White Boys
Hair Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

White boys are so pretty,
Skin as smooth as milk
White boys are so pretty,
Hair like Chinese silk

I tell you that your white boys give me goosebumps,
White boys give me the chills
And when they touch my shoulder,
That's the touch that kills

My momma calls them lillies,
But I call 'em picadillies
My daddy told me "stay away",
But I say "c'mon out and play"

White boys are so groovy,
White boys are so tough,
Everytime that they're near me,
I just can't get enough

Oh, white boys are so pretty,
White boys are so sweet,
White boys drive me crazy,
Drive me indiscreet

Oh oh, white boys are so sexy,
Legs so long and lean,
I love those sprayed-on trousers,
Love the love machine

My brother call them rubble,
That's my kind of trouble
My daddy told me "no no no no",
But I say white boys, "go go go go"

White boys are so lovely,
Beautiful as girls
I love to run my fingers,
And toes through all them curls

Give me a strong, a lean,
A sexy, a sweet,
A pretty, a juicy,
White boy

Black boys,
White boys,
Black boys,
White boys





Mixed media!

Overall Meaning

The song “White Boys” from the rock musical Hair, written by James Rado and Gerome Ragni with music by Galt MacDermot, is a playful and flirtatious tune that celebrates the physical attributes and charms of white men. The lyrics describe white boys as pretty, groovy, tough, and sexy, with skin as smooth as milk and hair like Chinese silk. The singer confesses that white boys give her goosebumps and chills, and that their touch is especially thrilling. She acknowledges her family’s disapproval of her attraction to white boys but chooses to pursue them anyway, defying her father’s warning to stay away.


The song’s playful tone and risqué lyrics are indicative of the countercultural and free-spirited nature of the Hair musical. It challenges societal norms and conventions, particularly those regarding race and sexuality. The singer’s unabashed admiration for white boys, a group that was traditionally seen as the epitome of superiority and privilege, subverts the racial hierarchy and challenges the notion of white supremacy. Furthermore, the song’s sexual undertones and innuendos defy the conservative and puritanical values of mainstream society, celebrating pleasure and desire instead.


Line by Line Meaning

White boys are so pretty,
They are attractive to the singer.


Skin as smooth as milk
Their skin is very soft.


White boys are so pretty,
They are attractive to the singer.


Hair like Chinese silk
Their hair is very soft and sleek.


I tell you that your white boys give me goosebumps,
The singer is so attracted to white boys that it gives her goosebumps.


White boys give me the chills
The singer gets excited and nervous around white boys.


And when they touch my shoulder,
Their touch is very powerful to the singer.


That's the touch that kills
Their touch is so powerful that it affects the singer deeply.


My momma calls them lillies,
The singer's mother refers to white boys as delicate flowers.


But I call 'em picadillies
The singer has her own slang term for white boys.


My daddy told me "stay away",
The singer's father warns her to stay away from white boys.


But I say "c'mon out and play"
The singer wants to pursue white boys despite her father's warning.


White boys are so groovy,
White boys are cool.


White boys are so tough,
White boys are strong and resilient.


Everytime that they're near me,
The singer can't resist being around white boys.


I just can't get enough
The singer is always craving more time with white boys.


Oh, white boys are so pretty,
The singer finds white boys very attractive.


White boys are so sweet,
White boys are gentle and kind.


White boys drive me crazy,
The singer becomes enamored and perhaps even infatuated with white boys.


Drive me indiscreet
Her feelings towards white boys are causing her to act impulsively and recklessly.


Oh oh, white boys are so sexy,
The singer is particularly drawn to white boys' sex appeal.


Legs so long and lean,
White boys have very long and slender legs.


I love those sprayed-on trousers,
The singer finds the tight-fitting pants that white boys wear very attractive.


Love the love machine
The singer is drawn to the idea of white boys as sexual partners and/or objects of desire.


My brother call them rubble,
The singer's brother refers to white boys as nonsense or worthless.


That's my kind of trouble
The singer likes to have her own kind of fun, even if it goes against what her family thinks.


My daddy told me "no no no no",
The singer's father is firmly against her interest in white boys.


But I say white boys, "go go go go"
The singer is insistent on pursuing white boys regardless of what her father says.


White boys are so lovely,
White boys are beautiful and elegant.


Beautiful as girls
White boys are so attractive, they could be mistaken for girls.


I love to run my fingers,
The singer enjoys touching white boys.


