What does Bad Girls mean?

M.I.A.: Bad Girls Meaning

Tagged:   No tags, suggest one.
Album cover for Bad Girls album cover

Song Released: 2012


Bad Girls Lyrics

Live fast, die young
Bad girls do it well
Live fast, die young
Bad girls do it well
Live fast, die young
Bad girls do it well
Live fast, die young
Bad girls do it well
My chain hits my chest
When I'm banging on the dashboard
My chain...

Write an interpretation

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Mar 1st 2018 !⃝

    omg. No, this song is not about sex in a car. It's about muslim women in countries like Saudi Arabia not being allowed to drive a car and being murdered for doing so. Have you seen the video? Have you seen the behind-the-scenes making of the video? Do you know what topics M.I.A. generally makes her songs about?

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Nov 21st 2017 !⃝

    Definitely Sex in the car!

    I think too many people are focusing on the excellent video and not paying enough attention to the lyrics.

    "My chain hits my chest" - that's what happens during car sex when woman is in front and wearing a chain/necklace. They will both hit the dashboard and radio with the motion.

    Sexy adjustments, get back, get down, pull me closer -

    Hotter: hands up hands tied don't scream "if I blow you with a bang."

    Specifically, "I'm coming in the Cherokee," gasoline and steam (hot)

    Take it, take it
    World's bouncing like a trampoline.
    When I get to where I'm going, gonna have you trembling (Sounds like they are getting there...)

    The finishing lines explain the car sex positioning if we hadn't yet got it: Back it Back it. Pull up to the bumper game.

    Okay, that's what I got out of these lyrics, and I love this song as well as the many other interpretations of it.

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Mar 13th 2014 !⃝

    Yes I think it's about sex too the beginning of the song -sex in a car unsure about the middle verse but the very last line she says before the course "if I go to bed can I take you with me"= sex

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Sep 10th 2012 !⃝

    I think these are very interpretations. I recently wondered because of her fathers activity in the Terrorist Tamil Tigers did this signal a sort of solidarity and criticism of the use of "bad girls" women or girls who have shamed their family or community to perform suicide attacks for redemption. Who knows her oeuvre usually works on many layers and levels. Even though I disagree with M.I.A. on a few points I find her brilliant,creative maddening and alluring. I'll listen some more. She's still dope.
    - Roger Stet

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Apr 2nd 2012 !⃝

    I love this song and the video is awesome too

    M.I.A always has some hidden meaning in her videos but the way that I view the song and the lyrics makes me think of female suicide bombers.

    "dont go screaming if i blow you with a bang"

    "live fast die young.."

    I feel like in a weird way, she took the thought of female suicide bombers and used that example to show female empowerment

    That's my take on it

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Mar 16th 2012 !⃝

    The thing is I think it's important to look at this song not only form a western point of view... but be a bit more open-minded.To be honest I'm not too sure on my point but just a bit of food for thought. In school and in the news we are taught that women in Saudi Arabia are "oppressed", what if the song is actually depicting how the way we view Saudi Arabic women is wrong and they actually do have quite some freedom , the same as westerners and shouldn't be treated with pity. Idk.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Feb 22nd 2012 !⃝

    I think its trying to put accross the fact that females can live exactly the same way as men. hence why its set in a country that doesnt give females equal rights.
    the phrase "live fast die young" means that if you live life on the edge and you end up dying young becuse of it then so be it, as long as you have fun... shes showing how females in countries like that have died because they didnt live to those rules that are pre-set for them, and celebrating how they took a stand.

    "hands up ... Dont go screaming if i blow you with a bang" obviously a shooting .. which i think shows that men do it do women just like they so they can do it back.

    all that stuff about cars is her metaphor for her living life "wheels bouncing like a trampoline" meaning hydrolics showing how her life is a party.
    There's steam on the window screen" sex ?

    but thats only my interperetation theres soo much more out there !

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Feb 13th 2012 !⃝

    I'm not exactly sure about the whole song, there does seem to be a theme of female empowerment, especially towards the end where she talks about 'Leavin boys behind'

    I am quite obsessed with sex in general, so maybe I'm just projecting my own thoughts onto it, but my second thought about the main lyric was that it was referring to in-car sex. After reading the rest of the lyrics it seems that there are several lines that seem to allude to the same thing:

    'Don't go screaming if I blow you with a bang'

    'There's steam on the window screen'

    'Wheels bouncing like a trampoline
    When I get to where I'm going, gonna have you trembling'

    Let me know what you think?


More M.I.A. songs »


 


Latest Articles

 


Submit Your Interpretation

[ want a different song? ]