Context

This line is from the song "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown from the album It's a Man's Man's Man's World (1966).

According to the Godfather of Soul, men have done a whole lot of things. They made cars. They made roads. They made trains. Electricity. Boats. But what about the ladies? Well, the world wouldn't be anything without girls, right?

What he means is that women have a way of civilizing men. Men are hard-nosed and always out working and striving, but women soften their edges and make them into better people. So the world needs women to make it a better place. Lets hear it for the girls.

Yeah, the lyrics are pretty chauvinistic. (After all, men also made all the laws that kept women from voting or working or being educated, so there's that, too.) We're not here to defend this man's world, just to explain what James Brown meant by it.

Where you've heard it

There's been a lot of talk about the end of the era of men lately, but up quite until recently, the entire world was really a man's world. You might hear people talking a "man's world" to describe any place where the patriarchy is still large and in charge.

Additional Notable References:

• Christina Aguilera did a tribute to James Brown at the 49th Grammys with this song.
• Neneh Cherry thought it might be time to make a song about a woman's world.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

If you declare it's a man's world you better be prepared to back it up with more than James Brown lyrics. Watch your step though. Some of the ladies in the room might find you more pretentious than when you started. Quote with caution.