Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl
The Barbarians Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

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
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)

Overall Meaning

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.
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