American Woman
Butthole Surfers Lyrics
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American woman
Stay away from me
American woman
Mama let me be
Dont come hare hanging around my door
I dont want to see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Now woman
Stay away
American woman
Listen what I say
American woman
Get away from me
American woman
Mama let me be
Dont come here knocking around my door
I dont want to see your shadow no more
Colored lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone elses eyes
Now woman
Get away
American woman
Listen what I say
Huh!
American woman
I said get way
American woman
Listen what I say
Dont come hanging around my door
Dont want to see your face no more
I dont need your war machines
I dont need your ghetto scenes
Colored lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone elses eyes
Now woman
Get away
American woman
Listen what I say
American woman
Get away from me
American woman
Mama let me be
I gotta go
I gotta get away
And I gotta go
I wanna fly away
Im gonna leave you, woman
Im gonna leave you, woman
Im gonna leave you, woman
Im gonna leave you, woman
Bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye
American woman
Youre no good for me
And Im no good for you
American woman
Im looking at you right in the eye
And tell you what Im gonna do
American woman
Im gonna leave you woman
You know I gotta go
Im gonna leave you woman
I gotta go
Iiiiii gotta go
I gotta go american woman yeah
The lyrics of the song American Woman by the Butthole Surfers can be interpreted in different ways, but one of the main themes seems to be a rejection of the traditional ideas of femininity and domesticity associated with American women. The song opens with the repeated line "American Woman, stay away from me, Mama let me be," which can be read as a warning to any American woman who might try to get too close to the singer. The singer then goes on to say that he doesn't want to see the woman's face or shadow again, and that he has better things to do than to spend his time growing old with her. This could be interpreted as a rejection of a conventional relationship or marriage.
The middle section of the song features the line "Colored lights can hypnotize, sparkle someone else's eyes," which could be seen as a commentary on the superficiality and consumerism of American culture. The line "I don't need your war machines, I don't need your ghetto scenes" could also be read as a rejection of the militarism and poverty that are often associated with American society.
The song ends with the repeated refrain "American Woman, get away from me, Mama let me be," and the singer asserts that he is going to leave the woman and fly away. This could be interpreted as a desire to break free from the constraints of American society and live a more free and independent life.
Line by Line Meaning
American woman
The person addressed as American woman
Stay away from me
Don't come close to me
Mama let me be
Don't try to control me; let me be free
Dont come hare hanging around my door
Don't come snooping or lingering outside my door
I dont want to see your face no more
I don't want anything to do with you anymore
I got more important things to do
I have other important things and priorities in my life
Than spend my time growin old with you
I don't see a future with you and I have better things to do than waste my time
Now woman
Addressing the American woman
Listen what I say
Pay attention to what I'm telling you
Get away from me
Leave me alone, stay away from me
Dont come here knocking around my door
Don't come knocking or bothering me at my door
I dont want to see your shadow no more
I don't want your presence or influence in my life anymore
Colored lights can hypnotize
The distraction of flashy, colorful things can be mesmerizing
Sparkle someone elses eyes
Find someone else to impress or dazzle
I dont need your war machines
I don't want to be involved with violent or destructive behavior
I dont need your ghetto scenes
I don't want to be dragged down by negative or disadvantaged environments
I gotta go
I have to leave this situation
I gotta get away
I need to escape from this situation
And I gotta go
Once again, I have to leave this situation
I wanna fly away
I want to be free and far away from this person/situation
Youre no good for me
I realize that you're not good for me and my future happiness
And Im no good for you
I realize that I'm not good for you and your future happiness
Im looking at you right in the eye
I'm confronting you directly
And tell you what Im gonna do
I'm letting you know what I intend to do
Im gonna leave you woman
I've made my decision; I'm going to leave you
Bye bye, bye bye
Saying goodbye multiple times
You know I gotta go
I have to leave
Iiiiii gotta go
I really need to leave
I gotta go american woman yeah
Once again, I really need to leave and move on from this situation
Contributed by Isabelle J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.