On 26 September 2006, Haines released the album Knives Don't Have Your Back on Last Gang Records. The album was written and recorded in Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, and New York over the previous four years, and features contributors including Sparklehorse's Scott Minor, Broken Social Scene's Justin Peroff, Stars' Evan Cranley, and Metric's Jimmy Shaw.
Though it took Haines four years to complete the album, the singer says she'd been plotting this for years. "When I was a little kid," she said in a statement, "I would creep downstairs to the piano and write rudimentary songs about imaginary places. I'm told the first song I ever wrote was a love song to a cranberry tree. I always used the mute pedal. I hated the idea of anybody hearing me.
"Everywhere I've lived while working with Metric, I've written songs on the piano and played them for no one," she continued. "On the advice of a friend, I decided I'd better start recording them before they were forgotten."
Among those songs are a track that was written while Haines was studying electroacoustics in Montreal while some were recorded in Toronto, Canada in the winter of 2002, shortly after the death of Haines' father.
Official site: http://www.emilyhaines.com
The Maid Needs a Maid
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Disagree on the sidelines.
Fight for a fee, the man needs a maid.
The maid needs a maid.
Bros before hos is a rule, read the guidelines
You trouble me
Your breasts heave when you sing
Sewing up the fold 'cause I've been laid up,
Will you put on the fire for me,
Draw the bath and remind me to eat?
You won't need a real job,
You won't need a real job because I would love to pay for you,
You could be a good wife to me.
I would love to pay for you,
You are the maid for me.
The song "The Maid Needs a Maid" by Emily Haines sounds like a plea to women about the male chauvinism that exists in society. The opening lines of "Bros before hos, disagree on the sidelines, fight for a fee, the man needs a maid, the maid needs a maid" set the tone for the rest of the song. The phrase “Bros before hos” suggests that men value male companionship over a woman's company, and the man's world is the only important thing. The lines “The man needs a maid, the maid needs a maid” talk about the oppressive cycle that binds women to men as their servants, thus perpetuating patriarchal ideals.
The following lines in the song suggest that this woman's singing and sexuality are a problem for the man, and that she should be working for him for free. The woman is expected to put in a lot of effort, such as sewing up the fold, putting on the fire, drawing the bath, and reminding the man to eat. In exchange for doing all of these chores, the woman won't need a "real" job because the man will take care of her. This scenario that is being painted seems to be more like slavery than like a mutually respectful relationship between partners.
In conclusion, the song "The Maid Needs a Maid" talks about the issues surrounding gender inequality in society, especially with regard to the role of women. The song highlights the need for women to stand up and reject oppressive societal norms that allow certain men to subjugate them.
Line by Line Meaning
Bros before hos
Bros before hos is a rule, read the guidelines
Disagree on the sidelines.
You trouble me
Fight for a fee, the man needs a maid.
Your mouth should be working for me for free.
The maid needs a maid.
You are the maid for me.
Sewing up the fold 'cause I've been laid up,
I am injured, so I need you to help me.
Will you put on the fire for me,
Can you keep me warm?
Draw the bath and remind me to eat?
Can you take care of me and make sure I don't forget to eat?
You won't need a real job,
You don't have to look for work elsewhere.
You could be a good wife to me.
You could take care of me as a good spouse should.
I would love to pay for you,
I'm willing to financially support you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMILY HAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sacmakiz
Bros before hos
Disagree on the sidelines.
Fight for a fee, the man needs a maid.
The maid needs a maid.
Bros before hos is a rule, read the guidelines
You trouble me
Your breasts heave when you sing
Your mouth should be working for me for free.
Sewing up the fold 'cause I've been laid up,
Will you put on the fire for me,
Draw the bath and remind me to eat?
You won't need a real job,
You won't need a real job because I would love to pay for you,
You could be a good wife to me.
I would love to pay for you,
You are the maid for me.
@thekeelyjean
Bros before hos
Disagree on the sidelines.
Fight for a fee, the man needs a maid.
The maid needs a maid.
Bros before hos is a rule, read the guidelines
You trouble me
Your breasts heave when you sing
Your mouth should be working for me for free.
Sewing up the fold 'cause I've been laid up,
Will you put on the fire for me,
Draw the bath and remind me to eat?
You won't need a real job,
You won't need a real job because I would love to pay for you,
You could be a good wife to me.
I would love to pay for you,
You are the maid for me.
@lilymasters2863
I have been in love with this song since I was 12 and it's still freaking amazing. Six years have gone by and I can still relate.
@AbbieOates
This album is as gorgeous now as when it came out.
@IamErr0r
This song just rips us apart
@radiumghoul777
still one of my favorite albums. Wish she'd write more solo songs.
@alicemiriah
I found this song back when I first heard Pay For You by Skizzy Mars. Love samples. Found so many great songs through them.
@Palatard
How the hell did Skizzy and G find this and think "Shit we need to sample this". Pay for You is so fucking dope.
@juanmurguia7808
Palatard I barely heard the song yesterday believe it or not and that song is perfection I had to see who was actually behind it all.
@alicemiriah
That song put me on to this. Now both tracks bring me nostalgia
@Andrew-qo7om
Dam I’m glad I came back and see y’all fvk with skizzy as much as I do😂. Pay for it is so fucking nostalgic and I love it
@mavenesquith6825
In my spare time (which is pretty much non-existent) I've been teaching myself this on the piano. I took one year of lessons when I was like six, I can't read sheet music. It's been a very long time coming. I printed the music off almost ten years ago! (I learned two songs before this one) my piano is almost two hundred years old and desperately out of tune but I've almost got it! Working on the last two pages now! So excited 😁❤😁