literal and I think she is telling the story of her or someone she knows who actually hurt someone, but didn't mean to and regrets everything.

The first stanza says, "I didn't mean to end his life/...Before I end up behind bars". This is saying that this man did something to her and her temper made her shoot him, but she didn't mean to severely hurt him. Then she is saying that people witnessed it and she needs to leave because she is in trouble. Then the next stanza says, "'Cause I didn't mean to hurt him/Could've been somebody's son" This goes back to the fact that it was a mistake and she regrets it. It also says, "Me just thinking on the time that I'm facing/makes me wanna cry". This once again goes back to the regret, but also the realness of the situation. Later it says, "Oh why, oh why". Such a simple line with a simple meaning, she regrets. In each stanza she states the facts, and how much she regrets them.

So many people do things everyday that they regret whether it was say something mean to their sister, or shoot someone many people can relate to this song even though it may not sound like it at first. Most people would think they can't relate to someone shooting someone, but they can relate to the awful feeling of regret when they do something that hurts someone. I think the hidden message in this song is a lesson about thinking about your actions, which everyone can afford to do.