Take Him

Song Meaning

Linda is practically giving away a man, describing him with a series of unflattering comparisons. She calls his head "lumber" and his heart "like ice," even suggesting he's a bargain at half price. The imagery of an "old jalopy" needing constant repair paints a picture of a man who is a burden, someone to be managed rather than cherished. Linda’s offer is laced with a weary resignation, a clear signal that she’s done with this relationship. Vera’s response is a sharp rejection, comparing the man to a "rat" she’d rather keep than him. She dismisses the idea of reforming him, stating "a lizard cannot change his scales." Her own assessment of the man is equally bleak, highlighting his snoring, his inability to think consecutively, and a past injury from reaching for a check. Vera sees him as a project with little reward, a sentiment echoed in her parting advice: "you'll need aspirin, too." The most striking aspect is the shared, albeit grudging, agreement to be rid of him. While Linda offers him up with a cynical shrug, Vera refuses the "gift" with disdain. The final lines, "All I can say is the hell with him / He gets the gate," reveal a unified desire to cast him out, turning a supposed romantic entanglement into a mutual dismissal. The repeated phrase "Take him" shifts from Linda's desperate unloading to Vera's outright refusal, culminating in a shared, almost triumphant, "Take him away."