Born and raised in San Diego, California, RuPaul later studied performing arts in Atlanta, Georgia. He settled in New York City, where he became a popular fixture on the LGBTQ+ nightclub scene. He achieved international fame as a drag queen with the release of his debut single, "Supermodel (You Better Work)", which was included on his debut studio album Supermodel of the World (1993). He became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics in 1994, raising money for the Mac AIDS Fund and becoming the first drag queen to land a major cosmetics campaign. He later received his own talk show on VH1 called The RuPaul Show, which he hosted for over 100 episodes while co-hosting the morning radio show on WKTU with Michelle Visage.
RuPaul's Drag Race was created in 2009 and has gone on to produce fourteen seasons in the United States. The show has also seen success internationally, with several international variants of the show being made, such as RuPaul's Drag Race UK and Canada's Drag Race. This has also inspired several spin-offs of the main show, including RuPaul's Drag U, RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, and RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. He is also featured as a host on other reality television series such as Skin Wars, Good Work, and Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul.
RuPaul has made appearances in films such as Crooklyn (1994), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), television shows such as Girlboss (2017), Broad City (2017), and Grace and Frankie (2019). He later created and starred in his own Netflix original television series AJ and the Queen (2020). In addition, he has also published three books: Lettin' It All Hang Out (1995), Workin' It! RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style (2010), and GuRu (2018).
RuPaul is considered the most commercially successful drag queen in the United States. For his work on RuPaul's Drag Race, he has received 12 Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the most-awarded person of color in the history of the Primetime Emmys. Outside of film and television, he also continues to write and record music; he has released fourteen studio albums as of 2022, and received a Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop.
Get Your Rebel On
RuPaul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where's my dummy gun?
Shoot 'em up, bang-bang-bang
I say we forget the noise!
Take 'em one by one
Get it done, hey-hey-hey
The hypocrisy (Saying that you will but you won't)
The audacity (Tell us that our love is wrong)
Get Your Rebel On (oh)
So stand up! Light a fire up!
Gotta fight to live how you wanna love
And raise your voices, sing a battle song!
A revolution
Get your rebel on!
Stand up! Light a fire up!
Gotta fight to live how you wanna love
And raise your voices, sing a battle song!
A revolution
Get your rebel on!
(O-o-oh, ah) I'm gonna be there
(O-o-oh, ah) Am I gonna see you tonight?
If you can dance, you can start a revolution
Be a freedom fighter,
Synthesize a boom-boom-boom
Use your body as weapon of mass destruction
New York to L.A.
Devastate, oh-oh-oh
High society (Better when we're left alone)
The hypocrisy (Saying that you will but you won't)
The audacity (Tell us that our love is wrong)
Get Your Rebel On (oh)
So stand up! Light a fire up!
Gotta fight to live how you wanna love
And raise your voices, sing a battle song
A revolution
Get your rebel on!
Stand up! Light a fire up!
Gotta fight to live how you wanna love
And raise your voices, sing a battle song
A revolution
Get your rebel on!
(O-o-oh, ah) I'm gonna be there
(O-o-oh, ah) Am I gonna see you tonight?
(O-o-oh, ah) I'm gonna be there
(O-o-oh, ah) Am I gonna see you tonight?
Be a rebel tonight
Be a rebel tonight
Love, be a rebel tonight (oh-oh-oh)
Be a rebel tonight (oh-oh)
Love, be a rebel tonight (oh-oh)
Be a rebel tonight (oh-oh)
So stand up! Light a fire up!
Gotta fight to live how you wanna love
And raise your voices, sing a battle song
A revolution
Get your rebel on!
Stand up! Light a fire up!
Gotta fight to live how you wanna love
And raise your voices, sing a battle song
A revolution
Get your rebel on!
(O-o-oh, ah) I'm gonna be there
(O-o-oh, ah) Am I gonna see you tonight?
(O-o-oh, ah) I'm gonna be there
(O-o-oh, ah) Am I gonna see you tonight?
