Lady Marmalade
Lil Kim Lyrics

Where's all my soul sistas?
Addressing her female gang, Lady Marmalade inquires about the presence of women with powerful souls.

Lemme hear ya'll flow, sistas
She seeks to hear her gang chant and rap lyrics rhythmically.

Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista
Lady Marmalade encourages, uplifts, and unites her gang by invoking their bond as soul sisters.

He met Marmalade down in old Moulin Rouge
A man encountered Lady Marmalade in the classic Moulin Rouge cabaret where she was strutting her wonder.

Struttin' her stuff on the street
Lady Marmalade is showcasing her beauty and talent on the street for everyone to see and appreciate.

She said, "Hello, hey Joe! You wanna give it a go?"
She solicited Joe's company and asks if he is interested in pursuing her.

Oh! Uh-huh
Lady Marmalade acknowledges Joe's positive reaction to her invitation.

Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, da-da (hey, hey, hey)
Lady Marmalade intertwines French words with meaningless English filler words that sound good to express joy or enthusiasm.

Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, here (here)
Repetition of the previous line with some modification of the expression.

Mocha Chocolata, ya-ya (ooh, yeah)
She adds another nonsensical expression in French-Arabic style to match the previously established pattern.

Creole Lady Marmalade
Lady Marmalade announces her identity and racial origin with pride.

(What-what, what-what)
A filler line with no apparent meaning.

Ooh, oh
A filler line with no apparent meaning.

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?
Lady Marmalade asks Joe if he wants to sleep with her tonight using flirtatious language.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
A filler line with no apparent meaning.

He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up
Joe perched on Lady Marmalade's boudoir while she refreshed herself in a different room.

Boy drank all that Magnolia wine
Joe drank too much of Lady Marmalade's homemade Magnolia wine, renowned for its strength.

On her black satin sheets' where he started to freak, yeah
Joe was overwhelmed by passion while lying on Lady Marmalade's black satin sheets, causing him to behave strangely.

We come through with the money and the garter belts
Lady Marmalade and her soul sisters arrive with wealth and lingerie to flaunt their femininity.

Let him know we 'bout that cake straight out the gate (uh)
They want their admirers to recognize that they are financially stable and independent from the outset.

We independent women, some mistake us for whores
The women assert their freedom and autonomy, acknowledging that some may misinterpret their boldness as promiscuity.

I'm sayin', "Why spend mine when I can spend yours?"
Lady Marmalade takes aim at men and their wealth, emphasizing her desire not to spend her own money.

Disagree? Well, that's you, and I'm sorry
Lady Marmalade acknowledges that not everyone shares her opinions and offers apologetic recognition of differing viewpoints.

I'ma keep playing these cats out like Atari
She will continue to manipulate men for her benefit, as she would playing the classic video game Atari.

Wear high heel shoes, get love from the dudes
Lady Marmalade teaches that when women dress up and wear high-heeled shoes, they get more attention from admirers.

Four badass chicks from the Moulin Rouge
Lady Marmalade and her gang members are confident women who do not tolerate being mistreated or manipulated.

Hey sistas, soul sistas, betta get that dough, sistas
Lady Marmalade encourages women to embrace their spiritual bond as soul sisters and earn money to provide for themselves.

We drink wine with diamonds in the glass
Lady Marmalade and her gang prefer expensive wine served in crystal glasses, adorned with sparkling diamonds.

By the case, the meaning of expensive taste
Lady Marmalade and gang buy wine by the case, indicating their top-shelf preference when it comes to food and beverages.

If you wanna gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya
This line is simply a repetition of an earlier expression.

Mocha Chocolata (what)
This line is simply a repetition of an earlier expression.

Creole Lady Marmalade
Another repetition of an earlier line, affirming the singer's origin and uniqueness.

One more time, c'mon now
The artist repeats an earlier phrase to encourage participation from other performers.

Touch of her skin, feeling silky smooth
The artist's skin is described as smooth and luxurious to the touch.

Color of café au lait, alright
Lady Marmalade has a beautiful, even tan that resembles a cup of milky coffee.

Made the savage beast inside roar until he cried
Lady Marmalade's beauty and grace aroused an animalistic desire in Joe that eventually turned to tears.

Now he's back home doin' 9 to 5 (9 to 5)
Joe is now living a mundane, routine life working a nine-to-five job.

He's livin' the grey flannel life
Joe is a cog in the corporate machine whose life is routine and lacks passion.

But when he turns off to sleep, memories creep
Joe cannot help but remember the experience he shared with Lady Marmalade and drifts off to sleep thinking about her.

More (more), more (more), more
A simple repetition of an earlier expression.

Rockwilder, baby (baby)
This line simply name-checks the popular hip-hop producer Rockwilder.

Misdemeanor here
This line introduces the popular rapper Missy Elliott, who produced the track.

Creole Lady Marmalade
A final repetition of Lady Marmalade's identity, emphasizing it even as the song reaches its climax.

Ooh, ooh, yes-ah
An outburst of joy that closes out the track on a celebratory note.