Time after time
You been coppin' mine but
Can I have a good time at your's tonight
Cause every time we try to get close
There is always something that I'm thinking about

(You want me)
XXXO
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO

You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not

A knock at the door
Then we hit the floor
And all I know is that you leave me wanting more
I don't let it show
But I think you know
Cause you're tweeting me like Tweety Bird on your iPhone

(You want me)
XXXO
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO

You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not

Upload a photo
See below
If you like what you see
You can download and store
We can find ways
To expand what you know
I can be that actress, you be Tarantino

(You want me)
XXXO
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXXXO

You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You wanna me be
Somebody who I'm really not
You want me be
You want me
You want me be
You want me


Lyrics submitted by thrwmyhrtawy.

Xxxo Lyrics as written by Mathangi Arulpragasam Christopher William Mercer

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

XXXO song meanings
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18 Comments

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  • +6
    General Comment

    i just thought that XXXO might be a mix of "XXX" (which would refer to sex) and "XOXO" (which means kisses)= a mix of girlish cuteness, naivity and the attempt to please men. she might be trying to say that she isn't that cute/girlish yet sexy kind of girl, that kind of girl boys usually fall for (you want me xxxo [...] somebody who i'm really not)

    am i the only who thinks that could make somewhat sense?..

    yawninhamsteron May 31, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I think "XXXO" is really a way for M.I.A. show that in today's world, sex is made to seem more teen-oriented, as opposed to adult-oriented, combining the "xoxo" of cute love notes between young lovers and the "xxx" of many porn titles.

    "XXXO" is a song about a girl struggling to be true to herself ("you want me be / somebody who i'm really not...") in a world in which media is almost entirely focused on sex, and how impressionable youth can be to those images and messages. She throws social networking into the mix and the lyrics prove that the internet really isn't helping the situation. It's sad, really. Great song.

    tyakon November 17, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    xxxo = "excess sex, oh"

    she just tweeted this... my mind is blown.

    amnesiac618on April 29, 2011   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    When I heard this I thought the XXXO meant "Hit, hit, hit, miss" The "hit"s being all the positive things about the person she's talking about, but the "miss" is the chorus, "You want me to be somebody who I'm really not"

    theamazingbrownon June 06, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Is she talking about hooking up with someone from online? Haha. Maybe the nature of 21st century romance, and how technology has de-personalized love and relationships?

    aemitton June 22, 2010   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I was able to buy this today full price in a store without hesitation, you don't get that level of reliability with many artists =)

    I think she's saying about how young girls view of themselves is fucked up, due to the internet. The way they think they're supposed to present themselves to boys doesn't really translate well into social networking, and it ends up giving inaccurate/unintensional messages. She even mentions twitter and iphones, two big players in social networking.

    And look at the CD inlay for the art page of XXXO ;)

    Nidison July 16, 2010   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    she said in an interview that it is meant to be viewed as a love letter/text/online message to the music industry as in like the industry wants her to be a sex symbol like katy perry, lady gaga etc and dumb down her music but she is saying i can do that and this song is an example of me doing that but i don't want to become that sort of artist and do it all the time "you want be somebody who i'm really not" so she is basically talking about the industry as if it were a lover or something and the xxxo is her sign off

    burrron January 30, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    xxxo=combination of hit and miss and sex+hugs and kisses. A double connotation talking about how the country wants stuff like slut music and not music about things that matter like poverty and traffiking and genocide. Jus kind of how I see it. They don't want her to be deep, but she is. So she isn't going to be the shallow star that they want, who only cares about money and image, because she's this star who's unique and off-color and deeply moved and concerned with more important things than how famous will my music be and how do I make this appealing for mass teenage consumption? She's so much more than most of the musicians around her.

    volatilewerewolfon July 25, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Also, being sick of women treated as objects in our society. It never changes. Women with true aspirations and views are chastised and ones who are doing what is expected of them and hold no solid opinion are praised. She can't just be a little Hollywood puppet. She's MIA, she's seen too much to be this perfect little singing star teenagers would put on their wall. And true believers of good music and changing the world shutter at the thought of anyone trying to objectify MIA, when she is REAL and not glittery plastic and smoke and mirrors like her counterparts in Hollywood.

    volatilewerewolfon July 25, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i get the weirdest feeling listening to this. not sure what the XXXO is supposed to mean, but it's obviously giving the finger to whoever told me to be something else other than maya.

    thrwmyhrtawy.on May 25, 2010   Link

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