Planet Of The Baritone Women
Frank Zappa Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

On the plane of the baritone women
They talk low
'bout stuff they know,
They sing 'oooh!'
And laugh at you
Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!
If you can't
If you can't
Do it too
Do it too
Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!

They sing 'li-li-li-li!'
They sing 'lo-lo-lo-lo!'
The man carry purses
Wherever they go

Junior executives.
All in a row,
Watch the baritone women
Do the baritone show
Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!

They sing about wheat;
They sing about corn;
They sing about places
Where women was born

They sing about hate!
They sing about fear!
It seems like they all got
A pretty good ear
Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!

They sing it in harmony
Not often heard
With a big ol' cadenza
On every long word

They keep it as low
As they possibly can,
And sometimes they walk
Like an e-gyp-tian
Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!

They do choreography
Still more unique!
They leave their legs open
Whenever they speak!

They roll their eyes upward.
And over again,
And slam their legs closed
When they sing about men!

Those baritone women!
They are not your friend!




You will make a mistake
If you go there again!

Overall Meaning

The song "Planet of the Baritone Women" by Frank Zappa is a satirical commentary on the societal roles and expectations of women. Zappa presents a world in which the baritone women, who are usually considered to have a masculine voice, are the dominant figures who sing and speak in low voices. The women possess a vast knowledge about things in the world, and they sing about even the tiniest details of our lives like wheat, corn, and places where women were born. They seem to have a prominent understanding of the emotions of hatred and fear, and they demonstrate their ability to express it in perfect unison.


Zappa depicts the men in this world as junior executives, who are submissive and always carry purses wherever they go. The women's singing is in harmony, and they add an intricate cadence on each long word they sing. They also have a unique choreography and perform it while keeping their voices as low as possible. The baritone women often leave their legs open whenever they speak and roll their eyes upwards while speaking. In contrast, they slam their legs closed whenever they mention men. Zappa uses this song to point out how women are expected to adhere to certain gender norms that limit them from expressing their true abilities and qualities.


Line by Line Meaning

On the plane of the baritone women
In the world of these low-pitched women


They talk low
They speak in a low tone


'bout stuff they know,
About the things they understand,


They sing 'oooh!'
They sing ‘ooooh!’


And laugh at you
And make fun of you


Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!
Ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!


If you can't
If you cannot


Do it too
Do the same thing


Do it too
Do it too


Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!
Ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!


They sing 'li-li-li-li!'
They sing ‘li-li-li-li!’


They sing 'lo-lo-lo-lo!'
They sing ‘lo-lo-lo-lo!’


The man carry purses
Men carry purses


Wherever they go
Wherever they travel


Junior executives.
Inexperienced executives.


All in a row,
In a row,


Watch the baritone women
Observe these low-pitched women


Do the baritone show
Perform the low-pitched show


Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!
Ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!


They sing about wheat;
They sing about wheat;


They sing about corn;
They sing about corn;


They sing about places
They sing about the locations


Where women was born
Where women were born


They sing about hate!
They sing about hatred!


They sing about fear!
They sing about fear!


It seems like they all got
It appears as if they all possess


A pretty good ear
An excellent sense of hearing


Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!
Ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!


They sing it in harmony
They sing in unison


Not often heard
Rarely heard


With a big ol' cadenza
Using a big cadenza


On every long word
With every long word


They keep it as low
They keep the tune low


As they possibly can,
As low as possible:


And sometimes they walk
And at times they walk


Like an e-gyp-tian
Like an Egyptian


Ah-ha-ha-ha-hah!
Ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!


They do choreography
They choreograph a routine


Still more unique!
Even more one-of-a-kind!


They leave their legs open
They keep their legs apart


Whenever they speak!
When they talk!


They roll their eyes upward.
They roll their eyes towards the sky.


And over again,
And repeat the action,


And slam their legs closed
And rapidly close their legs


When they sing about men!
When they sing about men!


Those baritone women!
Those low-pitched women!


They are not your friend!
They are not your ally!


You will make a mistake
You will commit an error


If you go there again!
If you return to that place!




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Vincent Zappa

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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