Regina Spektor - Oedipus Lyrics






I'm the king's thirty second son
Born to him in thirty second's time
Born to him the night still young
Born to him with two eyebrows on
And that's all I was wearing
When I woke up staring at the world

My mom had been a rather crazy queen
But not at all a sex machine
She liked to keep her body clean, clean
Thought the world to be quite obscene
But she retired to her chamber
And we remain quite strangers

And to see me made her awful sad
And to touch me made her awful sad
And to see me made her awful
And to touch me made her awful

I'm the king's thirty second son
And all it took was thirty second's time
But a spoiled little prince I was not
Had a chamber maid and a chamber pot
And there's thirty one others just like me
There's thirty one others I can be

Sometimes I'd stand by the royal wall
The sky'd be so big that it broke my soul
And i stood on my toes to catch a glimpse
Of my mother's eyes and my mother's skin
And she retired to her chamber
And we remain quite strangers

And to see me made her awful sad
And to touch me made her awful sad
And to see me made her awful
And to touch me made her awful

And one morning I woke up
And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
Then one morning I woke up and I thought Rex, Rex, Rex
Then one morning I woke up
And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still counts
Gonna make it count
Gonna make it count
Gonna oh oh

Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two still counts
Gonna make it count
Gonna make it count
Gonna oh oh

Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the

I'm the king's thirty second son
There's thirty one others just like me
There's thirty one others on the way
There's thirty one others after that

Sometimes I stand by the royal gate
People screaming love and hate
And they scream
And they scream
And they scream
And they scream
Long live the king,
Long live the queen

And to see me made her awful sad
And to touch me made her awful sad
And to see me made her awful
And to touch me made her awful

And one morning I woke up
And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
Then one morning I woke up and I thought Rex, Rex, Rex
Then one morning I woke up
And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still counts
Gonna make it count
Gonna make it count
Gonna oh oh

Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still a goddamn number
Thirty two's still a goddamn number

Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two
Thirty two

Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king





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Regina Spektor Oedipus Comments
  1. A.... ....

    When I first heard this, I thought it was about Oedipus’s sons but now that I’ve listened to it more, it is not talking about it at all

  2. D.... C....

    I just feel for Antigone.

  3. A.... F....

    2019 and i’m here bc i can’t this song from my childhood ANYWHERE ELSE. i don’t know why 11 year old me was jamming to this but i miss it and her music like this 😩

  4. F.... Z....

    The oracle of delphi is allways right.

  5. D.... M....

    I'm the Kings 32 son

  6. S.... C....

    Beautiful

  7. F.... H....

    I see this song as a fantastical world where thirty two male babies were taken as children to satisfy the queen’s desire for children but not force her to have them herself, and she forbids talk of her “sons’” true origins . She accidentally lets her last child, Oedipus, find out what is going on. Oedipus realizes that since none of them are her birth children, they will have to fight to become king. So he tries to get to know his mother better, but she refuses to talk to him.

  8. j.... ....

    I wish she would put this on Spotify. One of my favorite albums of hers.

  9. t.... s....

    Whoever did these lyrics is like...ah this is terrible lol

  10. T.... A....

    How many songs she has? I'm in a marathon with her and look like if will never end

  11. M.... R....

    Her music is darker than a lot of heavy metal. (In content anyway) Its just that the lyrics are put to actual music, so less people notice.

  12. B.... S....

    It's not the spelling mistakes that are the problem, it's that the lyrics are way off in the beginning. I can't even get past that long enough to see if they're wrong elsewhere.

  13. C.... ....

    I masturbate & cry to this

  14. V.... L....

    Great song! So tempted to analyse it and put together the meaning and story in the words. I'll try whenever I have some spare time. Regina' songs are perfect for that kind of thing!

  15. G.... D....

    Not the right lyrics

  16. K.... M....

    Oedipus The King is my school report. and it mad me proud that I'm going to share to the whole class about Regina's song!!!😍😍😍😍 waaaaahhhhhh!!!😍😍😍

  17. 2.... ....

