The Barbarians formed in 1964 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. While their debut single, "Hey Little Bird" (on Joy Records) bombed, two of their next three singles (on Laurie) charted on Billboard, (with "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?" peaking at #55) and also made the Cash Box charts.
They received their biggest break when featured on The T.A.M.I. Show (performing "Hey Little Bird") alongside other artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, Lesley Gore, Chuck Berry, James Brown, and Marvin Gaye.
As their name implies, their image relied heavily on looking barbaric. They wore leather sandals and grew their hair longer than most of their contemporaries. One-armed drummer Victor "Moulty" Moulton had a prosthetic claw on his left arm. He had lost part of his left arm in an explosion at the age of 14. Moulty was able to play drums using the prosthesis to hold a drum stick. Their minor hit "Moulty" was a humorous and melodramatic autobiographical song chronicling the drummer's life and the loss of his hand. The Barbarians disbanded in 1966.
The Ramones' song Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? includes Moulty in its list of rock 'n' roll figures and institutions.
2) Streetpunk band from Barberà del Vallés, Catalonia
Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl
The Barbarians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or are you a girl
With your long blonde hair
You look like a girl (yeah)
(You look like a girl)
You may be a boy
You look like a girl
You're either a girl
Or you come from Liverpool
(Yeah, Liverpool)
You can dog like a female monkey
But you swim like a stone
(Yeah, a rolling stone)
You may be a boy (hey)
You look like a girl (hey)
Hey
You're always wearing skin tight pants
And boys wear pants
But in skin tight pants
You look like a girl
(Yeah, you look like a girl)
You may be a boy (hey)
You look like a girl (hey)
Are you a boy
Or are you a girl
With your long blonde hair
You look like a girl (yeah)
(You look like a girl)
You may be a boy (hey)
You look like a girl
Yeah, you look like a girl (hey)
Yeah, you look like a girl (hey)
Yeah, you look like a girl (hey)
Yeah, you look like a girl (hey)
The Barbarians' song "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl" was released in 1965, at a time when gender roles and expectations were rigidly defined. The lyrics of the song are a commentary on the appearance and behavior of an individual who is androgynous in their presentation. The song opens with the question, "Are you a boy or are you a girl?" and goes on to describe the person's long blonde hair, which is traditionally associated with femininity. The refrain repeats the line, "You may be a boy, but you look like a girl." The song seems to be suggesting that the person's appearance does not conform to societal expectations of gender, and that this may be confusing for others.
The song also references the person's behavior, suggesting that they can "dog like a female monkey" but "swim like a stone." These statements seem to be saying that the person's behavior is also not easily classifiable as male or female. The song is critical of the person's tight pants, which are worn by both males and females, but the song implies that they make the person look more feminine.
Overall, the song seems to be questioning the boundaries of gender and suggesting that appearance and behavior can be more fluid and ambiguous than society often allows.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you a boy
Are you a male individual
Or are you a girl
Or are you a female individual
With your long blonde hair
Your hair is not only long, but also blonde in color
You look like a girl (yeah)
Your physical appearance resembles that of a female (yes, it does)
(You look like a girl)
(Your physical appearance resembles that of a female)
You may be a boy
It is possible that you are a male individual
You look like a girl
Your physical appearance resembles that of a female
You're either a girl
You can only be one of two genders
Or you come from Liverpool
Or you originate from the city of Liverpool
(Yeah, Liverpool)
(Yes, the city of Liverpool)
You can dog like a female monkey
You have the ability to move like a monkey which is typically associated with the female gender
But you swim like a stone
But your swimming ability is poor and resembles that of a stone sinking in water
(Yeah, a rolling stone)
(Yes, like a stone rolling on the ground)
Hey
An informal greeting or attention grabber
You're always wearing skin tight pants
Your clothing choice includes pants that fit tightly to your body
And boys wear pants
Typically, males wear pants as part of their wardrobe
But in skin tight pants
However, when wearing pants that are tightly fitted to the body
You look like a girl
Your physical appearance resembles that of a female
(Yeah, you look like a girl)
(Yes, your physical appearance resembles that of a female)
Are you a boy
Are you a male individual
Or are you a girl
Or are you a female individual
With your long blonde hair
Your hair is not only long, but also blonde in color
You look like a girl (yeah)
Your physical appearance resembles that of a female (yes, it does)
(You look like a girl)
(Your physical appearance resembles that of a female)
You may be a boy (hey)
It is possible that you are a male individual (informal greeting)
You look like a girl (hey)
Your physical appearance resembles that of a female (informal greeting)
Yeah, you look like a girl (hey)
Yes, your physical appearance resembles that of a female (informal greeting)
Yeah, you look like a girl (hey)
Yes, your physical appearance resembles that of a female (informal greeting)
Yeah, you look like a girl (hey)
Yes, your physical appearance resembles that of a female (informal greeting)
Yeah, you look like a girl (hey)
Yes, your physical appearance resembles that of a female (informal greeting)
Contributed by Micah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.