This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
"Your challengers are a young group from Houston
Welcome, Beyoncé, Lativia, Nina, Nicky, Kelly and Ashley
The hip hop rappin' Girls' TYME"
I'm out that H, town coming coming down
I'm coming down, drippin' candy on the ground
H, Town, Town, I'm coming down, coming down
Drippin' candy on the ground
I know when you were little girls
You dreamt of being in my world
Don't forget it, don't forget it
Respect that, bow down, bitches
I took some time to live my life
But don't think I'm just his little wife
Don't get it twisted, get it twisted
This my shit, bow down, bitches
Bow down, bitches, bow bow down, bitches (crown)
Bow down, bitches, bow bow down, bitches (crown)
H Town, vicious
H, H Town, vicious
I'm so crown crown, bow down, bitches
I'm about that H, town, coming coming down
I'm coming down, drippin' candy on the ground
H, Town, Town, I'm coming down, coming down
Drippin' candy on the ground
We teach girls to shrink themselves
To make themselves smaller
We say to girls
"You can have ambition
But not too much
You should aim to be successful
But not too successful
Otherwise you will threaten the man"
Because I am female
I am expected to aspire to marriage
I am expected to make my life choices
Always keeping in mind that
Marriage is the most important
Now marriage can be a source of
Joy and love and mutual support
But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage
And we don't teach boys the same?
We raise girls to see each other as competitors
Not for jobs or for accomplishments
Which I think can be a good thing
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings
In the way that boys are
Feminist: the person who believes in the social
Political, and economic equality of the sexes
You wake up, flawless
Post up, flawless
Ridin' round in it, flawless
Flossin on that, flawless
This diamond, flawless
My diamond, flawless
This rock, flawless
My rock, flawless
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn
Mama taught me good home training
My Daddy taught me how to love my haters
My sister told me I should speak my mind
My man made me feel so God damn fine
You wake up, flawless
Post up, flawless
Ridin' round in it, flawless
Flossin on that, flawless
This diamond, flawless
My diamond, flawless
This rock, flawless
My Roc, flawless
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn, God damn
The judges give champion Skeleton Crew four stars!
A perfect score, the challenger, Girls' TYME, receives three stars!
Skeleton Crew, champions once again
Congratulations, we'll see you next week
Welcome, Beyoncé, Lativia, Nina, Nicky, Kelly and Ashley
The hip hop rappin' Girls' TYME"
I'm out that H, town coming coming down
I'm coming down, drippin' candy on the ground
H, Town, Town, I'm coming down, coming down
Drippin' candy on the ground
I know when you were little girls
You dreamt of being in my world
Don't forget it, don't forget it
Respect that, bow down, bitches
I took some time to live my life
But don't think I'm just his little wife
Don't get it twisted, get it twisted
This my shit, bow down, bitches
Bow down, bitches, bow bow down, bitches (crown)
Bow down, bitches, bow bow down, bitches (crown)
H Town, vicious
H, H Town, vicious
I'm so crown crown, bow down, bitches
I'm about that H, town, coming coming down
I'm coming down, drippin' candy on the ground
H, Town, Town, I'm coming down, coming down
Drippin' candy on the ground
We teach girls to shrink themselves
To make themselves smaller
We say to girls
"You can have ambition
But not too much
You should aim to be successful
But not too successful
Otherwise you will threaten the man"
Because I am female
I am expected to aspire to marriage
I am expected to make my life choices
Always keeping in mind that
Marriage is the most important
Now marriage can be a source of
Joy and love and mutual support
But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage
And we don't teach boys the same?
We raise girls to see each other as competitors
Not for jobs or for accomplishments
Which I think can be a good thing
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings
In the way that boys are
Feminist: the person who believes in the social
Political, and economic equality of the sexes
You wake up, flawless
Post up, flawless
Ridin' round in it, flawless
Flossin on that, flawless
This diamond, flawless
My diamond, flawless
This rock, flawless
My rock, flawless
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn
Mama taught me good home training
My Daddy taught me how to love my haters
My sister told me I should speak my mind
My man made me feel so God damn fine
You wake up, flawless
Post up, flawless
Ridin' round in it, flawless
Flossin on that, flawless
This diamond, flawless
My diamond, flawless
This rock, flawless
My Roc, flawless
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell 'em
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn
Say I, look so good tonight
God damn, God damn, God damn
The judges give champion Skeleton Crew four stars!
A perfect score, the challenger, Girls' TYME, receives three stars!
Skeleton Crew, champions once again
Congratulations, we'll see you next week
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More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
In this song, it’s fairly obvious that she’s referring to female critics: “when you were little girls, you dreamt of being in my world.” When she says “in my world,” she could be referring to the music industry or her world of hyper-luxury: private jets, fancy restaurants, traveling the world, yachts, designer clothes, and all the other “perks” that go along with be a world-famous entertainer. But what she shows with the intro footage of GIRLS’ TYME in which she was performing at age 9, she’s worked incredibly hard to get where she is today. And as one of the most successful female artists in the world, she has earned her place as an icon. So she’s saying “bow down” to women in and outside of the industry who disrespect that legacy of hard work and her current place. Being married and having a baby has opened her up to criticism and she’s speaking directly to her critics in this song when she says she’s not “just his little wife,” she’s still a force to be reckoned with.
She uses a sample of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk to further dispel her critics by attacking patriarchy and sexism.
• For those who claim she’s “too” successful, or that she emasculates her husband: We say to girls / "You can have ambition / But not too much / You should aim to be successful / But not too successful / Otherwise you will threaten the man." • For those who claim that marriage was her ultimate goal and now that she’s married, it’s time for her to put her career on hold: “Because I am female / I am expected to aspire to marriage / I am expected to make my life choices / Always keeping in mind that / Marriage is the most important.” • For those who claim that she is slutty and too hyper-sexualized: “We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings / In the way that boys are” • For those who claim that she is not feminist: “Feminist - the person who believes in the social Political, and economic equality of the sexes.” • For those women in the industry who see her as a threat, not as a peer or source of inspiration and constantly affirm that they are better looking or better dancing or better singing: “We raise girls to each other as competitors / Not for jobs or for accomplishments / But for the attention of men.”
The flawless mantra is basically saying Eff patriarchy, eff these haters, we are flawless. “I woke up like this” means we are flawless exactly the way we are, and that our detractors are the ones with the issues (see above section on patriarchy and sexism). She ends the song with the conclusion of the Star Search, in which she loses to illustrate that there are times when you will lose. There are times when you will not be the best. But you are still flawless, which is why the song is ***Flawless (the three stars representing the 3 stars GIRLS TYME received).
woow, no more to say, you explained it all. Bow down! haha