Elizabeth Clark Phair is an American singer and songwriter. Born in New Hav… Read Full Bio ↴Elizabeth Clark Phair is an American singer and songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career in San Francisco, California, but returned to her home in Chicago, where she began self-releasing audio cassettes under the name Girly-Sound. The tapes led to a recording contract with the independent record label Matador Records.

Phair's 1993 debut studio album, Exile in Guyville, was released to acclaim; it has been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Phair followed this with her second album, Whip-Smart (1994), which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and Whitechocolatespaceegg (1998). Ten years after the release of her debut, Phair's fourth album, Liz Phair (2003), released on Capitol Records, moved towards pop rock, earning her a mainstream audience but alienating critics.

After the release of her fifth album, Somebody's Miracle (2005), Phair left Capitol and released her sixth album Funstyle independently in 2010. In 2018, it was announced that Matador Records would be releasing a retrospective set for Phair's debut album Exile in Guyville which includes remastered recordings from her original Girly-Sound demo tapes. Phair released her seventh studio album, Soberish, in 2021.

Whip Smart
Liz Phair Lyrics

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I'm gonna tell my son to grow up pretty as the grass is green
And whip-smart as the English Channel's wide
And I'm gonna tell my son to keep his money in his mattress
And his watch on any hand between his thighs
And I'm gonna lock my son up in a tower
Till I write my whole life story on the back of his big brown eyes

When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing [Repeat: x4]

I'm gonna tell my son to join a circus so that death is cheap
And games are just another way of life
And I'm gonna tell my son to be a prophet of mistakes
Because for every truth there are half a million lies
And I'm gonna lock my son up in a tower
Till he learns to let his hair down far enough to climb outside

When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing [Repeat: x4]

Overall Meaning

In the song Whip-Smart by Liz Phair, the lyrics depict a mother's hopes and fears for her son. The first stanza conveys the mother's desire for her son to be both physically attractive and intellectually astute. She wants him to be as green as grass, which symbolizes freshness and youthfulness, and as whip-smart as the English Channel is wide, indicating that she wants him to be sharp-witted and knowledgeable. In the same stanza, she advises him to keep his money hidden and his watch in a place that is difficult to access but always with him.

The second stanza reveals the mother's darker side. She contemplates the possibility of her son's death, suggesting that she wants him to live life to the fullest and take risks where necessary. She wants him to be a "prophet of mistakes" and acknowledge that for every truth, there are a million lies. In the final line, she reveals her desire to keep her son locked away in a tower until she writes her entire life story on the back of his brown eyes. This line suggests that the mother is possessive and controlling and wants her son to be under her control forever.

Overall, the lyrics of Whip-Smart offer a complex and nuanced look at the relationship between a mother and her son. At times, they reveal her hopes and dreams for him, while at other times, they convey her deepest fears and anxieties.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm gonna tell my son to grow up pretty as the grass is green
I want my son to be beautiful, just like how the grass is green

And whip-smart as the English Channel's wide
I also want him to be smart, as wide as the English Channel

And I'm gonna tell my son to keep his money in his mattress
I will advise him to stash his cash away safely under his bed

And his watch on any hand between his thighs
He should keep his watch on any hand, even between his legs

And I'm gonna lock my son up in a tower
I will confine him inside a castle tower where no one can reach him

Till I write my whole life story on the back of his big brown eyes
I will keep him there until I finish writing my autobiography on his brown eyes

When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing [Repeat: x4]
The line is a repetition of a phrase, emphasizing the joy of watching people do the double dutch dance

I'm gonna tell my son to join a circus so that death is cheap
I encourage him to become a part of a circus group as it might make death seem meaningless

And games are just another way of life
Playing games becomes an essential part of life

And I'm gonna tell my son to be a prophet of mistakes
He should learn from his mistakes and use that knowledge to guide others

Because for every truth there are half a million lies
There are a vast number of lies alongside every single truth

Till he learns to let his hair down far enough to climb outside
He must not be allowed out until he can successfully let his guard down and take a risk in escaping

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MCLAREN, PHAIR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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