What's it all about?

Sly-

From what I know about this song, it's a reference to family structure. I think it's Man + Woman + God = Family. Think about it - in the lyrics he says:

This is how it's gonna be
If you wanna be with me
Ain't no room for disagree
1+1+1 is 3

Take your time and think it through
If this is what you wanna do
I ain't even that hard to please
'Cuz 1+1+1 is 3

He's telling his women what to expect - that he's into God and that God will be an equal part in their relationship.

My thoughts exactly...its pretty simple.

and if u wanna just dream, like prince was long ago...
it could be about 2 women, plus him:)

Maybe Prince is just bragging about his mathematical abilities???

It's also a repudiation of the concept of the Trinity, the idea that the One God is manifest in Three equally powerful Presences. The Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are THREE not one, according to Jehovah's Witness teachings (Unitarian Christians and Muslims also reject the idea of the Trinity).

i think it is a seperation of three holy dieties. the father (1) + the son (1) + the holy spirit (1)= 3. some believe that they are one and not separate. i dont know the jehovah's witness take on it. it probably believes in them being separate.

man +woman+god=comunity,relationship thats 1+1+1=3

Good song, not so good lyrics.

Thanx to those who replied. You pretty much came up with what i thought i.e ideas of the the family and the trinity.

Don't you guys feel, though, that the lyrics come across as alittle, with want of a better word, sexist?

alot of people, when faced with the truth, call it sexist or racist or what ever.....

I look at it as a pared-down version of 3x2=6.

though i got the trinity reference and the god/ man/ woman, reference, i though he was also talking about a child as in man + woman + child = 3. maybe i'm being too literal.

The song is clearly about forming a relationship between woman and man that includes God. Anyone who has attended a ONA show would realize as he talks about "the truth" in the intro to this song.

However, I hadn't thought about the trinity vantagepoint. Good analysis and possibly a 2nd level that the lyrics work on (that happens quite a bit in his songs).

Not sure how someone views this song as racist or necessarily sexist.