Baby Stays
Sage Francis Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I got nothing to teach the learnin' curve of your body
I got teeth that could hurt you prolly
With one bite
A tongue with spikes, a rusty knife
I wish you'd take it from me
An gut me like a fish. up tight and selfish
Got a lust for life and a death wish
They're husband and wife and they
Fuck like they're helpless
Am I a product of uninteresting sex
If I'm bored by your pillow-talk and Newport cigarettes?
She chews on fiberglass like a teething infant
He breathes in her stink and seems indifferent
She dreams of children
He hears the pitter-patter of little fetuses
He's like "stand by me,
There's a leech in my briefs and it's bleeding like a stuck pig
Come quick!"
Think of a baby's name, she wanted to call it Quits
I'm a name him Raymond and raise him
Like I don't know my own strength
And bench-press the baby naked

Hold it to the sky, like "look what I did!
It's mine, and you can't have it."
Until it rains, and when it rains
He sticks out his tongue to catch it
The baby stays

He just stares into the abyss 'til the abyss blinks
Instincts pop up to the surface like pinpricks
Still flinch
Manhandle the kill switch
Peg meet square, get dismantled by drill-bits
The deconstruction of a functional addict
Leaving assumptions to a bunch of fanatics
It's just standard procedure
With a automatic pilot light
Hide behind a white lab rain coat 'cause the water broke
Press eject
First comes the head, then the neck
Then the body avalanches out the tape deck
Flappin' on the ground like a fish out of its element
No one wants to acknowledge the carnage, the mess or elephant
That's in the room
Connected to the womb with a lifeline
Labored all day through the morning noon and nighttime
Then we cut the cord, fully aware
What we keep on the inside's too personal to share
Now we hold it in the air, like "look what happened!"
If we throw it out with the bath water
Will you catch it?
Or let it go down the drain
If it goes down the drain I'm a snatch it
The baby stays
The baby stays

And I'm a hold it to the sky, like "look what I did!
It's mine, and you can't have it."
Until it rains, and when it rains
He sticks out his tongue to catch it
The baby stays




The baby stays
The baby stays

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sage Francis's song "Baby Stays" are complex and require some analysis. The song tells the story of a dysfunctional relationship between two people who seem trapped in a cycle of boredom, lust, and indifference. The singer of the song seems to be an outsider looking in, describing the couple's sexual habits and desires in graphic detail.


The song begins with the singer acknowledging that he has nothing to teach the couple about sex - they seem to have a "learnin' curve" that is beyond his understanding. He describes himself as having "teeth that could hurt you prolly, with one bite" and a "tongue with spikes, a rusty knife." These lines suggest that the singer sees himself as potentially dangerous, and perhaps even a threat to the couple's relationship.


The couple themselves are depicted as having a "lust for life and a death wish," and "fuck[ing] like they're helpless." The singer wonders if his boredom with their conversations and habits is a reflection of their uninteresting sex life. The woman in the couple chews on fiberglass, while the man seems indifferent to her efforts to become pregnant.


The second half of the song takes a turn, describing the process of giving birth and holding the newborn baby in the air. The image of the baby staying, even as everything else changes and falls away, becomes a powerful symbol of resilience and hope.


Overall, "Baby Stays" is a dark, complicated song that explores themes of sex, death, and birth. The singer's perspective is ambiguous, and it's hard to know if he sees himself as a hero or a villain in the story he's telling.


Line by Line Meaning

I got nothing to teach the learnin' curve of your body
I don't feel like I can teach you anything about your own body.


I got teeth that could hurt you prolly With one bite
I have sharp teeth that could hurt you with one bite.


A tongue with spikes, a rusty knife I wish you'd take it from me
My tongue is like a weapon and I wish you would take it away from me.


An gut me like a fish. up tight and selfish Got a lust for life and a death wish
I feel like I'm being gutted like a fish and I'm uptight and selfish. I have a strong desire to live life but also a desire to die.


They're husband and wife and they Fuck like they're helpless
The couple are married and have sex like they are helpless.


Am I a product of uninteresting sex If I'm bored by your pillow-talk and Newport cigarettes?
If I'm not interested in your conversations after sex or smoking Newport cigarettes, does that mean I'm a product of uninteresting sex?


