Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Lyrics

I was five and he was six
We rode on horses made of sticks
He wore black and I wore white
He would always win the fight

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down

Seasons came and changed the time
When I grew up, I called him mine
He would always laugh and say
"Remember when we used to play?"

Bang bang, I shot you down
Bang bang, you hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, I used to shoot you down

Music played and people sang
Just for me the church bells rang

Now he's gone. I don't know why
And till this day, sometimes I cry
He didn't even say goodbye
He didn't take the time to lie

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down
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Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

I love this song. Like most of the people who have posted comments, I was introduced to this song through Kill Bill Vol. 1. I think this song is about a girl who fell in love with her childhood friend and he left her at the altar with no explanation. That's how I see it anyway.

And as for the movie, I loved it. Especially 'Volume 1'. I think the fact that she's a white woman and that she kicked ass the samurai way is PERFECT for the movie despite what other people have posted. The fact is, it's a story about a woman, who was betrayed. As they say, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. She did everything she could, and worked hard because she wanted her revenge and was willing to do anything to do so. They were all expecting her to die (because, like the some of the people who have posted before me, they thought it was highly unlikely that SHE could really do it) that's what makes it brilliant! I mean, wow. Some of the comments before me... it's like saying, Cinderella will never get the Prince because she was playing maid to her stepsisters! I mean seriously, have movies taught you nothing? The underdog is MEANT to be someone you don't expect to do well. THAT'S why they're the underdog. Welcome to Hollywood!

Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

Okay, here's something really far out that I thought about after listening to This Monkey's Gone to Heaven ( Pixies are awesome!) My thought is that the boy in this song is not a boy at all. I think he represents the temptation of false happiness. Before you tear my head off, hear me out. The reason I think this is because the number 6 means imperfection(pretty much the number of the Devil).
In the Pixies song, the singer says this "if man is five, then the devil is six..." Back to this song. I think that the fact that its a game in the beginning is because it's explaining the innocence of the tempatation to false happiness at first sight. It's easy to think that it was true happiness that you found, but it was always wrong, hence the fact that it "Shot her down." The second verse has the main character completely entranced by this falsified happiness, even though the devil(being the boy) reminds her that she's been "shot down" by these feelings before. The next verse reads that churchbells rang only for her. While I really like the way that people interpret this as the groom leaving the main character, I think it's something different. One of the only times a church bell will ring for you and you alone is a funeral. So what I think has happened is that when the main character dies in the song, she finally realizes that she's been living with false happiness her entire life, and that in death, there's no comforting voice to "take the time to lie." And so after all this, the character is shot down pnce again.

Just something I was thinking about, so once again, DON'T KILL ME!!!

By the way, Kill Bill was an awesome movie. The dialogue was my favorite part of the movies, just like in every other movie Tarrantino touches. It's obviously not his best (that's PULP FICTION) but it is a good set of movies.

@voice.of.reason? I agree. Tho I get it's a man she's known since childhood and I don't think Bang bang is a game it's a metaphor for how he treats her and again when he dies you hear it in the lyrics. basically their whole relationship she had no answers.

Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

This is a wonderful song. To me, it is about a girl's broken heart from unrequited love. I don't think they even got as far as an alter. I think for her.. since day one.. she heard wedding bells but she was never anything to him. I love how the chorus comes in each time. Like.. she just feels shot down after each verse.. while reminiscing about how they rode on horses made of sticks (probably the only real memory they shared).. it hurts to even recall.. so she tells you bang, bang i was shot down.. and later in life when she wanted him to be her's and he would just call back on the days when they played (and that's all it was). I love it.

My Opinion

I love this interpretation. Thank you so much for posting it! :]

Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

do u really think he left her becoz of reasons like falling in love with someone else? i rather think that he died; maybe he was critically ill. the line "he didn´t take the time to lie" implies that he must gone very quickly or that she hasn´t meant anything to him (anymore).

Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

Personally I think that he left because he didn't care. When she called him hers he just laughed. He didn't care therefore he didn't even bother to lie. Great song.

Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

by the way he left her at the altar 'Music played and people sang Just for me the church bells rang '

Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

awesome song. exemplifies everything about being loved and left to me.

Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

so sad. even the simple music to accompany her singing is filled with sadness...

Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

EvolGRE, she's an assassin. She's been trained to use the samurai sword by the best there is and it even shows in the movie that she recieves training from some of the greatest martial artists, Pai Mei for example. Use your imagination a bit, not everything has to be straight foreward. Obviously you didn't watch the movie too closely and if you did, you perhaps lack the capacity to understand it properly. Kill Bill 1 and 2 has incredible cinematography and a thought provoking story line. Maybe you should watch it again with an open mind and without the expectation that it will be Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction.

Cover art for Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) lyrics by Nancy Sinatra

since when did films have to adhere to reality. the cinema would be a boring place with out bouts of comeplte and total fantasy and anyway how probable is most of the stuff you watch yeah good song