Little Girls
Dorothy Loudon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little girls
Little girls
Everywhere I turn
I can see them
Little girls
Little girls
I eat, sleep and breathe them
I'm an ordinary woman
With feelings
I'd like a man to nibble on my ear
But I admit no man has bit
So how come I'm the mother of the year?
Little cheeks
Little teeth
Everything around me is little
If I wring
Little necks
Surely I will get an acquittal
Some women are dripping with diamonds
Some women are dripping with pearls
Lucky me!
Lucky me!
Look at what I'm dripping with
Little girls
How I hate
Little shoes
Little socks
And each little bloomer
I'd have cracked
Years ago
If it weren't for my
Sense of humor
Some day I'll step on their freckles
Some night I'll straighten their curls
Send a flood
Send the flu
Anything that
You can do
To little girls
Some day I'll land in the nuthouse
With all the nuts, and the squirr'ls
There I'll stay
Tucked away
'Til the prohibition of
Little girls.
The song "Little Girls" depicts the frustration and weariness of Miss Hannigan, the caretaker of a girls' orphanage in the musical "Annie." The first lines of the song repeat the phrase "Little girls" multiple times and shows how Miss Hannigan feels surrounded by them all the time. She expresses how the girls dominate her everyday activities, and how they are always present in her mind, mentioning that she eats, sleeps, and breathes little girls. Although Miss Hannigan shows anger and intolerance towards the orphans, she reveals that she desires the same things as any other woman, including the desire to have a man's attention. However, she hasn't had any success in gaining male affection, and she wonders how she became the caretaker of the year.
The next verse shows her contempt for small things that surround the girls, including their clothes, their toys, and their body parts. She talks about how she wishes to wring their necks, but at the same time, believes that she could get away with it. She sings about the irony of her situation, where some women have diamonds and pearls, and she is stuck with little girls. She implies that this is her punishment for not having a wealthy life.
The third verse shows how her hatred for little girls is getting to her, and she contemplates sending any form of disaster, even if it is a flood or flu just to get rid of them. She sings about how she is destined to end up in the nuthouse, surrounded by people who are just as crazy as her. The last line is a play on words, where she sings about how she will be institutionalized until the prohibition of little girls.
Line by Line Meaning
Little girls
The presence of young girls is constant and seemingly inescapable.
Little girls
Again, the ubiquity of young girls.
Everywhere I turn
No matter where I look, there are little girls.
I can see them
Their presence is highly visible and unavoidable.
Little girls
Repetition of previous lines to emphasize the point.
Little girls
Again, repetition for emphasis.
Night and day
The constant presence of young girls permeates every moment of my life.
I eat, sleep and breathe them
The artist is completely consumed by thoughts of young girls.
I'm an ordinary woman
Despite the artist's disturbing obsession with little girls, she is otherwise an average person with emotions and desires.
With feelings
The artist is not a monster devoid of emotions.
I'd like a man to nibble on my ear
The singer has romantic desires and is seeking affection from a man.
But I admit no man has bit
Despite her desires, the artist has not been able to find romantic companionship.
So how come I'm the mother of the year?
The singer recognizes the potential for irony in her public persona as a caretaker of young girls while privately harboring harmful thoughts towards them.
Little cheeks
The singer is fixated on every small detail of young girls, including their facial features.
Little teeth
The singer is fixated on every small detail of young girls, including their physical features.
Everything around me is little
The artist views the world as small and insignificant compared to the focus of her obsession.
If I wring
The artist has violent thoughts towards young girls.
Little necks
The singer is fixated on every small detail of young girls, including their physical features.
Surely I will get an acquittal
The singer seems to believe that harming young girls would be justified and that she would not be punished for it.
Some women are dripping with diamonds
The artist is envious of other women who have material wealth and status.
Some women are dripping with pearls
The artist is envious of other women who have material wealth and status.
Lucky me!
The artist is ironically expressing gratitude for her own situation.
Lucky me!
Again, irony and sarcasm in expressing appreciation for her own situation.
Look at what I'm dripping with
The artist is making a macabre joke about the harmful thoughts that occupy her mind.
Little girls
Repetition of previous lines to emphasize the point.
How I hate
The singer feels intense negative emotions towards young girls, despite being their caretaker.
Little shoes
The singer is fixated on even the smallest details of young girls, including their clothing and accessories.
Little socks
The artist is fixated on even the smallest details of young girls, including their clothing and accessories.
And each little bloomer
The artist is fixated on even the smallest details of young girls, including their undergarments.
I'd have cracked
The singer feels that her mental state is fragile and at risk of breaking down because of her obsession with young girls.
Years ago
The singer has been consumed by these thoughts for a long time.
If it weren't for my
The artist recognizes that her sense of humor has been a coping mechanism to deal with her harmful thoughts and emotions.
Sense of humor
The artist has used humor as a way to deal with her morbid obsession.
Some day I'll step on their freckles
The artist fantasizes about harming young girls in specific ways.
Some night I'll straighten their curls
The singer fantasizes about harming young girls in specific ways.
Send a flood
The artist wishes harm on young girls in biblical proportions.
Send the flu
The singer wishes harm on young girls in mundane ways.
Anything that
The singer wishes to cause any harm or inflict any punishment she can on young girls.
You can do
The singer feels a sense of power and control over young girls, as if she is capable of actually carrying out these violent thoughts.
To little girls
All of the preceding lines refer to the artist's fantasy of harming young girls.
Some day I'll land in the nuthouse
The artist is aware of the mental illness that is driving her obsession and violent thoughts towards young girls.
With all the nuts, and the squirr'ls
The singer recognizes the absurdity of mental illness and the idea of being institutionalized with other people who are also mentally ill.
There I'll stay
The singer seems to anticipate being hospitalized due to her obsession and violent fantasies.
Tucked away
The artist will be isolated from society in a mental health facility.
'Til the prohibition of
The artist anticipates being in the nuthouse for a long time.
Little girls.
The artist's unhealthy obsession with young girls is the root of her mental illness and fantasies of violence.
Contributed by Elliot L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.