    If she collabs with Tom Odell I'd die.

  18. T.... e....

    LONG LIVE THE COMMENT SECZtion

  19. R.... P....

    The First Motherfucker

  20. D.... G....

    Who is Rex again?

    D.... G....

    Daniel Van Carvey “Rex” means “king” in Latin.

  21. C.... S....

    Gonna be real: first time I heard this, I interpreted it as the mother having been raped by the king--she liked to keep her body clean, etc. I thought to see him made her awful sad because he reminded her of what had been done to her.

  22. A.... M....

    I think it's a scenario where the mother was forced into the marriage, thus the lines "She was not a sex machine " and "she liked to keep her body clean". That would also explain why she doesn't like her son as he is a rape baby. She also might not be his first wife. He is the thirty-second son so he is also pretty insignificant because he is so far down the line. So he remembers the story of Oedipus. Like him Oedipus was insignificant and worked his way to be king. He can still become some thing great because thirty two is still a god damn number.

  23. M.... ....

    This reminds of an MGMT song....Electric Feel, I think.

  24. A.... W....

    Always find myself coming back to this lovely song <3

  25. R.... W....

    Do you ever just wake up one morning and think, "oEDIPUS OEDIPUS OEDIPUS OEDIPUS."

    R.... W....

    It's what brings me here this morning. Have this stuck in my head after not hearing it for a long time. 😂

    R.... W....

    No but sometimes I wake up and think, "REX REX REX".

    R.... W....

    I was literally trying to sleep last night and then I thought of this comment and just started belly laughing while everyone was sleeping.

    R.... W....

    Totally.

    R.... W....

    This is the best comment ever😂😂😂

  26. N.... C....

    Isn't Oedipus the Greek guy that fucked his mother?

  27. t.... m....

    this song really grows on you

    t.... m....

    I know right! At first I basically hated it, but now it's my favorite song.

  28. v.... ....

    Let's get this video to 1 million views guys!!

    v.... ....

    let's get the video to 1 mill views guys!!

    me: yeah!! (watches vid on loop for an hour) i dont think this is helping...

  29. L.... N....

    I LOVE Regina so much! Her songs are so awesome!

  30. C.... M....

    #ReginaSpektor haunts my soul <3

  31. t.... t....



    MP3EmailPrint

    "Oedipus" lyrics

    REGINA SPEKTOR LYRICS



    Follow Regina Spektor Concerts
    near Kaohsiung



    "Oedipus"

    I'm the king's thirty second son
    Born to him in thirty second's time
    Born to him the night still young
    Born to him with two eyebrows on
    And that's all I was wearing
    When I woke up staring at the world

    My mom had been a rather crazy queen
    But not at all a sex machine
    She liked to keep her body clean, clean
    Thought the world to be quite obscene
    But she retired to her chamber
    And we remain quite strangers

    And to see me made her awful sad
    And to touch me made her awful sad
    And to see me made her awful
    And to touch me made her awful

    I'm the king's thirty second son
    And all it took was thirty second's time
    But a spoiled little prince I was not
    Had a chamber maid and a chamber pot
    And there's thirty one others just like me
    There's thirty one others I can be

    Sometimes I'd stand by the royal wall
    The sky'd be so big that it broke my soul
    And i stood on my toes to catch a glimpse
    Of my mother's eyes and my mother's skin
    And she retired to her chamber
    And we remain quite strangers

    And to see me made her awful sad
    And to touch me made her awful sad
    And to see me made her awful
    And to touch me made her awful

    And one morning I woke up
    And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
    Then one morning I woke up and I thought Rex, Rex, Rex
    Then one morning I woke up
    And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
    Thirty two's still a goddamn number
    Thirty two's still counts
    Gonna make it count
    Gonna make it count
    Gonna oh oh

    Thirty two's still a goddamn number
    Thirty two still counts
    Gonna make it count
    Gonna make it count
    Gonna oh oh

    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the

    I'm the king's thirty second son
    There's thirty one others just like me
    There's thirty one others on the way
    There's thirty one others after that

