Trad
Nadine Shah Lyrics

The lyrics of Nadine Shah's song, "Trad", center around societal expectations placed on women to conform to traditional standards of beauty, reproduction, and marriage. The first two lines, "Shave my legs, freeze my eggs," indicate the pressure on women to maintain a certain physical appearance and preserve their fertility for future use. The following line, "Will you want me when I am old," suggests the anxiety and insecurity that women feel about their desirability and worth as they age.

The second verse reinforces these themes, as the singer asks to be taken to a ceremony and made holy matrimony, implying a desire to fulfill traditional societal expectations of women to marry and have children. The repetition of "make me" in this verse implies a lack of agency and choice in these decisions, highlighting the way that society often dictates how women should live their lives.

Throughout the song, there is a sense of resignation and compliance to these expectations, as the singer agrees to do as she is told, play nice, and shake on demands. Ultimately, the repeated refrain of "Take me to the ceremony, make me holy matrimony" emphasizes the pressure and expectation placed on women to conform to traditional gender roles, often at the expense of their own desires and autonomy.