Little Baby Nothing

Manic Street Preachers

No one likes looking at you
Your lack of ego offends male mentality
They need your innocence
To steal vacant love and to destroy
Your beauty and virginity used like toys

My mind is dead, everybody loves me
Wants a slice of me
Hopelessly passive and compatible
Need to belong, oh the roads are scarey
So hold me in your arms
I want to be your only possession

Used, used, used by men

All they leave behind is money
Paper made out of broken twisted trees
Your pretty face offends
Because it's something real that I can't touch
Eyes, skin, bone, contour, language as a flower

No god reached me, faded films and loving books
Black and white TV
All the world does not exist for me
And if I'm starving, you can feed me lollipops
Your diet will crush me
My life just an old man's memory

Little baby nothing
Loveless slavery, lips kissing empty
Dress your life in loathing
Breaking your mind with Barbie Doll futility

Little baby nothing
Sexually free, made-up to breakup
Assassinated beauty
Moths broken up, quenched at last
The vermin allowed a thought to pass them by

You are pure, you are snow
We are the useless sluts that they mould
Rock 'n' roll is our epiphany
Culture, alienation, boredom and despair

You are pure, you are snow
We are the useless sluts that they mould
Rock 'n' roll is our epiphany
Culture, alienation, boredom and despair


Lyrics submitted by ShiverForMe

Little Baby Nothing Lyrics as written by Nicholas Jones James Bradfield

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Little Baby Nothing song meanings
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18 Comments

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  • +3
    General CommentThis song is not only a biopic of how women are treated but also a metaphor of how men with feminine traits are viewed. This especially applies to Richey and Nicky with all the dress that they wore etc. The fact that Richey was anorexic in itself is a feminine trait. Self abuse is considered feminine, and abuse of others out of pity for yourself is considered masculine.
    The line "you are pure, you are snow" is especially intersting. Richey always seemed to view snow as perfection or purity (see 4st 7lb "I want to walk in the snow and not soil its purity") but in this case, it refers to the masculine side. So he's saying that society views this as perfection for a male and the rest are condemned to a life of being "useless sluts" despite the fact that he holds this in much higher esteem.
    By the way, "culture, alienation, boredom and despair" according to Richey was the central theme for every Manics song, their actions and their reasons for creating art. It was the original working title for Generation Terrorists but the record company said it was too depressing and not PC, preferring Generation Terrorists. And lets be perfectly honest, that's not really PC either!!!
    Little_Baby_Nothingon August 12, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General CommentParts of this song remind me of the relationship between Dolores & Humbert in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (which was also one of Richey's favourite novels).
    RDDDDon December 23, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General CommentDamn, this has gotta be my favorite song of generation terrorist.
    That last part always gets me, it's just such a good melody.

    And of course the lyrics have richey written all over them.
    I love how he can get away with being so blunt. He was one of those guys that just had the credibility that so many lack.
    Mortonium Iceon November 16, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI believe that the song was originally intended as a duet with Kylie Minogue but, for obvious reasons, she did not wish to be involved and Traci Lords was drafted in.

    Following Kylie's split from her writing and producing team and before she reinvented herself as a dance musician, she recorded an album which featured songs written and produced by Bradfield and Wire.
    Sinbadon November 10, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General CommentIn answer to a couple of the above criticisms, this song isn't exactly about abusive males or groupies...It's specifically aimed at the sex industry - it's anti-porn and anti-prostitution. The 'used by men' line, I think, is meant to be wholly literal.
    sonnyjdon June 03, 2010   Link
  • +1
    Song MeaningIt is an ode to how women, in a world sometimes hostile to them and treating them as objects, stand strong and how in fact they are the strong gender, using their beauty and male fascination with it when they can. The band wanted Kylie Minogue to sing the choruses but she was not affordable at that time, so Tracy Lords did the job. Think that was a good choice, definitely an example of a woman who stayed strong in a world/scene dominated by men and treating women as objects of desire.

    Note the socialist/communist note too in the line "all they leave behind is money: paper made out of broken twisted trees", devaluating the value of money.
    Cracked Pleasureson August 15, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Commenttheir lyrics and traci lords's voice sums up (for me anyway) the sex industry
    ladyboygrrlon August 11, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General CommentDefinitely a classic song.
    Hand of Maedhroson September 18, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Commentyeah a very good classic indeed, sung very well aswell,
    asdfgon July 25, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General CommentThis is one of my faveourite songs. I hate it that some guys think that treating you like a peice of meat and taking advantage of someone when they're vunrable is acceptable.Just the chorus,"used,used,used by men" it's like true in so many casses, and i can really relate to it, as can so many others, which is why you have to love richey for not only his amazing looks but his talent for putting even the darker things in life into such beautiful and clever words!
    XxSlitWristBarbiexXon August 16, 2006   Link

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