L.I.P.
The Presidents of the United States of America Lyrics

The song L.I.P. by The Presidents of the United States of America is an interesting one. At first glance, the lyrics seem to be nonsensical and a bit controversial. However, upon closer inspection, the lyrics take on a deeper meaning about the cultural appropriation of Native American culture.

The first verse speaks of physical features often associated with Native Americans, such as freckles, brown eyes, and a love of cow meat. The next line, “Beautiful pearly statue, I couldn’t eat meat without you,” seems to be a reference to the reverence Native Americans had for the buffalo, which was a source of sustenance, clothing, and tools for them. The chorus repeats the line “You’re my little Indian Princess” multiple times, which can be interpreted as a stereotype often perpetuated about Native American women being submissive and exotic.

The second verse speaks of taking an Indian Princess off “the vegetation” and selling e-coli burgers. This line can be seen as a commentary on the exploitation of Native American land for economic gain. The line “Couldn’t do no harm” seems to be sarcastic, implying that harm is indeed being done. The last two lines of the verse seem to be a segue into a new topic, one of the singer using whatever means necessary to get money to buy ice-cream at Dick’s.