Sick and Tired by Eric Clapton I’m gonna buy me a parrot, baby,And teach him how to call my name. I’m gonna buy me a parrot, baby,And teach him how to call my name.Then I won’t have to miss you babyAnd I won’t have you driving me insane.I was in love with you, baby,Till the day you brought me down so low.I was in love with you, baby,Till the day you brought me down so low.
You had me walking ’round in circles, baby;I didn’t know which way to go.Oh, I’m so sick and tired baby,I’m sick and tired of the way you carry on.Lord, I’m sick and tired, baby,Sick and tired of the way you carry on.You can pack up all of your things, baby;Hit the road, get out of here, be gone.
Now I’m gonna get me a shotgun, baby,Keep it stashed behind the door.I’m gonna get me a shotgun, baby,Keep it stashed behind the bedroom door.I may have to blow your brains out, baby,Then you won’t bother me no more.Eric Clapton’s song “Sick and Tired” featured on his new album entitled Pilgrim is a good example of misogynistic lyrics in modern music.
Misogynist is defined as a “woman hater”, usually referring to when a man hates women in general. Misogynistic lyrics are any lyrics that talk about doing harm to a woman. That is encouraging violence, rape, and social domination. Certainly, Eric Clapton’s “Sick and Tired” fits that category.
The lyrics reveal a man who is not just frustrated but angry at his girlfriend’s actions. The song goes on to say “Sick and tired of the way you carry on./You can pack up all of your things, baby;/Hit the road, get out of here, be gone.” The man is insisting now that his girlfriend needs to leave and he has had enough.
At this point Eric Clapton’s song is not much different from the hundreds of other heartbreak songs, that artists are so fond of writing, and we are so fond of hearing. Clapton insists on taking the lyrics of this song to a the next level, which is quite disturbing. The man warns the woman “Now I’m gonna get me a shotgun, baby,” and then tells us what he needs the gun for. Clapton writes “Keep it stashed behind the bedroom door.
I may have to blow your brains out, baby. Then you won’t bother me no more.” The man in this song is not just angry but enraged and suggests that he must kill his girlfriend to prevent her from annoying him anymore. The lyrics to Eric Clapton’s “Sick and Tired” are clearly suggesting that in some cases the only way to relieve yourself of an irritating female, is to kill her.I believe in personal freedoms, and I do not believe in censorship.
However, when I hear this song and read the lyrics they disgust me. In a world so full of hate and violence is it really a good idea for rock and roll legends to be encouraging more gun violence against a female, or anyone for that matter. I find the song in bad taste and it really has lowered my opinion of Clapton, and called his motives into question. For a person who is not in their right mind, “Sick and Tired” is not a “break up” song, but instructions for murder.
Works Cited
- Clapton, Eric. “Sick and Tired.” Empire. Reprise Recods, 2004.
