Mi-i-ine
Guess what's happening now?
Well
Whoa, oh
Well
Now

Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
When you want to come

Relax, don't do it
When you want to to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Ah, ah, ah
Come oh, oh, oh

But shoot it in the right direction (hey-hey-hey-yeah)
Make making it your intention (ooh-yeah, ooh-yeah)
Live those dreams
Scheme those schemes
Got to hit me (hit me)
Hit me (hit me)
Hit me with those laser beams
Ow, ow, ow, laser beam me
Ah, ah, ah

One, two

Relax
Don't do it
Relax
When you want to come
Come, ah, woo
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
I'm comin', I'm comin', hey, hey, hey, hey hey

Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it
When you want to come
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it (love)
When you want to come
When you want to come
When you want to come

Come-huh
Ow, ow
Ow, ow, ow, yeah
You see her, feel it

Relax, don't do it
When you want to go to it
Relax, don't do it (oh-oh)
Relax, don't do it
When you want to suck it, chew it
Relax, don't do it
One sound when it's time to come (hey)
Come


Lyrics submitted by democracys, edited by markward

Relax Lyrics as written by Peter Gill Mark Otoole

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Relax song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

52 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +9
    General Comment

    Of course this song is about sex! What else could it possibly be about? Sounds like it's also about delaying gratification to get the most pleasure. Apparently when it first came out the band said it was about something else but later admitted it was about sex, as if anyone would believe it could be about anything else. Great 80's song. By the way the guy with the moustache now lives a quiet life here in rural New Zealand.

    gerimerrymuffinon May 05, 2010   Link
  • +9
    General Comment

    I have recently developed an interest in Tantric Sex which is the practice of sexual acts in a Sacred context. The objective is to leave your ego behind and commune with Source very much in the way meditation allows but instead of sitting silently with your legs crossed in an empty room, you're engaged in a sexually aroused state either alone or with [an] other[s]. Expert male practitioners are able to prolong this state for many hours by NOT ejaculating. With practice orgasm - pleasurable waves of muscular contraction and ecstasy can occur without ejaculation. When I heard this song recently having developed this interest, I wondered if it might have been Frankie Goes To Holywood's Anthem to Tantric Sex because in order to prolong the sacred ecstasy you have to Relax when you want to Ejaculate [or come/cum :-)] However having looked more closely at the lyrics it seems to be more likely to be about queer male on male anal intercourse. Those inexperienced at being f@%*d can find the prostatic gland stimulation which occurs from penile anal penetration so intensely pleasurable that they just spontaneously ejaculate. Frankie is warning his inexperienced partner against this. He wants his partner to ejaculate only when he is ready and to be able to live out his sexual fantasies and create new fantasies [live those dreams/ scheme those schemes] by intentionally directing his ejaculate all over him! [hit me with those laser beams]

    But shoot it in the right direction Make making it your intention -- ooh yeah Live those dreams Scheme those schemes Got to hit me Hit me Hit me with those laser beams

    However I'm not entirely sure in this context what the expression 'when you want to suck to it' means!?

    I hope I haven't given more detail than you would have wished for. I just think that on a site about the meaning of lyrics we probably need a bit more than 'it's about sex'

    I was a gay man in the 80's -just coming out when this record was released and it was considered so explicit that the BBC banned it from being broadcast. Strange how at the time I didn't really think it was about anal intercourse. Just thought it was about straight sex but that the lyrics talking about coming/cuming were too extreme for the conservative BBC Post Reply

    GaySocrateson November 12, 2010   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    This is easy.

    It's a song about semen.

    About the importance of holding it in, and of shooting it in the right direction when you, er, "come".

    Also, it reminds us that, in order to keep your sexual partner satisfied, it's important to delay one's own pleasure in order for your partner to achieve a higher plane of pleasure.

    frijolito_tson February 20, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Yes, it is slang for ejaculation, only it's supposed to be spelled "come".

    ApollyonCrashon July 07, 2003   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Quickies are great once in a blue moon but this song (whether it is gay or heterosexual doesn't matter) is still about tantric sex. Relax don't do it, when you want to come (cum) is the secret to building a worthwhile sex life, that is a fact.

    draven66on May 16, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I'm wearing my 'Frankie Says Relax' tshirt right now. And listening to this song. Makes me giggle everytime I hear it.

    CurtneyIsASuperher0on July 05, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    the members of frankie goes to hollywood have stated that this song is 100% about buggery.

    icy40ozon March 18, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    LOL @ mira love. No, it certainly isn't the most tasteful of songs and luckily the meaning wasn't too obvious to little kiddies (like myself back then) and thus allowing it play time on the radio. I admit I never saw the clip until a few years ago when it was on RAGE one night. I guess that one wasn't rated PG back then.

    SacrificialNewton January 07, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    My roommate actually tried to convince me that this song was about a fight. I said, "It's totally about sex." She was convinced that it had to be about a guy restraining his agressive impulsive. "It could mean don't come ot the fight." Eventually, after she heard the song a few more times, she finally figured it out.

    goddesscarolineon January 16, 2006   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    People who are on here saying this song isn't about sex, please go watch the music video. There is no way this song is not about sex, and there's nothing wrong with writing a song about sex.

    More specifically, my guess is this song was about gay bathhouse sex. Since they were a gay group they probably knew a thing or two about bathhouse culture, and there are lots of guys who try not to come with the guy they're with and look for another to play with.

    You go to the bathhouse, which probably isn't near your house, then you pay $20 to get in, and now you're so excited that you want to come in like the first 5 minutes but you know that if you do you'll only have played with one guy. I don't have this issue, but I've seen guys just leave for no reason, just smile and say "thanks and goodbye," and I've learned that it's just part of the way bathhouses are.

    So that explains the chorus, now the verse:

    "But shoot it in the right direction"

    When you do come, make sure it's worth it. Like not by yourself in a little room after the guy you're with just left.

    "Make making it your intention-ooh yeah"

    Think about sex, not orgasm.

    "Live those dreams Scheme those schemes"

    If you relax, i.e. postpone ejaculation, you can have what you dream of/scheme for, instead of just a few minutes of mindless pleasure.

    "Got to hit me Hit me Hit me with those laser beams"

    Come on the narrator, probably because he'll enjoy it.

    Yeah, funny how such a song became a mainstream hit. It reminds me of The Village People's "YMCA," which we danced to in elementary school and I later found out was about public gay sex in the YMCA showers.

    alex284on July 22, 2013   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
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
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
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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,