    Sometimes I stand by the royal gate
    People screaming love and hate
    And they scream
    And they scream
    And they scream
    And they scream
    Long live the king,
    Long live the queen

    And to see me made her awful sad
    And to touch me made her awful sad
    And to see me made her awful
    And to touch me made her awful

    And one morning I woke up
    And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
    Then one morning I woke up and I thought Rex, Rex, Rex
    Then one morning I woke up
    And I thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus
    Thirty two's still a goddamn number
    Thirty two's still counts
    Gonna make it count
    Gonna make it count
    Gonna oh oh

    Thirty two's still a goddamn number
    Thirty two's still a goddamn number
    Thirty two's still a goddamn number
    Thirty two's still a goddamn number

    Thirty two
    Thirty two
    Thirty two
    Thirty two
    Thirty two
    Thirty two
    Thirty two

    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king
    Long live the king

    t.... t....

    answer my com by mentionning.

  32. D.... B....

    this is bullshit

  33. D.... ....

    Regina Spektor is a mastercraft of musical writing and performance, and is sorely under-appreciated.

  34. L.... ....

    I AM OEDIPUS because I am an Ed

  35. b.... o....

    0:49
    "chambers"
    not "chamber"...
    It's hard to notice, but if you think about the next line she rhymes with, "strangers";
    it would only make sense.

    b.... o....

    Ha I noticed this and went through the exact same thought process.. she really thought them through too.. so quiet ...ssss

  36. s.... ....

    the most annoying song in the universe

    s.... ....

    the most annoying comment in the universe

    s.... ....

    +seriouslyWeird then why did you listen to it mate?

    s.... ....

    do you have a sixth sense where you can find out how the song sounds before you listen to it?

    s.... ....

    seriouslyWeird How so?

  37. L.... C....

    pure ....important.

  38. S.... ....

    Oedipus is the greatest travesty

    S.... ....

    +Sans Senpai Are you sure? Are you really sure of that Sans Senpai? Really? 100%?

    S.... ....

    Dasimei Well no, lol. It certainly is a terrible story though.

  39. N.... T....

    I love the "long live the king" parts. I could listen to just that all day.

  40. E.... ....

    Poor mother XD 32 sons wow o-o that would hurt

    E.... ....

    her vagina is ripped! ...literally, it's ripped she needs help.

    E.... ....

    Maybe they're not all from the same mother.

  41. B.... t....

    I love sarcasm in 'Long live the king'. 'Coz y'know...he killed him.

    B.... t....

    Sure, he killed his father, but Oedipus was the king in the play (Oedipus Rex = Oedipus the King)

  42. M.... M....

    qt ko❤

  43. Z.... L....

    "32 is still a god damn number" Love it!

  44. W.... J....

    The story of Oedipus, aka How I Met My Mother

    W.... J....

    kkkkkkkkk. very good

    W.... J....

    William Jennings How I met My and Your Mother lol

    W.... J....

    How I met our Mother

  45. D.... ....

    What the hell the lyrics are so wrong, that's not a spelling mistake that's just being plain deaf ... She sings so clearly in this song.

  46. R.... L....

    I keep seeing all these comments about how much people love this song (and they should, it's great) but if only they knew what it was based on or what an "Oedipus complex" really is.

    R.... L....

    +Grave Robin I'm pretty sure most people know who Oedipus is Grave

    R.... L....

    @***** Well I more meant learn it in school, but most schools aren't that consistant

  47. p.... ....

    Her song are so well built, which is why they are amazing.  What number is this character focusing on?  there are other examples through the song but the poster of this video accidentally shows you the mathematics behind the music at the 4 minute mark by "32s still a god damn number" (repeated 4 times) following that we have "32" (repeated 8 times) 4*8 oh look its our number.  Following that we have "long live the king" (4 words repeated 8 times) and once again our number of 32 shows up.
    Regina knows what she is doing and makes beautiful music because of it.

    p.... ....

    @pRandzq I also heard somewhere that "Oedipus Rex" was Sophocles's 32nd play, but idk if it's true.

    p.... ....

