"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise.
The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression. The phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages resistance to authority, and essentially means "fight back" or "resist", either passively, openly or via sabotage.
As a phrase meaning "the boss" it dates from at least 1918.
In the Southern U.S. states, the phrase came to be applied to any man or any group in a position of authority, or to authority in the abstract. From about the 1950s the phrase was also an underworld code word for police, the warden of a prison or other law enforcement or penal authorities.
The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their battles against authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in U.S. News and World Report, had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine Easyriders which featured the tagline, "California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man."
The Man! is the second solo album by Leroy Hutson. The photography was by Joel Brodsky.
The Man is a slang phrase, used to refer to a generalized idea of authority.
The Man may also refer to:
The Man is a 1964 novel by Irving Wallace that speculatively explores the socio-political consequences in U.S. society when a Black man becomes President of the United States. The novel's title derives from the contemporary — fifties, sixties, seventies — American slang English, "The Man".
The Man was written before the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. It depicts a political situation in which the office of Vice Presidency is vacant due to the incumbent's death. While overseas in Germany, the President and the Speaker of the House are in a freak accident; the President is killed, the Speaker of the House later dies in surgery. The Presidency then devolves onto Douglass Dilman, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, a black man earlier elected to that office in deference to his race. Dilman's presidency is challenged by white racists, black political activists, and an attempted assassination. Later, he is impeached on false charges for firing the United States Secretary of State. One of his children, who is "passing" for white, is targeted and harassed. At the end of the book the protagonist - though having credibly dealt with considerable problems during his Presidency and gained some popularity - does not consider running for re-election.
The Man is the self-produced eighth album by soul singer Barry White, released in 1978 on the 20th Century-Fox Records label, which saw its name changed from 20th Century.
The album became White's sixth R&B chart topper and peaked at #36 on the pop chart. Lead single "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" reached #2 on the R&B chart and #60 on the Billboard Hot 100, while White's cover of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" reached #45 on the R&B chart and peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart. A third single, "Sha La La Means I Love You", peaked at #55 on the UK Singles Chart. A cover version of "It's Only Love Doing Its Thing" (with the shortened title "It's Only Love") would be a hit for British band Simply Red in 1989. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD on September 24, 1996 by Mercury Records.
The Man is the fifth album by alternative rock band Sponge. Vocalist Vinnie Dombroski is the only original band member left on this recording. Former Sponge producer Tim Patalan's brother Andy assumed guitar duties for this album.
All songs written by Vinnie Dombroski except where noted.
Mary Kay, she's got it bad
Thinks no one understands
You can't keep a good man down
You can't stop when loves around
You can't close your lonely eyes
Though he's way too young to drive
But he's old enough to please you
Love-me-nots and daisies, Mary Kay
Spin the bottle crazy, Mary Kay
Little John Doe's got it bad
When he first walked in her class
He never had a crush like this
Except for Susie's mother
She wasn't like the other girls
In their stuck up silly world
He's never seen someone so beautiful
Second base and better, Mary Kay
In her soft blue sweater, Mary Kay, Mary Kay
Under the bleachers, deeper and deeper
Oh teacher
Mary Kay was on the run
With the father of her son
She didn't know she was a star
As she was steaming up the car
Now in your orange jail jumpsuit
I wish the best for you
You were in my heart and living room
Seven years and counting, Mary Kay
And all the inmates wanting Mary Kay
Second base and better, Mary Kay
Where's the soft blue sweater, Mary Kay
Love-me-nots and daisies, Mary Kay
Spin the bottle crazy, Mary Kay