Boys
The Shirelles Lyrics


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I been told when a boy kiss a girl
She takes a trip around the world, yeah-yeah
Hey-hey, hey-hey
Hey-hey
Hey, please say you do

Mama says, when you kiss my lips
I get a thrill through my fingertips, yeah-yeah (shap, shoo-bop, shap-shap, shoo-bop)
Hey-hey, hey-hey (shap, shoo-bop, shap-shap, shoo-bop)
Hey-hey (shap, shoo-bop, shap-shap, shoo-bop)
Hey, please say you do (shap, shoo-bop, shap-shap, shoo-bop)

Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Don't ya know I mean boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Don't ya know I mean boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Hey, what a bundle of joy (yeah-yeah, boys)

Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Don't ya know I mean boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Don't ya know I mean boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Hey, what a bundle of joy (yeah-yeah, boys)
Boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Ya know I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Well, boys (yeah-yeah, boys)

Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah)

Overall Meaning

The Shirelles’ song, “Boys,” is a playful ode to the excitement and thrill that comes with young love, specifically the phenomenon of a boy kissing a girl. The song begins with the romantic notion that when a boy kisses a girl, she takes a trip around the world, emphasizing the dizzying and exhilarating effect of romance on the teenage heart. This theme is echoed in the next verse, in which Mama says that when you kiss my lips, I get a thrill through my fingertips. The song then breaks into a catchy refrain, “Hey-hey, hey-hey, hey-hey, hey, please say you do,” expressing the desire for the object of one’s affection to reciprocate the feelings.


The rest of the song continues with various affirmations of the joy and excitement that comes with young love, with the repetition of “boys” in the chorus serving to reinforce the idea that boys themselves are the catalysts for these feelings. The song is pervaded with a joyful and upbeat energy, with the playful lyrics and catchy melody reflecting the carefree joy of youth and the thrill of falling in love for the first time.


Line by Line Meaning

I been told when a boy kiss a girl
They say that when a boy kisses a girl


She takes a trip around the world, yeah-yeah
It's said that she'll feel like she's traveled the world


Hey-hey, hey-hey


Hey-hey


Hey, please say you do
So please, say you'll do it with me


Mama says, when you kiss my lips
My mother says that when someone kisses her lips


I get a thrill through my fingertips, yeah-yeah (shap, shoo-bop, shap-shap, shoo-bop)
She's overcome with excitement, as the hand movements suggest


Hey-hey, hey-hey (shap, shoo-bop, shap-shap, shoo-bop)


Hey-hey (shap, shoo-bop, shap-shap, shoo-bop)


Hey, please say you do (shap, shoo-bop, shap-shap, shoo-bop)
So please, say you'll do it with me (hand movements again)


Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
The topic of discussion is boys


Don't ya know I mean boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
And by boys, I mean boys


Hey, what a bundle of joy (yeah-yeah, boys)
They bring so much happiness


Boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Boys in general


Ya know I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
You know I mean boys


Well, boys (yeah-yeah, boys)


Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah, boys)
Yes, I'm still talking about boys


Well, I'm talkin' 'bout boys (yeah-yeah)
I can't stress enough, it's boys I'm talking about




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Luther Dixon, Wes Farrell

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@seoulfulmatt6155

"Eat dirt! Eat it!"
"Kick his ass!"
"Does it taste good? Huh?"
"Yeah, listen to your Meemaw! Kick his ass!"
"You're gonna cry? Huh? Do it! Cry!"
"George, do something! Break it up!"
"Hang on, she's winning"
"Missy! Missy Cooper! You stop beating up that boy!"
"Punch him in the nuts!"



All comments from YouTube:

@Mokkari77

Always wondered why Ringo was singing about boys and found it was a cover of a girl group song.

@georgiethumbs2438

Paul, John and George didn't want to sing the lead because they thought it would look queer "don't you know I need boys", but they liked the song so much they wanted to do it so they had Ringo sing it. Rumor has it that Paul did in fact sing it at the Cavern and Brian Epstein saw it and that he assumed they were a gay group which is why he became obsessive about them, they did look gay as well back then with the haircuts and all leather outfits. It was a lucky break for them because a straight manager would have never been as dedicated and they would have never got a record deal. Epstein using his own money would take the train all the way to London, which is a hell of a distance from Liverpool, and literally go to every possible record company pushing the Beatles using crappy audition tapes, and he did it over and over and over while running NEMS record store. There is NO way in hell a straight manager would have ever done that. The Beatles always seemed to have this unbelievable luck, 1st meeting each other, then getting the opportunity to play 12 hours a day in clubs for months on end in Hamburg, then coming across the Beatle haircuts through the German beatniks, meeting Epstein, and then George Martin and Norman Smith and Goeff Emerick who were these genius engineers who were recording with quality 20 years ahead of its time.

@mrmurph5046

And the idiot know-nothings speak.......

@mrmurph5046

Georgie Thumbs It's "Don't you know I MEAN boys". You write a meandering, bloviated book on the subject and your first premise isn't even accurate.

@mrmurph5046

Murquinho roubou meu boss You should know gay. You see one every time you look in the mirror!

@DumDumDurin

Tbh Idk if it's them themselves being gay per say, or rather the time and era that it was (yes yes it sounds like an excuse) but I mean, during those times, guys weren't all that afraid to get a little cosy or dress up a little bc it just made em look good for the girls, contrasting with todays society. I mean, if a new band popped up now and tried to the same things that The Beatles did, they'd probably get called names like "queer" and shit bc in today's standards, they're quite clean-cut however back then they were considered rebels. Idk man, think what ya want, that's just my ten cents on it :)

17 More Replies...

@seoulfulmatt6155

"Eat dirt! Eat it!"
"Kick his ass!"
"Does it taste good? Huh?"
"Yeah, listen to your Meemaw! Kick his ass!"
"You're gonna cry? Huh? Do it! Cry!"
"George, do something! Break it up!"
"Hang on, she's winning"
"Missy! Missy Cooper! You stop beating up that boy!"
"Punch him in the nuts!"

@Wesleyk1ng-t2u

My favorite episode 😂

@dav01kar

I have no idea what your on about lol

@TheNaturalistGuy

​​@@dav01karit's a quote from the show Young Sheldon!

It's an episode where Sheldon's sister named Missy beats up a boy at her baseball game while Sheldon has an intellectual battle on a computer with someone.

(The show Young Sheldon is a 1990s themed spinoff of the hit show called; "The Big Bang Theory" which is a comedy show about adult Sheldon. Sheldon is a little boy who has a remarkable mind where he spends his days talking about metaphysics and quantum stuff, and he went to college at 11 years old. In Young Sheldon, we get to watch as he grows up alongside his family, and it's a really good show.)

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