Alongside previous Stones releases that courted controversy ("Under My Thumb", "Brown Sugar", "Star Star") due to their apparently degrading lyrics towards women, "Some Girls" caused a ruckus among both feminists and civil rights activists over such lyrics as "black girls just want to get fucked all night" and "Chinese girls are so gentle; They're really such a tease." Singer Mick Jagger and the band defended the song, saying the lyrics mocked actual stereotypical feelings towards women.
The song is demonstrative of the unconventional uses of steel guitars heard throughout the Some Girls album, with an unusual, droning, phased 2-chord groove that's among the Stones' most unusual arrangements. The original cut of the song ran some twenty-three minutes and featured verses Jagger came up with as they went along. Harmonica player Sugar Blue provides some virtuosic blues-style solos on the track.
The song was featured heavily on the Stones' 1999 North American No Security Tour which concentrated on lesser-known songs from the band's catalogue.
A performance during the band's 2006 leg of the A Bigger Bang Tour was captured for the 2008 live album Shine a Light.
Some Girls
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some girls buy me clothes
Some girls give me jewelry
That I never thought I'd own
Some girls give me diamonds
Some girls, heart attacks
Some girls I give all my bread to
Some girls give me jewelry
Others buy me clothes
Some girls give me children
I never asked them for
So give me all your money
Give me all your gold
I'll buy you a house at Zuma beach
I'll give you half of what I own
Some girls take my money
Some girls take my clothes
Some girls get the shirt off my back
And leave me with a lethal dose
Yeah French girls they want Cartier
Italian girls want cars
American girls want everything in the world
You can possibly imagine
English girls they're so prissy
I can't stand them on the telephone
Sometimes I take the receiver off the hook
I don't want them to ever call at all
White girls they're pretty funny
Sometimes they drive me mad
Black girls just wanna get fucked all night
I just don't have that much jam
Chinese girls are so gentle
They're really such a tease
You never know quite what they're cookin'
Inside those silky sleeves
Give me all your money
Give me all your gold
I'll buy you a house at Zuma beach
I'll give you half of what I own
Yeah baby why don't you please come home
Some girls they're so pure
Some girls so corrupt
Some girls give me children
I only made love to her once
Give me half your money
Give me half your car
Give me half of everything
I'll make you world's biggest star
So gimme all your money
Give me all your gold
Let's go back to Zuma beach
I'll give you half of everything I own
The Rolling Stones’s song “Some Girls” features lyrics that describe how the band members interact with different types of women, highlighting the various gifts and burdens that come with each relationship. The song starts off by depicting how different women bring different benefits to the table such as money, clothes, and jewelry. The lyrics later suggest that some women may take more than they give, and that women from different cultures have unique attributes. The song implies that while the band members enjoy the company of various types of women, they also see them as contributing to their success.
The lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways. Some listeners may take the song at face value, as the band members describing their experiences with women. Others may see the song as a commentary on materialism and how it can affect relationships. The song may also be seen as a reflection of the time period in which it was written, as the 1970s and 80s were a time of shifting gender roles and sexual liberation. The lyrics may therefore be seen as a commentary on this changing social landscape.
Aside from the lyrics, “Some Girls” is notable for its intricate guitar work, featuring a distinctive riff that runs throughout the song. The song is also known for its controversial cover art, which features images of various celebrities alongside the band members. The album cover was intended to be a commentary on the changing roles of women in society, but was criticized by some for being sexist and exploitative.
Line by Line Meaning
Some girls give me money
Some girls provide me with financial assistance
Some girls buy me clothes
Some girls purchase clothing for me
Some girls give me jewelry
That I never thought I'd own
Some girls give me jewelry that I did not expect to possess
Some girls give me diamonds
Some girls give me diamond stones as gifts
Some girls, heart attacks
Some girls give me strong emotional responses
Some girls I give all my bread to
I don't ever want it back
Some girls I give all my money to, and I don't expect them to return it
Some girls give me jewelry
Others buy me clothes
Some girls prefer giving me jewelry, while others prefer buying me clothes
Some girls give me children
I never asked them for
Some girls have my children even though I did not ask for them
So give me all your money
Give me all your gold
Give me all the financial resources you have
I'll buy you a house at Zuma beach
I'll give you half of what I own
If you give me your money, I'll reward you with half of what I have
Some girls take my money
Some girls take my clothes
Some girls steal my money or my clothing
Some girls get the shirt off my back
And leave me with a lethal dose
Some girls take everything I have and leave me with nothing, causing me harm
Yeah French girls they want Cartier
Italian girls want cars
American girls want everything in the world
You can possibly imagine
French girls desire Cartier; Italian girls desire automobiles; American girls want everything under the sun
English girls they're so prissy
I can't stand them on the telephone
Sometimes I take the receiver off the hook
I don't want them to ever call at all
English girls are too formal for me; I dislike talking to them over the phone, and sometimes I take the phone off the hook so they can't call me again
White girls they're pretty funny
Sometimes they drive me mad
Black girls just wanna get fucked all night
I just don't have that much jam
White girls are amusing sometimes and can also drive me crazy; Black girls enjoy sex, and I am not as talented in that aspect
Chinese girls are so gentle
They're really such a tease
You never know quite what they're cookin'
Inside those silky sleeves
Chinese girls are gentle and teasing; I never know what is going on inside their silky sleeves
Give me half your money
Give me half your car
Give me half of everything
I'll make you world's biggest star
If you give me half of what you have, I'll help you become the biggest star in the world
Let's go back to Zuma beach
I'll give you half of everything I own
Yeah baby why don't you please come home
Let's return to Zuma Beach where I'll give you half of what I have; please come home
Some girls they're so pure
Some girls so corrupt
Some girls give me children
I only made love to her once
Some girls are innocent, some are immoral; some girls have my children, although I only had sex with them once
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gavin Masters
The sound those guitars working together make is mind blowing
Love this performance 👍🏽👍🏽
Life's great!
Pure cool never dies.
1airportsignguy
This is the best version of this song that I've ever heard. So much teamwork and energy. Nice.
Paul Schnyder
The Stones at their best. Wonderful stuff.
Jason Roman
The greatest band playing one of the greatest songs. It's the awesome things that make you realize how much the little things suck.
tleav61
These guys will never die.
Aguinaldo Cardin
tive o privilégio de ver esses caras ao vivo no Estadio de France. top; inesquecível
glencoe6305
Ronnie Woods,screaming Guitar with that slide @ 2:09,is killer.
sunflowers28
I noticed...😲💖🤩
Floricena Furtado de mesquita
Maravilhoso Mick ❣