Letissier has used numerous personal and stage names, and remarked that he "just ha many names for all the layers". He began his career as Christine and the Queens. For his second studio album, he shortened it to Chris, which was accompanied by a shift to a persona described as "a woman playing with masculine tropes". In October 2021, he was using the name Rahim. This sparked a debate around cultural appropriation due to the name's Arabic origin. He eventually began using a succession of different names such as Sam le pompier (the French title of Fireman Sam) and a full stop before settling on Redcar, sometimes shortened as Red. In August 2022, he updated his pronouns to he/him across social media platforms. In 2023, with the release of fourth album Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, he seemed to have reverted to simply Chris. However, he still occasionally uses his birth name, about which he said: "Héloïse Letissier is my parents' provenance and I love my parents. I sometimes use Héloïse to reconnect me to my childhood, but my inner child name is Manamané."
iT
Christine and the Queens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I become the death Dickinson feared
With it
I'm the red admiral on his ship
And I raise
With infans for my coronation
I've ruled over my all my dead impersonations
I'm a man now
I've got it
I'm a man now
And I won't let you steal it
I bought it for myself
I'm a man now
I hit
The Bird-dogs who are pulling my hair
Because
Their teeth should ravage a golden beard
I've lost
Some eyeless friends whose blood runs cold
My new people
On silent heels pretends to be old
'Cause I won
I'm a man now
'Cause I've got it
I'm a man now
And I won't let you steal iT
I bought it for myself
I'm a man now
Oh lord
She wants to be a man, a man
But she lies
She wants to be born again, again
But she'll lose
She draws her own crotch by herself
But she'll lose, because it's a fake
It's a fake, it's a fake, it's a fake
No! I've got it
I'm a man now
Yes I've got it
I'm a man now
And there's nothing you can do to make me change my mind
I'm a man now
She's a man now
She's a man now
And there's nothing we can do to make her change her mind
She's a man now
She's a man now
She's a man now
And there's nothing we can do to make her change her mind
She's a man now
She's a man now
Oh, she's a man now
And there's nothing we can do to make her change her mind
She's a man now
In Christine and the Queens's song It, the lyrics talk about the singer's desire to transform into a man. The song talks about how, with this newfound identity, they feel empowered and powerful. They believe that they have conquered the fears of the poet Emily Dickinson, who was afraid of death, and are now in control of their impersonations of the dead. They also talk about how they are a powerful ruler with infans for their coronation, and they have lost some friends along the way. However, they are still victorious because they are finally a man for themselves.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "I'm a man now" a few times, where the singer asserts their newfound identity as a man. They're proud of it and don't want anyone to take it away from them. Towards the end of the song, the lyrics address the fact that society might judge them for wanting to be a man or assume that they are lying to themselves. However, the singer refutes this idea and says that they have "got it" and are now a man. They stand by their decision, and there's nothing others can do to change their mind.
Line by Line Meaning
With it
By assuming this persona, I take on the morbid characteristics of Emily Dickinson's poems.
I become the death Dickinson feared
I become the embodiment of death that Emily Dickinson feared in her writings.
I'm the red admiral on his ship
I am the commander and chief of my own mind and body, just as the red admiral butterfly leads its pack of other butterflies.
And I raise
Through this act of becoming a man, I am elevated to a new status.
With infans for my coronation
I am crowned as a new man, symbolized by the use of the word 'infans' which signifies childhood or infancy.
I've ruled over my all my dead impersonations
I have full control over my past selves and the various characters I have taken on in my life.
'Cause I've got it
I have succeeded in becoming a man.
I'm a man now
I have successfully transformed into a man.
And I won't let you steal it
I am protective of my newfound identity as a man and won't allow anyone to take it away from me.
I bought it for myself
I earned this identity through my own efforts and determination.
I hit
I am attacked, possibly physically or verbally, by those who do not understand my transformation.
The Bird-dogs who are pulling my hair
The 'Bird-dogs' could represent any group that opposes this transformation and is trying to prevent it from happening.
Because their teeth should ravage a golden beard
They should be attacking a more traditional display of masculinity, rather than attacking someone who is attempting to embody it.
I've lost
Some of my friends have abandoned me or been hurt by my transformation.
Some eyeless friends whose blood runs cold
These former friends are blind to the progress and change I am making, and their cold blood signals they are emotionally detached from my situation.
My new people
I have found a new group of like-minded individuals who support my transformation.
On silent heels pretends to be old
My new community is quiet and subtle in their support, and embodies a traditional/classic sense of masculinity.
I won
I have won this internal struggle and have transformed into a man.
Oh lord
An expression of gratitude for having achieved this transformation.
She wants to be a man, a man
This possibly refers to the inner voice that drives the transformation.
But she lies
This voice is possibly untrue or deceitful to the artist.
She wants to be born again, again
The desire for transformation is not a one-time occurrence.
But she'll lose
The singer's efforts will ultimately be futile.
She draws her own crotch by herself
The artist is attempting to reshape their physical identity to fit their new mental identity.
But she'll lose, because it's a fake
The body will never be able to fully conform to the mental transformation and will thus be deemed fake or inauthentic.
No! I've got it
The singer reasserts their newfound status as a man.
Yes I've got it
The singer doubles down on their identity.
And there's nothing you can do to make me change my mind
The artist is determined to keep their new identity, regardless of any objections or opposition.
She's a man now
By the end of the song, the artist's transformation is complete and irreversible.
And there's nothing we can do to make her change her mind
The singer has the final say in their own identity and will not be convinced otherwise.
She's a man now
Repeating the line from earlier to cement the final transformation.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, REMARK MUSIC, BECAUSE EDITIONS
Written by: Heloise Letissier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jana Bill
I have fallen in love with her sound and lyrics! Thank you Girls, for introducing me to such a fantastic artist!
Cedric Kouamé
This is some genuis masterpiece right here! The name Christine And The Queens take all his meaning when you understand the lyrics.
Terrance Adrian
Christine is one of those singers where if you truly appreciate artistry you will take to her instantly. She has that thing you can't quite figure out that just draws you in. She has a truly beautiful voice and I love how she dances also. I love everything about her.
Esprit Dean
Not often a song makes the hair stand up on the back of
my neck but wow, that vocal 0:47 Amazing
Samantha Rausch
Yes!
Rob Turner
Orgasmic musical frisson ! Not all people get that sensation from music
Robert Equihua
wow. such an emotional and powerful song. if only it would play on the radio it would make a huge impact. good job on this and thank you for sharing with us such an inspiring and thought provoking song.
Llinkan
Une dinguerie de performance tout le long de l'album, tailladé au millimètre, un bonheur à écouter du début à la fin, je ne m'en lasse pas. Je viens tout juste de découvrir le personnage, surprenant, atypique et tellement artistique... Merci Christine !
Zinédine Belgomri
It touches me deep down inside each time i hear IT!!! merci beaucoup Héloïse
Arsnøvä
This song is a definite banger. I am super inspired by this song and all of their stage performances!