I Am A Cliche
X-Ray Spex Lyrics


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I am a cliche
I am a cliche, I am a cliche
I am a cliche, I am a cliche
I am a cliche you've seen before
I am a cliche that lives next door
I am a cliche you know what I mean
I am a cliche pink is obscene
Yama yama yama yama yama yama
Boredom boredom boring boredom
Yama yama yama yama yama yama
Boredom boredom boring boredom

I am a cliche
I am a cliche, I am a cliche
I am a cliche, I am a cliche
I am a cliche you've seen before
I am a cliche that lives next door
I am a cliche you know what I mean
I am a cliche pink is obscene

Yama yama yama yama yama yama
Boredom boredom boring boredom




Yama yama yama yama yama yama
Boredom boredom boring boredom

Overall Meaning

"I Am a Cliché" by X-Ray Spex is a song about the conformity and boredom that comes with society's expectations and stereotypes. The repeated phrase "I am a cliche" emphasises how people can feel trapped and limited by societal roles and expectations. The lyrics also suggest a sense of frustration and anger towards being labelled and categorised by others, as seen in the line "pink is obscene", which could be a reference to the narrow gender roles that were prominent at the time. The repetitive lines of "yama yama" and "boredom boredom boring boredom" reinforce the monotony of societal roles and the desire to break free from them.


Overall, the song's message is about the importance of individuality and rejecting conformity, despite the pressures to conform to certain ideals or lifestyles. It's a call-to-action to break free from societal norms, take risks and be true to oneself.


Line by Line Meaning

I am a cliche
I am a stereotype, a common and unoriginal representation of a certain type of person


I am a cliche, I am a cliche
I am repeating myself by being such a predictable and overused idea


I am a cliche you've seen before
I am so familiar that I lack novelty or originality


I am a cliche that lives next door
I am the predictable and banal neighbor that you've met many times


I am a cliche you know what I mean
I am so commonly portrayed that you instantly recognize and understand me


I am a cliche pink is obscene
I am so trite that even the idea of pink, a traditionally feminine color, is considered vulgar or offensive in association with me


Yama yama yama yama yama yama
Repetitive and meaningless sounds, representing the lack of depth or substance in the cliched idea


Boredom boredom boring boredom
The tediousness and unoriginality of the cliche, which fails to inspire interest or excitement




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: POLY STYRENE

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

@borislavkostov6148

I am a cliche
I am a cliche, I am a cliche
I am a cliche, I am a cliche
I am a cliche you've seen before
I am a cliche that lives next door
I am a cliche you know what I mean
I am a cliche pink is obscene

Yama yama yama yama yama yama
Boredom boredom boring boredom
Yama yama yama yama yama yama
Boredom boredom boring boredom



All comments from YouTube:

@bradshrinkelstein904

You were never a cliche Poly.  You definitely didn't come off the conveyor belt.  A brilliant artist who stood out from the herd.  World is a sadder place without you.

@pois0nsi0ux

Michael Moore I couldn't agree more

@mikenorledge4110

+Poison Sioux Love my Marianne forever more :-(

@mariecc222

So true 😭

@mickcorbett6724

Well said Brad, beautifully put.👌

@pannacottafUWUgo

as a young and new punk, thank you poly styrene for having one of the greatest voices and visions in the past half century

@andysandel9325

Absolutely Brilliant Classic Always Bring Back My Early 70's Punk Years
Thanks For Sharing 📎🧷⛓🔒

@Spiderwebsider

It's great hearing some of the old punk classics like this. I had this one, but sadly lost it many years ago. For me 1976-78 was the true era of punk. The Pistols, Damned, Clash, Buzzcocks, and of course XraySpex. But by the end of 78 I'd lost interest because punk had become something else. Something you had to buy into with the uniform and merchandise. That's never what it was about...it started out against all that crap!

@hassanas-sabbagh6562

Right on.

@francoestrubia6503

Well.. that's was the punk itself. By 1980, strummer already was some sort of old conservative dude.

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