What a Good Boy
Barenaked Ladies Lyrics

When I was born
I was just an innocent baby when I came into this world.

They looked at me and said
People had high expectations of me from the moment I was born.

What a good boy
They thought I was well-behaved and obedient.

What a smart boy
They believed I was intelligent and had potential for success.

What a strong boy
They saw me as physically robust and capable of overcoming challenges.

And when you were born
You were a new life just like me.

They looked at you and said
People were also impressed with you when you were born.

What a good girl
They thought you were well-behaved and obedient too.

What a smart girl
They believed you were intelligent and had potential for success just like me.

What a pretty girl
They saw you as beautiful and charming.

We've got these chains
We feel trapped and limited by society's expectations and norms.

Hanging 'round our necks
These expectations weigh heavily on us like a heavy chain around our necks.

People want to strangle us with them
Others use these expectations to control and stifle us, leaving us suffocated.

Before we take our first breath
These expectations start before we even have a chance to experience the world.

Afraid of change
We fear the unknown and the potential consequences of taking risks and changing our lives.

Afraid of staying the same
We also fear stagnation and not living up to our full potential.

When temptation calls
We struggle to resist temptation and are tempted by things that may not ultimately serve us.

This name is the hair shirt I wear
Our names become part of our identity, and sometimes they are a burden we have to bear.

And this hair shirt is woven from your brown hair
The person singing the song is referring to a lost love who is still tangled up in their life.

This song is the cross that I bear
Writing this song is a burden and a way to express the pain of lost love.

Bear with me
The singer is asking for patience and understanding as they work through their emotions.

Be with me tonight
The singer is longing for companionship, even though they know it may not be right.

I go to school
The singer is attending school, trying to learn and build their future.

I write exams
The artist has to take exams to prove their knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.

If I pass if I fail if I drop out
The singer is anxious about their performance and what it might mean for their future.

Does anyone give a damn?
The singer feels alone and unheard amidst their struggles for success.

And if they do
If anyone cares about my failure or success,

They'll soon forget
their attention is fleeting and not entirely meaningful to me.

'Cause it won't take much for me
I can quickly move on with my life and carry on towards my goals even if I fail.

To show my life ain't over yet
Failing an exam or dropping out of college doesn't mean that life's over. The singer will keep going and move forward.

I wake up scared
The singer is filled with fear about their future, along with anxiety and uncertainty.

I wake up strange
The artist also wakes up feeling out of place and disconnected from their environment.

I wake up wondering if anything in my life
The artist is trying to figure out whether their life is on the right track.

Is ever gonna change
The artist is worried that their self-doubt and struggles will never pass.

And everything around me stays the same
Despite my fear and uncertainty, my circumstances in life do not change.

I couldn't tell you
I was incapable of admitting that you were right.

I was wrong
The singer is acknowledging the guilt that they feel about their past actions.

Chickened out grabbed a pen and a paper
The singer had to write a song because they were too scared to confront their fears and speak their true thoughts.

Sat down and I wrote this song
The singer used their songwriting as a way to process their emotions and work through their pain in a productive way.

So instead I looked in the mirror
The artist couldn't admit their guilt or wrongness and instead chose to deflect onto themselves by looking in the mirror.

Watched TV, laid awake all night
The artist didn't take any meaningful action and just avoided facing their issues, which kept them up at night and messed with their sleep schedule.

And when I was born
The singer repeats the opening cycle of the song.

They looked at me and said
People continue to have high expectations of us throughout our lives.

What a good boy
Even as we grow up, people still expect us to be well-behaved and obedient.

What a smart boy
As adults, people expect us to be intelligent and successful.

What a strong boy
As adults, people also expect us to be physically and mentally resilient.

And when you were born
The singer repeats this cycle but refers to someone of the opposite gender.

What a good girl
Girls are still expected to be well-behaved and obedient throughout their life.

What a smart girl
Girls are expected to be just as intelligent and successful as boys.

What a pretty girl, yeah, yeah
Girls are also still expected to be physically attractive and charming.