Be Good (Lion's Song) Lyrics

Lyric discussion by Mamayoke1 

Cover art for Be Good (Lion's Song) lyrics by Gregory Porter

The song, Be Good, is a light, playful, and somewhat innocent commentary on old school values and approaches to dating.

SHE is a simply ‘taming’ the lion; keeping him at bay. SHE is taking her time to do so and reminds him to Be Good (which HE hears so often that he thinks it’s his name). SHE pulls his tail when he misbehaves and continues this dance.

SHE is interested in him so SHE flirts (dances) and shows off her femininity and uses her womanly wiles to stir interest in HIM and it works (“Do she know what she does, when she dances around my cage?) Of course she does!

SHE’s in no hurry to rush the romance so she lets the interest build while teaching him control and to ‘cage’ his natural, raw urges/instincts/tendencies; and to be more gentle and refined (“so I trim my lion’s claws and cut my mane”).

SHE understands men (well, lions) and knows that their natural instincts are to hunt, kill, and overtake (“She says lions are made for cages just to look at in delight; you dare not let them out ‘cuz they might just bite”).

So SHE’s artful and crafty and graceful. SHE uses HER nature to sweetly calm HIS so that HE doesn’t hurt HER but gives HER what she needs.

It’s a delicate dance; allowing a man to be the best version of HIMSELF to be a better man for HER.

As a WOMAN, I can take a page from HER book.

Translation
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@Mamayoke1

I was reading the other comments and really feel like maybe I wasn’t getting it but this is exactly what it feels like. Wow! Brava.

@Mamayoke1

I was reading the other comments and really feel like maybe I wasn’t getting it but this is exactly what it feels like. Wow! Brava.

.Nothing old school here.A man is infatuated by a woman who won’t acknowledge him for who he is. He simps for her, changes himself to get her interest and still she ignores him. Yet you think this is playing hard to get.

HE realizes he his who HE is and stops trying to be someone else to get her to see HIM. You saying she uses her nature to calm his so he doesn’t hurt her and give her what she needs. That’s playing games. I’m sure if a man did this to a woman - you’d scream...