    Regina Spektor is a mastercraft of musical writing and performance, and is sorely under-appreciated.

    p.... ....

    I agree, she deserves a way larger audience. But she is definitely all the more appreciated by her fans (aka us). I went to see her concert in Berlin this summer, she played a mix of classics and songs from her new album Rembember Us To Life (check that one out, it's flawless). It was mind-blowing, people were giving her standing ovations for minutes and minutes after.

    Just saying, I feel that mainstream pop music is nothing like that. Regina is famous to a degree that still allows her to be connected with her audiences at a heart level. Her shows feel grandiose, yet unspeakably intimate. I don't think that sort of connection could be established in a big stadium.

    Hence, I feel quite happy that she is not known to countless millions :-)

    p.... ....

    Not to mention that the bridge has 31 words in it, leaving out one instance of the word king at the end, representing his 31 older brothers.

  48. S.... ....

    she should do a song with system of a down. just saying

    S.... ....

    @Steven Young Her covering Holy Mountains or Aerials or Chop Suey good god. Unstoppable.

    S.... ....

    YES! They both have story telling style and deep meaning!

    S.... ....

    Steven Young Yes. Too bad SOAD seems to be gone for good.

    S.... ....

    Steven Young YES YES YES, this went through my mind on so many occasions

  49. D.... s....

    Is this a story? I think I'm missing something.

  50. T.... T....

    Is this the only artist we get that actually studied music? Love this song with my whole soul.

  51. J.... R....

    nice song with lyrics i love all her other songs 2

  52. q.... ....

    Not about Oedipus himself but about someone comparing himself to Oedipus. Such a beautifully wrong song.

    q.... ....

    queenangel321 beautifully wrong, yes

  53. E.... M....

    I love this song so much! Regina Spektor is amazing!

  54. V.... ....

    Regina why you so amazing!?

  55. S.... B....

    What if this where some sort of paradox, in which the son of Oedipus and his mother ended up in a similar situation as he did, ultimately doing the same as Oedipus did, and this kept happening until Oedipus's mother was the mother and grandchildren of everyone in his line, so she was basically ageless, and this kept happening again and again until her thirty second son realized what was going on.

    S.... B....

    +Shadella B. Except that Oedipus cursed his sons and they killed each other. And they knew who their mother was.

    S.... B....

    @Caitlin Morris well yeah, I know that, but I'm speaking more in the sense of an alternate universe, or perhaps a similar circumstance in another kingdom. 

    S.... B....

    Well then they’d be really deformed from incest

    S.... B....

    @OOOOOOOOOOHNOOOOOOOO Well, you're no fun.

    S.... B....

    @Margaret Rose

    Well, it's the truth.

  56. I.... R....

    And the sky'd be so big that it broke my soul...

    I.... R....

    In Rem best lyric!

    I.... R....

    By far my favorite quote

  57. S.... O....

    I thought she said "Bow your head the 32nd time"

  58. e.... ....

    This song isn't supposed to be taken from the perspective of Oedipus, and is a bit off. My guess is that it's meant to allude to the story but not a song about the actual story.

  59. D.... M....

    Sky be so big that it broke ma soul

  60. F.... ....

    What album is this from?! I've been freaking out trying to find it! (Unless it's a non-album track...)

    F.... ....

    it's from 'songs', one of her earlier albums :)

  61. M.... ....

    I wish she would make more music like this.

    M.... ....

    @Mella instead of the music from the far-album! Got SO tired of the constant 'happy-drumming'-thing!

    M.... ....

    I agree. I like the jazzy feel of her old songs and the style of her unreleased music.

  62. I.... I....

    First time I heard the song I thought it was terrible, now I am just too addicted to it!

    I.... I....

    I know what you mean the layout of the song is kind of strange so it seems a bit messy but the more you listen it actually is kind of cool.

  63. w.... ....

    Fantastic in many regards.