And toes through all them curls
The singer finds white boys' curly hair especially attractive.


Give me a strong, a lean,
The singer wants a white boy who is physically fit and muscular.


A sexy, a sweet,
The singer wants a white boy who is both sexually attractive and kind.


A pretty, a juicy,
The singer wants a white boy who is both attractive and exciting.


White boy
The singer is singing about white boys in general, as she finds them all enamoring in their own ways.


Black boys,
The singer acknowledges that she might be attracted to boys of another race.


White boys,
The singer continues to focus on white boys as the object of her affection.


Black boys,
The singer repeats her acknowledgement of being attracted to boys of another race.


White boys
The singer emphasizes her feelings towards white boys.




Contributed by Sydney M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@dinahdonovon

No, to the man that asked why so few commented. I've had my own copies of this since I was 12.. in 92!! I looove Milos, looove Broadway, love the 60s, love THIS MUSICAL and so I always had my copies. I was a gothic hippie in the 90s and at 41, I still love The Beatles and Darkwave and dye my hair pink, but I no longer have to look like Morticia Addams and Abby Hoffman had a baby.

Black clothes mixed with love beads, tye dye, mesh, velvet, flowers in my hair. I was ALWAYS A gothic hippie, or a Dark Flower Child.

People LOVE putting others in boxes, don't they.

At 25 I made a list of my ten favourite West End or Broadway hits and adjusted as needed. I've only seen 4 of the ten. But Hair and Evita are in my top 3 and are 2 of the 6 missing....

Honestly, I never thought others out there loved this film as I do!!

Peace, love, and white, black, any colour boys or girls!! My mum taught me it's the INSIDE that counted!!



All comments from YouTube:

@traviscook5768

I like how the male officers make fun of that guy for painting his toenails then sing about how "boys are delicious"

Bonus comment: 1:50 made me spit out my drink then laugh until I was crying.

@ShawnPlusOne

I love that movie thank you for posting this it really made my day.
Now I’ll watch a few more and continue singing out loud making my neighbors go crazy. 🤷🏽‍♀️😂👏🏽❤️

@valdineisantos4768

I watched it more than 25 times here in Brazil in 90's! In my pinion one of the greates movies of all the times!!

@ToriaStoria9119

Tremendous film! Songs from this film will randomly come to my head & I break out in song. I own a VHS tape of Hair-the movie from '79. I enjoy sharing clips of it to people that I want to make smile. Works every time! Why are the black bass singer's lyrics changed from the original? JW. Look closely,k. 😁✌

@xylfox

Perfect film-adaption of this musical:Great songs by Galt McDermot and the ingenious bass of Wilbur Bascomb!

@whoareyoutoaccuseme

Nell Carter was SO gorgeous. God I love her.

@goblinslayer7096

It sucks that you don’t hear men and women talking about how they love each other in a general way.

@lisilein2

Damn, this movie is life

@dinahdonovon

No, to the man that asked why so few commented. I've had my own copies of this since I was 12.. in 92!! I looove Milos, looove Broadway, love the 60s, love THIS MUSICAL and so I always had my copies. I was a gothic hippie in the 90s and at 41, I still love The Beatles and Darkwave and dye my hair pink, but I no longer have to look like Morticia Addams and Abby Hoffman had a baby.

Black clothes mixed with love beads, tye dye, mesh, velvet, flowers in my hair. I was ALWAYS A gothic hippie, or a Dark Flower Child.

People LOVE putting others in boxes, don't they.

At 25 I made a list of my ten favourite West End or Broadway hits and adjusted as needed. I've only seen 4 of the ten. But Hair and Evita are in my top 3 and are 2 of the 6 missing....

Honestly, I never thought others out there loved this film as I do!!

Peace, love, and white, black, any colour boys or girls!! My mum taught me it's the INSIDE that counted!!

@56bigfun

I like how it takes the piss out of all that macho-army-hero crap. When Hair appeared on Broadway the Viet Nam war was in full swing, and a number like this one MUST have really offended the war's proponents. I still despise war, think the military is overrated(and overfunded) and will lock my son up should he ever decide to enlist. In peacetime sons bury their fathers. In wartime fathers bury their sons. When will we learn? Don't give me duty and honor - duty and honor is staying home and looking after your family, not leaving them to go off and kill and/or be killed. The age of the "just war" is over. Enjoy the clip!

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