She'd walk through the door and she'd set up the drinks on the house
She played a good game of darts, and the men slapped her back
And never took her out
She wore a trenchcoat khaki
Her hobnail boots were full of holes
She's got medals

Her mother called her Mary, but she changed her name to Tommy, she's a one, oh
She went and joined the army, passed the medical
Don't ask me how it's done
They sent her to the front line
Fighting for her country's name
She's got medals

She got very tired of picking up girls
Cleaning her gun and shaving her curls
Then the enemy dropped a bomb
Survivors there were none

People say that when the moon is full and all the stars have gone to bed
You can see her ghost but that's a lie because the naughty woman isn't dead
She deserted on the previous morning
Replaced her uniform with dresses silk and green
Called herself Eileen
Came to London town
Now she's settled down
She's got medals

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to David Bowie's She's Got Medals tell the story of a woman who defies gender norms and societal expectations by joining the army to fight on the front line. The first verse describes her as a confident and skilled woman, who walks into a room and commands respect from the men. She seems to prefer pants and boots to more traditionally feminine clothing of the time, and she has earned medals for her service.

The second verse delves more deeply into the character's background. Born Mary, she renames herself Tommy, perhaps in an effort to distance herself from traditional femininity. She joins the army and passes the medical exam, despite being a woman. She fights for her country and earns medals, but eventually becomes disillusioned with her mission. She grows tired of the routine of army life, and deserts her post.

The final verse tells us that the character has reinvented herself again, this time as Eileen. She moves to London and trades in her uniforms for silk dresses. She has settled down and earned medals, perhaps metaphorically referring to her newfound sense of self and the courage it took to break out of societal expectations.

Overall, the song seems to be encouraging the listener to challenge gender norms and societal expectations, to be brave enough to carve out their own path, and to embrace all aspects of themselves, even if those aspects may defy convention.

Line by Line Meaning

She'd walk through the door and she'd set up the drinks on the house
She was a bartender who generously served drinks to the customers.

She played a good game of darts, and the men slapped her back
She was skilled at playing darts and received friendly slaps on her back from male customers as a sign of appreciation.

And never took her out
Despite her charm, none of the men took her out on a date.

She wore a trenchcoat khaki
She wore a military-style khaki trenchcoat.

Her hobnail boots were full of holes
Her boots were heavily worn out and had many holes in them.

She's got medals
She received medals during her time in the military.

Her mother called her Mary, but she changed her name to Tommy, she's a one, oh
Her given name was Mary but she changed it to Tommy as a sign of her gender identity.

She went and joined the army, passed the medical
She joined the army and passed the required medical examination.

Don't ask me how it's done
The details of how she was able to pass the medical examination are unknown.

They sent her to the front line
She was deployed to the military's front line to fight for her country.

Fighting for her country's name
She fought in the military to defend her country's name and reputation.

She got very tired of picking up girls Cleaning her gun and shaving her curls
She got tired of performing tasks that were expected of her in the military, such as picking up women, cleaning her gun, and shaving her hair.

Then the enemy dropped a bomb Survivors there were none
She and her fellow soldiers were killed when the enemy dropped a bomb, and there were no survivors.

People say that when the moon is full and all the stars have gone to bed You can see her ghost but that's a lie because the naughty woman isn't dead
There are rumors that her ghost appears during full moons, but this is untrue because she is still alive.

She deserted on the previous morning Replaced her uniform with dresses silk and green Called herself Eileen Came to London town Now she's settled down She's got medals
She deserted from the military one morning, put on a silk and green dress, and changed her name to Eileen. She settled down in London and still has the medals she received during her time in the military.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it