  64. j.... ....

    this is so weird cause I was listening to this song on my way to school in the morning and I had English as my first period. I didn't really understand what the song was about but I really liked it. When I went in to English, we were going over a test we did and were learning about the whole greek mythology stuff. My teacher then explains the story of Oedipus and now I get it! Such a coincidence! ^^

  65. D.... ....

    What does rex mean?

    D.... ....

    Oedipus Rex is the same as Oedipus The King

    D.... ....

    @DeathScourge  I know you already got the answer but, fun fact of the day, Rex means "King" in Latin!

    D.... ....

    @13Teenspirit Tyrannosaurus Rex.. The King of the dinosaurs. :O

    D.... ....

    @DerptorRBLX  Yep! You got it :) Well, quite literally, Tyrannosaurus Rex means "Giant Lizard King"  but it's pretty much the same thing you said~

    D.... ....

    Tyrant=Leader who does not obey his countries laws, Saurus=Lizard/Dinosaur, Rex=King

  66. L.... ....

    My God this is beautiful. I think I'm in love with Regina Spektor.

    L.... ....

    We all are.

  67. S.... ....

    this this actually about king odepius because i read the theban plays in class and it seems a little off.

  68. 6.... ....

    We never learned about Oedipus in our core classes at school, but psychology is an elective and my friend who took is last year said they learned about him. The only reason I know about him is because I looked up the Oedipus complex a few months ago. I wish we could've learned about him. 

  69. J.... S....

    Somebody pointed out on SongMeanings that maybe it isn't from the perspective of Oedipus... And instead the thirty-second son made himself count by killing his father and marrying his mother to become kings. It's actually pretty scary to think of it that way, and it fits with the theme of the music. It gets really intense when he thinks of Oedipus, possibly symbolizing how his horrible upbringing drove him to madness.

    J.... S....

    So the dude fucked his mom

  70. C.... S....

    amazing. so poetic.

  71. C.... S....

    this is actually about a king named Oedipus (Greek) who saved a city from the sphinx and solved the riddle that it asked. the people of the city pleaded him to save them again from a sickness and he said yes. there was a prophecy from the Oracle. it told that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. CREEPY, RIGHT? well, he thought this wasn't true. well, he was walking on a road one day and he saw a carriage with horses and an old man. he killed the man and was married to his beautiful wife. a messenger came telling the news and he found out that he DID kill his father and DID marry his mother. he was in despair and punched his eyes out with broaches from his mother's dress. his mother hung herself after hearing the news. she was dead by now. Oedipus said that a man who is that blind when he can see, should be blind in reality, basically. the story went on in despair. Oh, and to go back, he never knew his parents b/c he was sent away to die on a hill and get pierced in the ankles b/c his parents didn't want the prophecy to come true. the messenger found him and kept him alive. he tell that to Oedipus later, therefore Oedipus finds out that he is their son. :(

    C.... S....

    It actually is? Oh, well that clears it up, I thought it was Oedipus in billing, nice guy, goes bowling on Fridays and owns a motorcycle

  72. K.... ....

    Songs called Oedipus and Pavlov's daughter? Sensing a psychology major here... lol

    K.... ....

    She was actually a music major.

    K.... ....

    @Rocio Lopez Sometimes I swear.

    K.... ....

    Sometimes you all we all swear hair

    K.... ....

    more like a single class of psych 101.

    K.... ....

    There are a lot of incest themes in her song. "a cooler version" "dog & pony" too. Sexual abuse of children is an epidemic. We joke about it "lol Freud" but parents messing with their children is very real

  73. C.... D....

    Regina <3

  74. L.... M....

    I genuinely hope you know that there is not a lot of 'history' behind "Oedipus", but then I would also like for more people to like your comment. =)

  75. D.... W....

    look him its a greek mytholgy :) well it isnt happy really xD

  76. L.... W....

    I'm not sure if that explanation makes sense cuz Oedipus' mom and wife didnt know that Oedipus was her son until the very end. And when she did find out, she immediately killed herself.

    L.... W....

    Louis Wang Yeah, but didn’t Oedipus murder his father in order to marry her?

