Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, (bor… Read Full Bio ↴Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, (born March 28, 1986 in New York, NY) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenager, singing at open mic nights and acting in school plays. She studied at Collaborative Arts Project 21, through the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, before dropping out to pursue a career in music. After Def Jam Recordings canceled her contract, she worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and KonLive Distribution, in 2007. Gaga had her breakthrough the following year with her debut studio album, The Fame, and its chart-topping singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album was later reissued to include the EP The Fame Monster (2009), which yielded the successful singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro".

Gaga's five succeeding studio albums all debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Her second full-length album, Born This Way (2011), explored electronic rock and techno-pop and sold more than one million copies in its first week. The title track became the fastest-selling song on the iTunes Store, with over one million downloads in less than a week. Following her EDM-influenced third album, Artpop (2013), and its lead single "Applause", Gaga released the jazz album Cheek to Cheek (2014) with Tony Bennett, and the soft rock album Joanne (2016). She ventured into acting, winning awards for her leading roles in the miniseries American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016) and the musical film A Star Is Born (2018). Her contributions to the latter's soundtrack, which spawned the chart-topping single "Shallow", made her the first woman to win an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and Grammy Award in one year. Gaga returned to dance-pop with her sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020), which yielded the number-one single "Rain on Me". She followed this with her second collaborative album with Bennett, Love for Sale, and a starring role in the biopic House of Gucci, both in 2021.

Having sold an estimated 170 million records, Gaga is one of the world's best-selling music artists and the only female artist to achieve four singles that each sold at least 10 million copies globally. Her accolades include 13 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, 18 MTV Video Music Awards, awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and recognition as Billboard's Artist of the Year (2010) and Woman of the Year (2015). She has also been included in several Forbes' power rankings and ranked fourth on VH1's Greatest Women in Music (2012). Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 and 2019 and placed her on their All-Time 100 Fashion Icons list. Her philanthropy and activism focus on mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ rights; she has her own non-profit organization, the Born This Way Foundation, which supports the wellness of young people. Gaga's business ventures include Haus Labs, a vegan cosmetics brand launched in 2019.

Poker Face Live at The Cherrytree House Piano & Voice Version
Lady GaGa Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mum mum mum mah
Mum mum mum mah
Mum mum mum mah
Mum mum mum mah
Mum mum mum mah

I wanna hold em like they do in Texas Plays
Fold em let em hit me raise it baby stay with me, I love it

Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start
And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart

Oh, oh, oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Oh, oh, oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got

Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)

I wanna roll with him a hard pair we will be
A little gambling is fun when you're with me, I love it
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun
And baby when it's love if it's not rough it isn't fun, fun

Oh, oh, oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Oh, oh, oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got

Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
(Mum mum mum mah)
(Mum mum mum mah)

I won't tell you that I love you
Kiss or hug you
'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I'm not lying I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunning

Just like a chick in the casino
Take your bank before I pay you out
I promise this, promise this
Check this hand cause I'm marvelous

Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)

Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)

Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(She's got to love nobody)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)

Overall Meaning

The song "Pokerface" by Lady Gaga featuring Queen Latifah is an upbeat and energetic track about love and gambling. The lyrics describe a woman who is trying to win the affection of her love interest through a game of poker. She is confident in her skills and uses her "poker face" to hide her true feelings and intentions.

The lyrics also reference other gambling games such as Russian Roulette, adding a dangerous element to the song's theme. In the chorus, Lady Gaga repeats the line "can't read my poker face" which suggests that her love interest is unable to decipher her true intentions despite her efforts to conceal them.

Overall, the song is about taking risks and living in the moment. Lady Gaga's bold and confident attitude is reflected in the lyrics and her powerful vocals.

Line by Line Meaning

Mum mum mum mah
Repetition of a meaningless phrase that has no significant meaning

I wanna hold em like they do in Texas Plays
I want to handle the situation like a professional poker player from Texas

Fold em let em hit me raise it baby stay with me, I love it
I like taking risks and winning games even if I may lose in the process. So, fold the cards, let him raise and hit me, we'll win together

Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start
Our success in this game will depend on a mixture of luck and intuition. We'll start with the spades suit

And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart
After the opponent has shown interest in the game, I'll play the card game that he loves most

Oh, oh, oh I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
I'll make him feel confident and impressed by my skills and ability to win the game

Can't read my, can't read my, No he can't read my poker face, (She's got to love nobody)
I am an expert in masking my emotions and keeping a straight face when playing poker. Also, I am not in love with anyone

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face, (Mum mum mum mah)
Repetition of a meaningless phrase that has no significant meaning

I wanna roll with him a hard pair we will be
I want to join the opponent in a team that is strong and difficult to beat

A little gambling is fun when you're with me, I love it
I find it exciting and enjoyable to gamble in the company of others

Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun
The game of Russian Roulette is incomplete without the use of a firearm

And baby when it's love if it's not rough it isn't fun, fun
I find love more exciting when it's intense and rough

I won't tell you that I love you, Kiss or hug you, 'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I won't express my feelings of love for you yet because I'm just pretending and deceiving you

I'm not lying I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunning
I'm not engaging in falsehood, just being impressive and charming with my love tactics

Just like a chick in the casino, Take your bank before I pay you out
I'm like a woman gambling in a casino, ready to snatch away all your money before paying you back

I promise this, promise this, Check this hand cause I'm marvelous
I assure you that I'm a great poker player, so check your cards and watch me win

No he can't read my poker face, (She's got to love nobody)
Repetition of a previous line meaning, indicating that the opponent cannot understand her bluffing and that she's not in love with anyone

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face, P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face, (She's got to love nobody)
Repetition of a meaningless phrase that has no significant meaning

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NADIR KHAYAT, STEFANI GERMANOTTA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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