She chews on fiberglass like a teething infant He breathes in her stink and seems indifferent
She chews on fiberglass, similar to a teething infant, while he seems indifferent as he breathes in her smell.


She dreams of children He hears the pitter-patter of little fetuses
She dreams of having children while he can hear the sound of little fetuses in her womb.


He's like "stand by me, There's a leech in my briefs and it's bleeding like a stuck pig Come quick!"
He calls out for her to come quickly because there is a leech in his briefs and it is bleeding heavily.


Think of a baby's name, she wanted to call it Quits I'm a name him Raymond and raise him Like I don't know my own strength And bench-press the baby naked
She wanted to give the baby a name that sounds like quitting, but he decides to name the baby Raymond and raise him as if he doesn't know his own strength. He also jokes about bench-pressing the baby naked.


Hold it to the sky, like "look what I did! It's mine, and you can't have it." Until it rains, and when it rains He sticks out his tongue to catch it The baby stays
He holds the baby up to the sky and says "look what I did", implying that he is the one who created it and no one else can have it. When it starts raining, he sticks out his tongue to catch it, while still holding the baby up to the sky. Despite the rain, the baby stays with him.


He just stares into the abyss 'til the abyss blinks Instincts pop up to the surface like pinpricks Still flinch
He stares into the unknown and waits until it responds, which scares him. His instincts keep coming to the surface, but he still flinches.


Manhandle the kill switch Peg meet square, get dismantled by drill-bits The deconstruction of a functional addict
He handles the switch that kills his addictions, but he is taken apart by drill bits. He describes himself as a functional addict who is slowly being deconstructed.


Leaving assumptions to a bunch of fanatics It's just standard procedure With a automatic pilot light Hide behind a white lab rain coat 'cause the water broke Press eject
He leaves assumptions to a group of extremists, and describes his actions as just following automatic procedures. He hides behind a white lab coat when the water breaks, and presses the eject button.


First comes the head, then the neck Then the body avalanches out the tape deck Flappin' on the ground like a fish out of its element No one wants to acknowledge the carnage, the mess or elephant That's in the room
He describes the birthing process as first the head comes out, then the neck, and then the rest of the body follows. The body comes out quickly and seems disoriented, like a fish out of water. Despite the mess, no one wants to acknowledge it.


Connected to the womb with a lifeline Labored all day through the morning noon and nighttime Then we cut the cord, fully aware What we keep on the inside's too personal to share Now we hold it in the air, like "look what happened!"
The baby was connected to the womb with a lifeline and the mother had been in labor all day. After the cord is cut, they hold the baby up in the air, letting everyone know what happened. However, they are still aware that what happens inside is too personal to share with just anyone.


If we throw it out with the bath water Will you catch it? Or let it go down the drain If it goes down the drain I'm a snatch it The baby stays
If they get rid of the baby, will anyone catch it or will it just go down the drain? If it goes down the drain, the artist will snatch it back. Despite this uncertainty, the baby stays with them and they hold it up for everyone to see.


And I'm a hold it to the sky, like "look what I did! It's mine, and you can't have it." Until it rains, and when it rains He sticks out his tongue to catch it The baby stays The baby stays The baby stays
He holds the baby up to the sky and says "look what I did", implying that he created the baby and no one else can have it. When it starts raining, he sticks out his tongue to catch the raindrops, while still holding the baby up to the sky. Despite the rain, the baby stays with him, and he repeats this phrase to emphasize this point.




Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Sage Francis, Tim Rutili

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Cheche Garcia


on Buckets Of Silence

I never held a funeral for that big part of me that died.
I need to put these thoughts to rest. i need to find a peace of mind.
I need to piece my mind, find a piece of mind to rest in.
need to find someone to confide in, and with the rest i need to start restin'.
needless to say, i couldn't hide.
fifteen grown men shouldn't cry.

Cheche Garcia


on Message Sent

I've got some letters inside of my drawer
that should have been stamped and delivered
One is addressed to my ex
it says I'm the type of kid who can't be lived with
One is addressed to my friends
it says I'm a mess so y'all can't visit
One is addressed to myself
but I don't know what personality or hand to give it

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