    L.... W....

    Rosie Low he didn’t know it was his dad or that the queen was his mom, he was raised by another king and queen I think... there’s a Wikipedia article on it lol

  77. V.... E....

    I ♥ Reggy Specks!!!

  78. d.... f....

    regina spekter hung out w/ my friends 21 year old sis i was so pissed off

  79. d.... f....

    do you take history im learning about him in school

  80. S.... ....

    Look it up!

  81. s.... k....

    Then one morning and I thought OEDIPUS OEDIPUS OEDIPUS OEDIPUS then one morning I woke up and I thought REX REX REX. What and or who is Oedipus?

    s.... k....

    https://www.google.com

    s.... k....

    saire kim To put it as simply as I can, a guy who married his mother. Someone in the comments explains his story. Rex apparently means king in Latin.

  82. V.... ....

    Wasn't he just his fathers 32'd son? I thought he had more children with other women than just oedipus' mother

    V.... ....

    Vereydonn “I’m the king’s 32nd son”

  83. R.... S....

    he was his mothers 32'd son, basically yeah she had A LOT of kids, but he's still her kid.

  84. G.... W....

    Take a way more modern approach to her lyrics...Essentially, Oedipus could be seen as a family torn apart by selfish decisions or even just a distant intermediate family, like mother to daughter or son to father. Just my thought. "Thirty two is still a goddamn number" is a great line. If you come from a big family, you may feel like just a number but your soul is screaming that you are STILL a number, and deserve to be counted and seen as such.

  85. M.... F....

    Yes you are right, but I do think this song is just related to Oedipus compex and signifiations, not to the story itself, because as example, Oedupus had no brothers nor sisters and of course not thirty two. I think is quite more simbolic and is talking of something diferent that ain't Sofocles's story.

  86. b.... ....

    this is like my new absolute favorite song EVEERRRRRR

  87. M.... ....

    this is so historically incorrect but it is a good song ^~^ I don't think Sophocles would appreciate this xD

    M.... ....

    AstronomyMental the song says "One morning I woke up and I tought Oedipus" so, i think the main character is not Oedipus at all.

  88. L.... T....

    I feel like the song is sung from the point of view of one of Oedipus's kids. and like his mom couldn't stand looking at him because of the father.

  89. G.... C....

    Because Zeus can't keep anything in his pants... 0-0

  90. R.... ....

    Please don't act like you're better than her, because I honestly doubt it. Don't stereotype nor scrutinize Russian singers either, that's just rude. Not everybody has your opinion, and by that I mean nobody on this page or on the other pages that contains her fans, so why bother attacking her here?

  91. n.... ....

    Did you read my comment? I already said she didn't AIM to be pretty and pleasant because she sings about raw/visceral things, and pretty/easy don't fit that kind of subject matter. If you think 'pleasant' is the most important factor in a singer/songwriter, then I think you need to reevaluate. I think it's better to be in it for the art than for the technical and theory.
    Also, 'End of story,' ha. Like I have to stop responding to you because you don't like the backlash when you're rude.

  92. n.... ....

    What part of her voice/songs aren't good? the part where it's not all quiet, pleasant listening because she sings about raw subjects in a raw voice? believe me, she sounds how she means to sound, voice startling and spoken and strangled-sounding and all. none of it is an accident or a result of lacking talent. if you hate to be 'that person' then you could have decided not to post.

  93. A.... ....

    I love the song. Thanks for upload :) But it sounds like "my mum has been a rather crazy queen" or something like that, not "grave of queens". But it also could be a mistake from my side, not sure :) Now go and have fun with some good music!

  94. K.... B....

    Oedipus The King is probably my favorite play.

  95. A.... W....

    Its actually a book..."lol"

  96. P.... J....

    Why do I love this song so much?

  97. x.... ....

    Read it in school. Weird. His mom was his baby momma lol

  98. A.... ....

    you had me laughing for so long. :)

  99. E.... ....

    buts it a legit story though. written by Sophocles in the time of the ancient Greeks. Had to read it for school.