Throughout this song, Phair’s speaker describes ways she’ll raise her son that often sound more like feminine traits – “pretty as the grass is green,” “let his hair down far enough to climb outside.” She’s hoping to imbue him with an empathy for the way girls experience the world (as well as enabli...
[Verse 1]
I'm gonna tell my son to grow up pretty as the grass is green
And whip-smart as the English Channel's wide
And I'm gonna tell my son to keep his money in his mattress
And his watch on any hand between his thighs
[Pre-Chorus]
And I'm gonna lock my son up in a tower
'Til I write my whole life story
On the back of his big brown eyes
[Chorus]
When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing
When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing
When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing
When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing
[Verse 2]
And I'm gonna tell my son to join a circus so that death is cheap and
Games are just another way of life
And I'm gonna tell my son to be a prophet of mistakes because for
Every truth, there are half a million lies
[Pre-Chorus]
And I'm gonna lock my son up in a tower
'Til he learns to let his hair down far enough to climb outside
[Chorus]
When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing
When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing
When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing
When they do the double dutch, that's them dancing
Whip-Smart was written by Malcolm McLaren & Liz Phair.
Liz Phair released Whip-Smart on Tue Sep 20 1994.