Little Bitch
The Specials Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

One, two

One, two
If you ever hear a noise in the night
Your body starts to sweat
It shakes and shivers in fright
You go and sleep with your mother, she hates your guts
She knows that you love her so she holds you tight
All through the night, until the broad daylight
And when she doesn't come home you have to sleep alone
Then you wet your bed, and I think that's sad
For a girl of nineteen it's more than sad
It's obscene

One, two

And your girlfriend sweet little seventeen
She's got her layered hair, and her flared jeans
You know what that means?
She's just a little queen
She shares your London flat
She thinks that London's where it's at
Although it stinks and when it rains, you wear your hat
And your plum coloured PVC wet-look maxi-mac
You tie your ginger hair back in a bun
You're the ugliest creature
Under the sun

One, two, go

One, two
And you think it's about time that you died
And I agree, so you decide on suicide
You tried but you never quite carried it off
You only wanted to die in order to show off
And if you think you're gonna bleed all over me
You're even wronger than you'd normally be
And the only things you want to see are kitsch
The only thing you want to be is rich
Your little pink up-pointed nose begins to twitch
I know, you know, you're just a little bitch





One, two

Overall Meaning

"Little Bitch" by The Specials is a bold and unapologetic commentary on the vices and frailties of youth. The opening lines address the experience of hearing unidentifiable noises in the night and the terrifying reaction it can elicit, leading to seeking refuge in the comforting embrace of a parental figure. However, this relationship is fraught with a twisted level of love and hate, with the bedwetting being an indication of just how dysfunctional the relationship has become.


The following verse focuses on the singer's girlfriend who is described as being queen-like or self-absorbed, with a tendency to flaunt her youthful appearance and stylish outfits. Her naivety at thinking that London is the epicenter of cool points to the idea of coming of age in a period of political and social unrest where disillusionment with society and the government was common. The description of the PVC maxi-mac highlights the futility of fashion in practical terms, likening the singer's pursuit of style to that of a rat running a pointless and futile race.


The final verse ends with the singer's thoughts turning towards suicide, an act that is perceived not as a result of depression or psychological disorders but rather a need to prove something. This is indicative of the desire to be different regardless of the negative outcomes, a view that was prevalent within the anarchic punk movement that emerged in the late 1970s. The closing lines address the singer as a "little bitch," a direct call-out of the tendency of young people to be blinded by their self-centeredness and disregard for the present moment.


Line by Line Meaning

If you ever hear a noise in the night
When you hear a sound at night


Your body starts to sweat
You become afraid and anxious


It shakes and shivers in fright
Your body trembles with fear


You go and sleep with your mother, she hates your guts
You seek comfort from your mother, but she dislikes you


She knows that you love her so she holds you tight
She knows you have affection for her and embraces you


All through the night, until the broad daylight
She comforts you all night until morning


And when she doesn't come home you have to sleep alone
When she's not there, you have to cope alone


Then you wet your bed, and I think that's sad
You end up wetting the bed, which is unfortunate


For a girl of nineteen it's more than sad
It's especially unfortunate for a woman of that age


It's obscene
It's offensive or repulsive


And your girlfriend sweet little seventeen
Your girlfriend is young, just seventeen


She's got her layered hair, and her flared jeans
She wears styled clothing and trendy hair


You know what that means?
Do you know what that implies?


She's just a little queen
She's just a conceited person


She shares your London flat
She lives with you in London


She thinks that London's where it's at
She considers London the place to be


Although it stinks and when it rains, you wear your hat
Despite the city's unpleasant smells and weather, you still like it


And your plum coloured PVC wet-look maxi-mac
You have a purple waterproof coat made of shiny material


You tie your ginger hair back in a bun
You put your red hair in a ponytail


You're the ugliest creature
You consider yourself physically unattractive


Under the sun
In existence


And you think it's about time that you died
You believe it's time for you to pass away


And I agree, so you decide on suicide
I concur, so you choose to take your own life


You tried but you never quite carried it off
You made an attempt but didn't succeed


You only wanted to die in order to show off
You only wanted to commit suicide for attention


And if you think you're gonna bleed all over me
If you believe you'll harm me in some way


You're even wronger than you'd normally be
You're even more mistaken than you usually are


And the only things you want to see are kitsch
The only things you're interested in are tacky or low-quality


The only thing you want to be is rich
The only goal you have is to become wealthy


Your little pink up-pointed nose begins to twitch
Your small, pointed nose twitches involuntarily


I know, you know, you're just a little bitch
Both of us realize that you're a weak or unpleasant person




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jerry Dammers

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Lesley Warnock

RIP Terry Hall, the voice of a generation & my youth.
Thank you xx

Instrumental Humans

Still so sad over this😢

dlanodrelda

A lot of talent in this band and they were able to have fun and also send out positive messages.

SHUDWIK JEMNISKY

You still here?

rocketbride

This album just doesn't age. Wonderful spring soundtrack.

skahnk

Im here 2 years later and it still holds up

Colin Jennings

The best debut album of all time. Quite brilliant.

Robert Robertson

Played it too my much younger mate,,,he loved it and is now obsessed

Larz Gustafsson

One of the greatest albums ever made.

Carlos Ramirez

Great album!!! Play it all the way through

More Comments

More Versions