The lyrics of Get Your Rebel On by RuPaul encourage rebellious action against societal standards and expectations. The overall theme of the song is the idea of standing up against conformity and expressing oneself authentically. RuPaul challenges the listener to take action against the status quo and to embody a "rebel" spirit. The lyric "Where's my dummy gun? Shoot 'em up, bang-bang-bang" can be interpreted as a call to arms for the listener to take on their oppressors or obstacles. The song functions as a battle cry, urging listeners to stand up and fight for their right to love and be whomever they want to be.
RuPaul references the tensions between high society and everyday people, as well as the hypocrisy of those in power. The lyrics "The audacity (Tell us that our love is wrong)" likely references the discrimination and stigmatization of the LGBTQ+ community. The call to arms is for people to reject these social norms and rise up against the forces that seek to suppress their individuality.
The chorus of the song explicitly calls for rebellion, with lines like "Raise your voices, sing a battle song! A revolution, get your rebel on!" and "Use your body as a weapon of mass destruction." Through the lyrics, RuPaul suggests that one's very existence and expression can be a powerful form of resistance.
Overall, Get Your Rebel On is a bold and inspiring song that encourages individuality and standing up against oppressive societal norms.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm fed up with a stupid world!
I am tired of living in a world that does not make sense
Where's my dummy gun?
I need a toy gun or some kind of weapon to cope with this frustration
Shoot 'em up, bang-bang-bang
I want to express my angst by pretending to shoot people
I say we forget the noise!
We need to ignore the distractions and focus on what really matters
Take 'em one by one
Deal with problems one at a time instead of being overwhelmed
Get it done, hey-hey-hey
Let's do what needs to be done to make things right
High society (Better when we're left alone)
The elite class is best when they do not interfere with our lives
The hypocrisy (Saying that you will but you won't)
People who claim they will help but do not follow through are deceitful
The audacity (Tell us that our love is wrong)
It is outrageous for others to judge our love or lack thereof
Get Your Rebel On (oh)
Let's embrace our rebellious side and stand up for what is right
Stand up! Light a fire up!
We need to take action and ignite a spark to make change happen
Gotta fight to live how you wanna love
We must battle for our freedom to love and live as we choose
And raise your voices, sing a battle song!
Our voices and actions are powerful tools to fight for justice
A revolution
We need a revolution to change the world for the better
If you can dance, you can start a revolution
Even something as simple as dancing can inspire others to fight for change
Be a freedom fighter, Synthesize a boom-boom-boom
We need to be fighters for freedom and create something new and exciting
Use your body as weapon of mass destruction
Our bodies can be used to make a significant impact and promote change
New York to L.A.
Our message must spread from coast to coast
Devastate, oh-oh-oh
We must be bold and cause real change
Be a rebel tonight
We need to be rebellious and fight for our rights
Love, be a rebel tonight (oh-oh-oh)
Let love be the driving force for our rebellious nature tonight
Contributed by Kaylee W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jessica Brianne Thompson
I love how gays and drag queens and people like that are considered unnatural and bad by so many people, yet a RuPaul, a DRAG QUEEN, is a better influence than half of the "good influences" in the world. We need more songs like RuPaul's on the radio.
Erin Trunks
Yes we do
Petti Labelle
I'm surprised Ru doesn't push this song out there more. This is my favorite song of hers by far! Definitely inspiring!
boo hoo
With all the gun problems in the USA I’m sure he wouldn’t even dear to push it
Steven Nicholson
+Siren Charles No. In the challenge for season 4, Kenya did a commercial for this.
Siren Charles
Isn't this song leaked
Robin Ruby
I've seen every season of drag race multiple times and this is the first time that I actually looked up this song and listened to it and DAMN, lyrics wise, this is my favourite song our queen has put out <3
Andres Carranza
+ItsRobinWhoTalks the same
Alexis Williams
This song makes me want to strut down the street singing it with the city on fire!
Carmen R.
This is the stuff that should get on radio. Teach the children and walk them in nature mawma!