Ordinary People | John Legend

What is the meaning and main idea of John Legend's Ordinary People song? What is the message the song tries to convey? Continue reading this article to find the answers. And for your reference, below is the complete lyric of the song.

Ordinary People - John Legend

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Girl, I'm in love with you
But this ain't the honeymoon
We've passed the infatuation phase
We're right in the thick of love
At times we get sick of love
It seems like we argue every day

I know I misbehaved
And you made your mistakes
And we've both still got room left to grow
And though love sometimes hurts
I still put you first
And we'll make this thing work
But I think we should take it slow

CHORUS
We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cause we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow
Take it slow, oh oh, this time we'll take it slow
Take it slow, oh oh, this time we'll take it slow

This ain't a movie, no
No fairytale conclusion y'all
It gets more confusing every day
Sometimes it's Heaven sent
Then we head back to Hell again
We kiss, then we make up on the way

I hang up, you call
We rise and we fall
And we feel like just walking away
As our love advances
We take second chances
Though it's not a fantasy
I still want you to stay

CHORUS

Maybe we'll live and learn
Maybe we'll crash and burn
Maybe you'll stay
Maybe you''ll leave
Maybe you'll return
Maybe another fight
Maybe we won't survive
Maybe we'll grow
We'll never know
Baby, you and I

CHORUS (2x)

Meaning, Main Idea, and Message of The Song

Based on the lyric of the song above, it can be concluded that the song is about a man's story of his life after marriage. However, considering the title of the song, I believe the story told by the singer in this song also happens to other people's marriage life, including ours. Well, we all are ordinary people, aren't we?

According to the lyric, there are several things coloring the romantic relationship after marriage:

Argument 
This one thing is seemingly inevitable in our marriage. There is no perfect couples in this world who never argue. Things which, before marriage, are thought unimportant will likely cause serious quarrel after the couples get married. Uniquely, according to the song, such circumstance is because they have 'passed the infatuation phase.' It's not because the love between them is gone. Instead, it's because their love has grown bigger. And they are now 'right in the thick of love' which likely cause sickness of love. So, the argument takes place 'at times they get sick of love.'

Selfishness 
After just getting married, the couple usually behave extraordinarily different. They become someone else. The spouse is their first priority. The 'self' seems to disappear. However, with the increasing age of the marriage, everything will return as before the marriage. The most important thing is the self. With this in mind, the couple will likely 'misbehave' and 'make mistakes'. Such attitudes make 'love sometimes hurts'. The situation can be 'more confusing every day'. The quarrel and affection may come and go alternatively. It's just like 'Sometimes it's Heaven sent. Then we head back to Hell again.

All the things above can lead the marriage and love to advance or to end, to go bigger or to fail apart. But, as long as the couple remember the reason they fall in love with each other, everything is gonna be alright. And as the song says, one way to deal with the situation is for us to 'take it slow'.

Well, that's my interpretation of John Legend's Ordinary People song. If you have something to say, don't hesitate to leave comments.