MIA
M.I.A./Diplo Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

You can watch TV and watch the media
President Bush doing takeover
Kate Moss in ads for mascara
All my youth the young offender
The bill payers, the drug dealers
Girls who are magazine covers
The part-time jobbers at the call center
No career plans cause you won't go far
Put away change for Ibiza and
Check your credit on your new Nokia

You can be a follower but who's your leader?
Break the cycle or it will kill ya
Break the cycle or it will kill ya
You leader, you lead, uh, do what you do
What really good's gonna happen to you?
What really good's gonna happen to you?

Your prime minister to your employer
Ego lovers need more power
Trendsetters make things better
Don't sell out to be product pushers
The gyro casher and baby makers
Try something new cause it ain't over
All poor people from all over
Lottery's got a rollover

You can be a follower but who's your leader?
Break the cycle or it will kill ya
Break the cycle or it will kill ya

Cherokee Indian, Iraqi and Indians
Girls and me girls when they come to the fellas and
Japanese, Moroccan, Caribbean, African




That's your life but who the fuck's your president?
You don't get my life cause I don't have a side and I
Spread dat boy 'I'm a mile wide and I
Got brown skin, I'm a west Londoner
Educated, but a refugee, still.
You wanna boy, you're old, you go
You wanna fight, you suck, you blow

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to M.I.A. and Diplo's song "MIA" are a reflection on modern society and the role that people play in it. The song describes the various types of people in society, from those who watch TV and consume media to those who work at call centers or are drug dealers. It also criticizes those who lack direction and ambition, pointing out that they won't go far without career plans. The lyrics urge people to break free from the cycle of conformity that society can sometimes impose, and to take control of their own lives before it's too late.


The song makes references to a number of social and political issues, including the takeover of the Bush administration, the role of the media and advertising, and the power struggles between different groups of people. The lyrics also make references to various ethnic groups and cultures, highlighting the diverse nature of modern society.


Line by Line Meaning

You can watch TV and watch the media
You can consume information from television and media


President Bush doing takeover
President Bush is exerting control over things


Kate Moss in ads for mascara
Kate Moss is featured in mascara advertisements


All my youth the young offender
I have seen many young people being in trouble with the law


The bill payers, the drug dealers
People who both pay their bills and sell drugs


Girls who are magazine covers
Female models featured on the cover of magazines


The part-time jobbers at the call center
People who work part-time jobs in call centers


No career plans cause you won't go far
Not aspiring to have a career because of limited opportunities


Put away change for Ibiza and
Saving money for vacations in Ibiza


Check your credit on your new Nokia
Monitoring one's credit score using a new Nokia phone


You can be a follower but who's your leader?
Choosing between being a follower or having someone to look up to


Break the cycle or it will kill ya
Stop repeating negative patterns or it will harm you


Your prime minister to your employer
Statuses ranging from the prime minister to employers


Ego lovers need more power
People who love themselves too much crave more power


Trendsetters make things better
People who set trends make things better


Don't sell out to be product pushers
Don't compromise integrity to push products


The gyro casher and baby makers
People who work in fast food and those who have children


Try something new cause it ain't over
Try something new because life is not over


All poor people from all over
Poor individuals from all around the world


Lottery's got a rollover
The lottery jackpot keeps increasing


Cherokee Indian, Iraqi and Indians
People of various races and nationalities


Girls and me girls when they come to the fellas and
Women and I when interacting with men


Japanese, Moroccan, Caribbean, African
People of various nationalities


That's your life but who the fuck's your president?
Questioning who someone's president is


You don't get my life cause I don't have a side and I
You cannot understand my life since I live unaligned and


Spread dat boy 'I'm a mile wide and I
Radiate positive energy and confidence but


Got brown skin, I'm a west Londoner
I have brown skin and hail from West London


Educated, but a refugee, still.
Despite being educated, I am still a refugee


You wanna boy, you're old, you go
Don't bother me with your desires, older man


You wanna fight, you suck, you blow
You are not worth my time if you want to fight.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MATHANGI ARULPRAGASAM, JUSTINE FRISCHMANN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@dylz

this video was featured on the youtube front page in summer 2008 when "paper planes" was starting to get big, but most people didn't know who these people were and gave it a one-star rating (youtube was doing stars then) because they thought it was a random lip-sync video and they were used to try-hard "comedic" garbage being featured on the front page constantly. the description on this video at the time just said "look how cute we were" and didn't say anything about diplo or m.i.a.

@rush3l981

Yoo seriously bro😮🔥 I was a kid those days😂💔

@s8v1

loved reading this

@alejandromoreno5056

wtf are you talking about?

@cosmicletter1188

​@Alejandro Moreno that's what I was thinking this dude is probably talking about some old early YouTube Era shit

@Munnwort

@@alejandromoreno5056was it really hard for you to comprehend? lmao thats not good

7 More Replies...

@RadicalComedy

I will say one thing....this song is going to be a #1 hit...Its rhythm and sound is on point! ~Raven

@asap5629

wow

@necromantis.

now this song is literally internet history

@walnuthead

Nice prediction lol

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