Oh Bondage Up Yours!
X-Ray Spex Lyrics


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Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard
But I think "oh bondage, up yours!"
One-two-three-four!

Bind me, tie me, chain me to the wall
I wanna be a slave to you all

Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more

Chain-store chainsmoke, I consume you all
Chain-gang chainmail, I don't think at all

Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more

Thrash, me crush me, beat me till I fall
I wanna be a victim for you all

Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more

Bind me, tie me, chain me to the wall
I wanna be a slave to you all

Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more

Bind me, tie me, chain me to the wall
I wanna be a slave to you all

Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more





Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more!

Overall Meaning

At a surface level, "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" by X-Ray Spex seems to be a punk anthem about breaking free from societal norms and restrictions. The opening lines, "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think 'oh bondage, up yours!'" reject the notion that women should be passive and voiceless. The rest of the song expands on this theme, proclaiming a desire to be bound and constrained as a way of taking back control and defying expectations. The repetition of the phrase "oh bondage, no more" reinforces the idea that the singer is rejecting outside constraints and taking power for themselves.


However, the song can also be seen as a critique of punk culture itself. While punk rock was often seen as a rebellious and political movement, it was also heavily male-dominated and prone to fetishizing restriction and violence. By using these themes in a song sung by a woman, X-Ray Spex may have been calling attention to the ways in which punk culture was failing to live up to its own purported values.


Line by Line Meaning

Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard
Some people believe that young girls should remain quiet and out of sight.


But I think "oh bondage, up yours!"
I disagree and want to express myself freely and break free from societal norms.


One-two-three-four!
Let's begin this anthem with a count-off.


Bind me, tie me, chain me to the wall
I desire to be bound to show my complete submission to you.


I wanna be a slave to you all
I willingly offer myself to be dominated by everyone.


Oh bondage, up yours
I am celebrating the freedom that comes along with being held down.


Oh bondage, no more
At last, I have broken the chains and shackles that once held me.


Chain-store chainsmoke, I consume you all
I indulge in habits that are often associated with consumerism to rebel against it.


Chain-gang chainmail, I don't think at all
I am giving up my autonomy to be one with the crowd.


Thrash me, crush me, beat me till I fall
I derive pleasure from pain inflicted by others.


I wanna be a victim for you all
I am willing to play the role of the oppressed to satisfy my desires.


Oh bondage, up yours
I am once again celebrating the liberation that comes with submission.


Oh bondage, no more
I am free from the constraints that used to hold me down.


Bind me, tie me, chain me to the wall
My desire to be dominated persists even as I am free from bondage.


I wanna be a slave to you all
I am still eager to submit to everyone around me.


Oh bondage, up yours
I am still celebrating my newfound freedom even as I choose to submit.


Oh bondage, no more!
My final rebellion against society's expectations is complete, and I am now free to choose my own path.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MARIAN ELLIOTT

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

@zzzaaayyynnn

Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard
But I think "oh bondage, up yours!"
One-two-three-four!
Bind me, tie me, chain me to the wall
I wanna be a slave to you all
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Chain-store chainsmoke, I consume you all
Chain-gang chainmail, I don't think at all
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Thrash, me crush me, beat me till I fall
I wanna be a victim for you all
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Bind me, tie me, chain me to the wall
I wanna be a slave to you all
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Bind me, tie me, chain me to the wall
I wanna be a slave to you all
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more
Oh bondage, up yours
Oh bondage, no more!
Songwriters: Marian Elliott
Oh Bondage Up Yours! lyrics © T.R.O. Inc.



All comments from YouTube:

@knightstemplar6158

When this single was released we were all belting it out at school - she was the queen of punk but ask anybody under 45 and they wouldn't have a clue who she was. Deserves to be remembered.

@natalieparker9710

i'm 16. Just wanted to let you know that there are some young people who know about her. One of the good things about the internet is that people can find out about things that they otherwise would've never gotten the privilege of knowing about.

@birdbird8364

Knights Templar I'm 14 and germ free adolescent is one of my favourite songs.

@holliisixx

Same, I'm half that age, this song blew my mind when I first heard it. The ULTIMATE righteous feminist anthem, without the petty "sjw" baggage

@gaebren9021

That is great, three youngen's in the crowd who know this band. There is another band called Bikini Kill if you want to check them out.

@Linmints

I'm 15 and I also know about this lol

66 More Replies...

@joeyjojojuniorshabadoo6990

And with this song, feminism had reached punk rock, and girls and young women everywhere (my mother included) were rising and going strong. Go Poly you legend!!!

@exeuroweenie

@Nigel 61 She had a lot of other great qualities as well.

@warrenweeder3569

punk supercedes feminism, which is rapidly becoming about indoctrination and conformity

@jokergaming420x

When feminism actually had something to fight for and wasn't toxic.

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