Medieval Warfare is a song by Grimes. The song is a part of the soundtrack of the film Suicide Squad.
Background[]
In June 2016, the soundtrack for the upcoming film Suicide Squad was announced.[1] The day before, Claire announced her contribution to the soundtrack on Twitter.[2]
Meaning[]
Grimes said about the song in an interview with Zane Lowe:[3]
❝ Well it was an old demo and then I just sort of like tailored it, lyrically and sonically a bit more, till like what I thought they would want for the movie. ❞
Specifically, Grimes wrote from the perspective of the Suicide Squad character Harley Quinn. After the song was release, some media outlets misquoted the lyrics, prompting Grimes to tweet a letter explaining the meaning behind the song. The tweet has since been deleted, but as Stereogum reported the text read:[4]
❝ Medieval warfare just came out and i noticed a lot of journalists changed the lyrics from ‘are you hot?’ (gender neutral) to ‘are you hard?’ (implying a hetero relationship – or sex involving a dick) and ‘can you kill a man with your hands? (vaguely misandrist lyric haha – sorry btw, but iunno the song is about medieval warfare which involved mostly dudes and it’s pretty hard to kill someone whilst un-armed with ur hands so it seemed like a cool lyric coming from the perspective of harley quinn. not meant to be pointedly hateful, but that’s what it is) to ‘can you kill someone with ur hands” (gender neutral lyric).
P much every quoted lyric from the song has been changed to make it about sex with men and to distance the song from being about violence against men.
happens all the time. like, until i said something, all the press assumed flesh without blood was about a hetero sexual relationship (its about a platonic friendship with a female friend), etc.
not complaining, just noticing. – Grimes ❞
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Baby I've been lookin' for a diamond
I could never touch it and it shines like ice
Everything is written in the sky and
Baby you can have it if you say it nice
Come on, baby, let's do somethin' ugly
Somethin' you would never touch yourself
Now let it bleed from me
I just wanna see it come out
[Chorus]
Are you big? Are you ugly?
Can you kill a man with your hands?
Are you hot? Do you want me?
Think I don't understand?
[Verse 2]
Baby I've been sleepin' with a rifle
Shotgun, grapeshot, tryptophobe
Baby I got somethin' you can stifle
Tie me, I won't leave
Come on, baby, let's do somethin' pretty
Somethin' you would never touch yourself
Just let it bleed from me
I just wanna make you come out
[Chorus]
Are you big? Are you ugly?
Can you kill a man with your hands?
Are you hot? Do you want me?
Think I don't understand?
Are you big? Are you ugly?
Can you kill a man with your hands?
Are you hot? Do you want me?
Think I don't understand?
Are you big? Are you ugly?
Can you kill a man with your hands?
Are you hot? Do you want me?
Think I don't understand?
Are you big? Are you ugly?
Can you kill a man with your hands?
Are you hot? Do you want me?
Think I don't understand?
References list[]
- ↑ https://ew.com/article/2016/06/17/suicide-squad-official-soundtrack/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/743598781325676544
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/post/idsa.b41516e2-599c-11e6-9cab-10198ba63a1f
- ↑ http://www.stereogum.com/1892582/grimes-shares-letter-about-misinterpretations-of-her-suicide-squad-song/news/