Blur – Girls and Boys

"Girls and Boys" as written by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Steven Alexander James and David Rowntree....
Street's like a jungle
So call the police
Following the herd
Down to Greece
On holiday
Love in the nineties
Is paranoid
On sunny beaches
Take your chances
Looking for

Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love

Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love

Avoiding all work
Because there's none available
Like battery thinkers
Count your thoughts
On one-two-three-four-five fingers
Nothing is wasted
Only reproduced
You get nasty blisters
Du bist sehr schan
But we haven't been introduced

Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love

Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love

Looking for girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love

Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love

Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love

Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love


Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by Mellow_Harsher, tpfang56

"Girls and Boys" as written by David Rowntree Alexander James

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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Girls and Boys song meanings
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69 Comments

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  • +12
    General CommentThe song is satire on the club and party culture of the 90s, the people who go out, get drunk, and sleep with a random stranger. I also take the "always should be some you really love" line to be the one genuine lyric, they don't care if you are gay or straight as long as you are in love. It's pretty much all there with the mentions of quick thinking, snap judgement, STDs, how little these people know each other. I think that's also why it has such a dancy tune.
    Trunks378on January 02, 2007   Link
  • +5
    General CommentI think its about how it doesn't matter whether your gay, straight, lesbian whatever, its about freedom of sexual preference.
    RadicalMetaphoron March 09, 2005   Link
  • +4
    General Commentbtw people...du bist sehr schon means you are very pretty/beautiful
    blow up blondieon November 10, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment"love in the 90s" is the key line here. i think what he's saying is that in England (and all countries have their versions) there are people who stereotypicaly go on holiday to greece, avoid all work by claiming they cant get any, dont have many thoughts of their own- the pause between saying 4 and 5 here is significant.
    basicaly these kinds of people are very narrow minded and follow the herd, they could never accept gay or transexuals etc and react badly. the style of the song is quite ironic, its very clubland, kareoke styled which is the reason i used to hate this song but then i learned the bass line which is really fun to play and i listened to the lyrics.
    most of the song is his discription of the kinds of people he's talking about and their attitudes but occassionaly slips in his own oppinions "always should be someone you really love"
    joeytheboyon April 21, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General CommentThis song is probably one of the best dance songs on the planet. I want to go to a club in Europe and just dance to this song like there is no tomorrow. I tried requesting this at our Prom, but they played Song 2 instead which I guess they played just to shut me up.
    genxdude91on April 26, 2008   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • +2
    General Commentits about what the chorus says its about "Girls who are boys who like boys to be girls...etc" its about free love and sexual freedom. Androgyny became trendy in the 90s. I think Greece is pretty big for gay bars. There certainly a lot around to where I went there.

    altho I also think joey the boy has a point. but u also have to take into consideration most of the 90s thatcer was in power and unemployment was at a high there really was a shortage of jobs.

    I wouldn't be as cynical I'd just say its about being young and experimenting. Going out on the pull. but there is obviously a slant on unaccepting characters in the verses. With taunts of "so call the police" and allusions to ignorance and stupidity.
    Perfect Wh()reon October 10, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI think this song is actually about the confusion and difficulty involved in sexuality. The key line is "Love in the 90s is paranoid". It's like these days we're aware of all these different forms of sexuality, and that we have to accept them, be comfortable with them, even happy about them. Paranoid about making a mistake, putting a foot wrong. In the end you just have to "take your chances".
    ReActoron June 11, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI'd just like to ask why there are more posts on this page than the Girls & Boys page? Yes girls and boys, the song is Girls & Boys, not Boys & Girls. tut tut
    StickDogon October 16, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General CommentDamon has said that this is a humorous song about fascination and disgust with the "holiday culture", of everyone gathering to get drunk and copulate.

    blow_up_blondie, thanks for clearing that up, i thought that's what it meant to but i didn't want to say, not being a german-speaker!

    ps. blur are such a gay-positive band, i love them!! damon/graham/alex all have so many quotes about kissing each other, it's awesome lol.
    pollyethyleneon June 16, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General CommentThe song is a satire of working class holidaymakers in Ibiza/Greece.

    All they want to do is get drunk and have sex, they don't want to work as they say there's "none avaliable".
    Halfbiteon February 02, 2006   Link

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