Manic Street Preachers – Little Baby Nothing

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Send "Little Baby Nothing" Ringtone to Cell

No one likes looking at you
Your lack of ego offends male mentality
They need your innocence
To steal vacant love and to destroy
Your beauty and virginity used like toys

My mind is dead, everybody loves me
Wants a slice of me
Hopelessly passive and compatible
Need to belong, oh the roads are scarey
So hold me in your arms
I want to be your only possession

Used, used, used by men

All they leave behind is money
Paper made out of broken twisted trees
Your pretty face offends
Because it's something real that I can't touch
Eyes, skin, bone, contour, language as a flower

No god reached me, faded films and loving books
Black and white TV
All the world does not exist for me
And if I'm starving, you can feed me lollipops
Your diet will crush me
My life just an old man's memory

Little baby nothing
Loveless slavery, lips kissing empty
Dress your life in loathing
Breaking your mind with Barbie Doll futility

Little baby nothing
Sexually free, made-up to breakup
Assassinated beauty
Moths broken up, quenched at last
The vermin allowed a thought to pass them by

You are pure, you are snow
We are the useless sluts that they mould
Rock 'n' roll is our epiphany
Culture, alienation, boredom and despair

You are pure, you are snow
We are the useless sluts that they mould
Rock 'n' roll is our epiphany
Culture, alienation, boredom and despair

Send "Little Baby Nothing" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by ShiverForMe

Track duration: 05:00

"Little Baby Nothing" as written by Bradfield/edwards/jones/moore

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Little Baby Nothing song meanings
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17 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I also heard that Traci Lords had no idea the song was partly written about her when she sang it. It gives me goosebumps to hear her voice knowing the backstory of this song,

    Just curious, am I the only American commenting on MSP songs? MSP has to hold the world record for most hit records worldwide without one chart appearance in the U.S.
    Flag vilvodkaon December 07, 2012   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:It is an ode to how women, in a world sometimes hostile to them and treating them as objects, stand strong and how in fact they are the strong gender, using their beauty and male fascination with it when they can. The band wanted Kylie Minogue to sing the choruses but she was not affordable at that time, so Tracy Lords did the job. Think that was a good choice, definitely an example of a woman who stayed strong in a world/scene dominated by men and treating women as objects of desire.

    Note the socialist/communist note too in the line "all they leave behind is money: paper made out of broken twisted trees", devaluating the value of money.
    Flag Cracked Pleasureson August 15, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:In answer to a couple of the above criticisms, this song isn't exactly about abusive males or groupies...It's specifically aimed at the sex industry - it's anti-porn and anti-prostitution. The 'used by men' line, I think, is meant to be wholly literal.
    Flag sonnyjdon June 03, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I believe that the song was originally intended as a duet with Kylie Minogue but, for obvious reasons, she did not wish to be involved and Traci Lords was drafted in.

    Following Kylie's split from her writing and producing team and before she reinvented herself as a dance musician, she recorded an album which featured songs written and produced by Bradfield and Wire.
    Flag Sinbadon November 10, 2008   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:..oh, and she sings the 2nd and 4th verses too!!!
    Flag karlosthejackelon July 24, 2008   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Best song the manics have done. The lyrics refer to the porn industry, and in particular, Traci Lords who was exposed as underage after making some adult movies. She sings the lines "Used, used, used by men" and "You are pure, you are snow We are the useless sluts that they mould
    Rock 'n' roll is our epiphany Culture, alienation, boredom and despair"
    Flag karlosthejackelon July 24, 2008   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Is this the same Richie who was famous for shagging groupies backstage whenever he wanted? Good song, but more hypocrisy.
    Flag contepomion December 26, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:Parts of this song remind me of the relationship between Dolores & Humbert in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (which was also one of Richey's favourite novels).
    Flag Neurotripsyon December 23, 2007   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:My my, how the worm turns...or maybe how i turn at least. The side of this song relating to female abuse, although true and requiring notice, seems very un PC to me now. Exactly who is there for the men who are trampled and used by the assertive females? It was this kind of over the top attitude that created the sexist opinion we have today. Not ALL men are abusers, not all men use Rohypnol and want theyre women to be submissive. Some men are passafists, and end up being exploited, used and ultimately broken by females who beleive that all men are evil
    selfish, using demons, and so therefor deserve bad treatment for it.
    We need to clean up the reputation men get.
    We are not all useless, sexually driven, lazy heaps of crap as advertising, music, movies and womens day time TV would have us all believe.
    Flag Shadowsoal2000on April 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is one of my faveourite songs. I hate it that some guys think that treating you like a peice of meat and taking advantage of someone when they're vunrable is acceptable.Just the chorus,"used,used,used by men" it's like true in so many casses, and i can really relate to it, as can so many others, which is why you have to love richey for not only his amazing looks but his talent for putting even the darker things in life into such beautiful and clever words!
    Flag XxSlitWristBarbiexXon August 16, 2006   Link

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