Are you gonna take me home tonight?
Oh, down beside that red firelight
Are you gonna let it all hang out?
Fat bottomed girls
You make the rockin' world go 'round

Hey, I was just a skinny lad
Never knew no good from bad
But I knew life before I left my nursery, huh
Left alone with big fat Fanny
She was such a naughty nanny
Hey, big woman
You made a bad boy out of me
Hey, hey

I've been singing with my band
Cross the water, across the land
I've seen every blue eyed floozy on the way, hey
But their beauty and their style
Went kind of smooth after a while
Take me to them dirty ladies every time
Come on

Oh, won't you take me home tonight?
Oh, down beside your red firelight
Oh, and you give it all you got
Fat bottomed girls
You make the rockin' world go 'round
Fat bottomed girls
You make the rockin' world go 'round

Hey, listen here
Now, I got mortgages on homes
I got stiffness in my bones
Ain't no beauty queens in this locality, I tell you
Oh, but I still get my pleasure
Still got my greatest treasure
Hey, big woman, you gonna make a big man of me
Now get this

(Oh, I know) Are you gonna take me home tonight? (Please)
Oh, down beside that red firelight
Are you gonna let it all hang out?
Fat bottomed girls
You make the rockin' world go 'round (yeah)
Fat bottomed girls
You make the rockin' world go 'round

Get on your bikes and ride
Ooh, yeah
Oh yeah
Them fat bottomed girls
(Fat bottomed girls)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Alright, ride 'em cowboy
Fat bottomed girls
Yes, yes


Lyrics submitted by Novartza, edited by vickiblue, james10841, LHGL

Fat Bottomed Girls Lyrics as written by Brian Harold May

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Fat Bottomed Girls song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

133 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +10
    My Interpretation

    This song is well-written, but also disturbing. It's about a person raped as a child who finds his sexuality screwed up as a result, trying to rationalize what was done to him as harmless or even somehow positive, focusing on it to the point that he rejects attractive women to zero in on women who resemble his rapist so he can re-enact the trauma. If only the writer had gotten therapy rather than rationalizing his problem and embracing his sickness as though it were his only healthy aspect.

    BeautyUntamedon October 10, 2012   Link
  • +8
    Song Meaning

    This song is about Freddie being gay, and AIDS.

    just kidding.

    this seems to be the only Queen song that didn't have that speculation, I had to do it.

    TheNanoon March 01, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    First time I read the lyrics to this song! Sometimes you never know "who" a song was written about, whether it was personal, or from a 3rd perspective.

    "But I knew life before I left my nursery Left alone with big fat Fanny She was such a naughty nanny Heap big woman, you made a bad boy out of me"

    This boy was was abused by his nanny, Fanny.

    "Oh, you gonna take me home tonight (please)" He likes aggressive type of ladies. Child hood experiences effect your adult impulses.

    "Oh, down beside your red firelight" A light he remembers from where he was taken as a child, A fancy red lamp, furnace or fireplace?

    "Take me to them dirty ladies every time" ladies, not girls here? Again from childhood experiences.

    "Now your mortgages and homes" Tough one... Who knows what this means? A message to the rich maybe? Or to his folks? maybe his folks hired the nanny to care for him because they were to busy, thus he was neglected by them.

    "I've got stiffness in your bones" ?? Dark stuff. He is saying Screw you? or he is related in some way? Or maybe, New English rock n Roll money meets Old English Monarchy money.
    This is definitely rage... coming out in Rock and Roll.

    "Ain't no beauty queens in this locality" The hired help above? Or he came from the poor side of town?

    "Get on your bikes and ride" His nanny rode a bike!?

    atseabeachon March 03, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    So, it's basically "Baby Got Back" long before Sir Mix-a-Lot came around with it.

    Kopachrison May 31, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I got turned onto this song as a 12-or-so-year-old kid, and was always moved by it. As an adult, I discovered that the first verse actually refers to sexual abuse by the "Fanny the Nanny."

    The song was actually written by Brian May, not Freddie Mercury, which begs the question about whether he is self-disclosing actual events from his history. I agree with the post below that since he had a warped experience as a child, he is left with compulsive sexual weirdness as an adult.

    The rocked-out mood of the song seems to be one of striving for empowerment, yet he acknowledges that he still is involved in the the residuals of his history.

    I always thought the final lyric was "heap big woman you DONE made a big mad outta me." But the lyrics posted above says "you GONNA make a big man outta me."

    Quite a big difference from an interpretation standpoint.

    IDanielsenon June 26, 2014   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    IT'S ABOUT HOOKERS

    smitty1353on April 20, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Love it when the bass comes in. Sounds nice and fat! Excuse me if I'm wrong in my years, this could be the inspiration for the Spinal Tap song "Big Bottom."

    I'm not a fan of fat bottoms, I'm more of a skinny-ass liking person. But still a super song.

    AeroLed286on April 02, 2003   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    Brian said it was written around the same time as Bicycle Race which was inspired by the Tour Du France going by where they were recording. Freddie was very "interested" in the thick bottoms in tight bike shorts going by and Freddie tended to be attracted to "thick" people so Brian wrote this tongue in cheek for him. Brian was not well off as a child and did not have a nanny. He also indicated he was really shy and uncomfortable around girls as a teen and really did not date (or lose his virginity) until college so I don't think this is some deep childhood abuse trauma in his past. Any sexual issues Brian might have had as an adult sounded like it more to do with being sheltered and naive as a kid over some sort of abuse. It's a fun, silly song, with an awesome riff.

    GeoWhovianon August 30, 2019   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    brian may wrote this song

    queen fan no1on June 23, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song is very good butit is about hookers

    electric punkon January 25, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.