Founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1959, The Supremes began as a quartet called The Primettes. Founding members Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglas public housing project in Detroit, were the sister act to The Primes (later The Temptations). In 1960, Barbara Martin replaced McGlown, and the group signed with Motown in 1961 as The Supremes. Martin left at the end of 1961, and Ross, Ballard, and Wilson carried on as a trio. After they achieved success in the mid-1960s with Ross as the lead singer, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes in 1967, and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. Ross left the group for a solo career in 1970, and was replaced by Jean Terrell. After 1972, the lineup of the Supremes changed frequently, with Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Greene all becoming members before the group ended its eighteen-year existence in 1977.
These Boots Are Made For Walking
The Supremes Lyrics
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Something you call love but confess
You've been a'messin' where you shouldn't 've been a'messin'
And now someone else is getting all your best
Well, these boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you
You keep lyin' when you oughta be truthin'
You keep losing when you oughta not bet
What's right is right but you ain't been right yet
These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you
You keep playing where you shouldn't be playing
And you keep thinking that you'll never get burnt,hah
Well, I've just found me a brand new box of matches, yeah
And what he knows you ain't have time to learn
These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you
Are you ready, boots?
Start walkin'
The Supremes's hit song "These Boots Are Made For Walking" is a confrontational and empowering song that is more than just a catchy tune. The lyrics of the song seem to refer to a deceitful man who has been caught in his lies, and now the woman is taking back control over her own life. The opening line, "You keep saying you got something for me" is a warning to the man who has been promising the woman love and affection but is not delivering. The following line, "something you call love but confess", also indicates that the woman does not believe the man truly loves her.
The next set of lyrics, "You've been a'messin' where you shouldn't 've been a'messin' and now someone else is getting all your best" suggest that the man in the song has been cheating on the woman, and now someone else is enjoying the best parts of him while the woman is left with his lies. The chorus of the song, "Well, these boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do, one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you" declares that the woman is done with the man's deceitful behavior and is ready to take back control over her life. The lyrics, "You keep lyin' when you oughta be truthin', you keep losing when you oughta not bet" suggest that the man's dishonesty is putting him at a disadvantage in his life, and the woman is not willing to stand by and watch him ruin himself.
The final set of lyrics, "You keep playing where you shouldn't be playing, and you keep thinking that you'll never get burnt, hah, well, I've just found me a brand new box of matches, yeah, and what he knows you ain't have time to learn" portrays that the woman has found out about the man's infidelity and now has something that will give him a taste of his own medicine. The song's final line, "Are you ready, boots? Start walkin'" is a powerful statement of liberation for the woman, indicating that she is ready to move on from the man and start walking toward a better life.
Line by Line Meaning
You keep saying you got something for me
You keep telling me that you have feelings for me
Something you call love but confess
You claim to love me, but I don't believe you
You’ve been a'messin' where you shouldn't 've been a'messin'
You've been getting involved with someone else when you shouldn't have
And now someone else is getting all your best
Now you're giving your attention and affection to someone else
Well, these boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
I'm going to use my boots to walk away from you
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you
One day I will have the upper hand in this situation and you'll regret what you've done
You keep lyin' when you oughta be truthin'
You keep telling me lies when you should be telling me the truth
You keep losing when you oughta not bet
You make bad decisions and end up losing what you have
You keep samin' when you oughta be a'changin'
You keep doing the same things over and over again when you should be making changes
What's right is right but you ain't been right yet
You know what the right thing to do is, but you haven't done it yet
You keep playing where you shouldn't be playing
You keep involving yourself in situations that you shouldn't be a part of
And you keep thinking that you'll never get burnt, hah
You think you can continue to do what you're doing without facing any consequences
Well, I've just found me a brand new box of matches, yeah
I've found a way to fight back against you
And what he knows you ain't have time to learn
The person I've found to help me knows things about you that you don't think anyone else knows
Are you ready, boots?
Are you ready to face the consequences of your actions?
Start walkin'
It's time for me to leave and move on from this situation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Lee Hazlewood
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@speedyjefferson1289
From the album Supreme A Go Go 1966 I have this album and love it till this day..
@Rebecca31165
I prefer this version over any!!!
@annettewilliams4831
I just Love this Version
@Lev1ns0n
"What he knows now, you ain't got time to learn." An interesting change.
@tennyc
this is the serious hotness. I love this version real peppered up from Nancy's wonderful original reminds me of Batgirl kicking villains in the face .
@skopa1223
Yup! ZAP!⚡️ WHAM!💥 BOOM!💥 POW!💥
@user-pn7sw3yk7t
such a cute version
@MrPistolMason
I read somewhere that Flo was originally selected to sing this track . . . but that her antics had begun around this time and Diana ended up recording it. Would have been interesting to hear Flo singing this . . . I do like this though.
@Geodxn
pure gossip (in my opinion)
@21strength007
Pure truth.