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American Woman Lyrics

Performed by The Guess Who
Review The Song (36)

American woman Stay away from me American Woman Mama let me be
Don’t come Hanging around my door I don’t want to see your face No more
I got more important Things to do Then spend my time Growing old with you
American Woman Get away from me American woman Mama let me be
Don’t come Knocking around my door I don’t want to see your shadow No more
Colored Lights Can hypnotize Go and sparkle Someone else’s eyes
Now woman I said get away American Woman Listen what I say
American Woman I said get away American woman Listen what I say
Don’t come Hanging around my door
Idon’t want to see your face No more
I don’t need your war machines
I don’t need your ghetto scenes
Colored lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else’s eyes
Now woman, get away from me
American woman, mama let me be
Go, gotta get away, gotta get away
Now go go go
gonna leave you, woman
gonna leave you, woman
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
You’re no good for me
I’m no good for you
Gonna look you right in the eye.
Tell you what I’m gonna do
You know I’m gonna leave
You know I’m gonna go
You know I’m gonna leave
You know I’m gonna go, woman
I’m gonna leave, woman
Goodbye, American Woman


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Thanks to RAIDERMAN@VOM.COM for submitting American Woman Lyrics.


It's not 'THE' Guess Who... | Reviewer: TO_Musician | 2/11/12

The band is just 'Guess Who' (originally Chad Allan & The Expressions) and some PR person at Quality records promoted the performers of 'Shakin All Over' as Guess Who? (and later it was revealed that it was Chad Allan and the Expressions). "Guess Who" stuck.

American Woman is not about women at all. It's about the United States and the attitudes and policies of the country. Canada, rather than considering those who protested the war as 'pussies', supported those who left. One of my math teachers was a 'draft-dodger' and we considered him to to be brave in his protest. It takes guts to have to leave everything you know behind to express your beliefs.

The person who wrote the review 'the real reason' is correct. A friend of mine, who is a female from the US, said that Americans are stupid enough to actually believe this song is about American women. (Not my comment, it's hers).

I personally thought it was funny when Lenny Kravitz played his version on the Grammys and the crowd cheered. Made the point that they really had NO idea what the song was about.

Read the words to things before you think you know what they're about.


'Jim Kale' of "Guess Who" said: | Reviewer: TO_Musician | 2/11/12

"The fact was, we came from a very strait-laced, conservative, laid-back country, and all of a sudden, there we were in Chicago, Detroit, New York — all these horrendously large places with their big city problems." (as posted on Wiki)

Note, it says in Background: ''The song's origins took the form of a live jam at a curling rink concert in Kitchener, Ontario.[5] The group was rushing into the second set and began improvising a rhythm to liven up the crowd. Burton Cummings, the lead singer, began improvising lyrics to fit the music'' The origin of the song was improvised. I also regularly get the basis of tunes from jamming, but the final version takes more thought.

According to Randy Bachman | Reviewer: Anonymous | 1/5/12

Recently on TV and in his new book Randy Bachman says that American Women is the statue of liberty.

As a songwriter, you may start with an idea but the song does NOT have to mean or be about anyone or anything!

Were any of y'all born before 1990??? | Reviewer: Ron | 1/4/12

1) Take it from someone that was draft age, and in college, in 1970. American Woman is an anti-war(Viet-Nam), anti-US "Imperilism" (Capitalism), national anthem" of us hippies.
I'm sure the double endre (sp?) as to the typical american "bit(h" of the era, wasn't an accident.
2) This would be obvious if the last line wasn't purged. If any of y'all have ever heard the original. The last line was "Good bye, American Woman. Good bye, American Bit(h". Used to hear the unpurged version all the time on late night "alternative rock" radio, "in the day" :).

Yea, it's not a political statement | Reviewer: FTFY | 10/24/11

AMERICAN WOMAN was made up - ON THE SPOT- at a concert to excite the crowd. No prior thought was made.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Woman_(song)
I guess we'll all meet over at "Losing my religion" by REM so you pretend that it's about losing faith.

it's notabout woman | Reviewer: blaze | 9/25/11

the song is a protest toward american men who were running away from america during the draft to avoid doing their duty for their country and going to canada and the canadians are basically calling them "pussies" for running away and saying that they don't want them there with their ideas, fears,protest and so on. that's what it's about, not about woman at all. thats why so many woman don't understand the song.

american woman | Reviewer: Anonymous | 8/28/11

You guys are pretty hard on America. I don't see it as this imperialistic "whore." I see her as a bunch of individuals who are just trying to make a living. I don't know about the rest of you, but I never had any big ideas about trying to take over the world, or imposing anything on anyone. I just hate to see people who are oppressed and like to kind of help them, and I'd like to see people respect each other and be kind to one another and if people don't mess with us I'm all for leaving them alone. I'm an american woman. I don't manipulate and I try not to nag.

this is exactly how i feel about my ex....... | Reviewer: bob | 7/18/11

this song hits the nail on the head. MOST American Women are needy, manipulative, controlling and neurotic. the song can be taken literally with the exception of a few lines:


"I don't need your war machine" - women were used back in the past to manufacture weapons and military vehicles while men were at war.

"I don't need your ghetto scenes" - ?

"colored lights can hypnotize" - a metaphor for the hypnotic powers of a beautiful woman.

"sparkle someone esle's eyes" - basically piss off and go try to ruin someone else's life.

the real reason | Reviewer: Anonymous | 4/25/11

This basically refers to the time of the cold and Vietnam wars when America tried to get Canada to adapt nuclear missles and join. When the singer refers to the American Woman, it is America.

"Don't com hangin' around my door
I don't wanna see your face nomore
I got more important things to do
then spendin my time growin old with you"

This is basically saying that Canada has its own troubles that they have to deal with and they don't need to get into some wars over opinion with the US

"I don't need your war machine" - nuclear weapons

"I don't need your ghetto scenes" - the after math of the explosives

"colored lights can hypnotize" - explosions of the bombs

"sparkle someone esle's eyes" - basically piss off and bother someone else lol

American Woman | Reviewer: American Princess | 9/15/10

Maybe it's not about anything in particular, we were all pretty high back then. I'm not going to over-analyze it like some. I just remember us girls really liked this song and would sing along at the top of our lungs, and yes a good protest song.

sharp | Reviewer: Recck | 1/21/10

I would like to describe myself as an simple, homely & independent person. enjoy reading books, listening music, would love to travel across the world. Honest And Loyal. But I Never Get The Return From Others. I Like To Stay At Home With Family. At Weekends I Also Remains With Family. That's Where I Needs A Life Partner. You Could Be From Any Region . E-mail: Rwrussia@yahoo.com.

american woman review | Reviewer: spencer | 8/13/09

i may not be the best for this but i all was thought that the American Woman song was really good but it's weird that the first time i heard it it was in an info marshal and i really liked it it was good and i would give it a 8.5 because it was good but could be improved but still great to listen to thanks for reading

Statue of Liberty | Reviewer: Storm | 8/5/09

In 1969 the U.S. govt. rejected the Guess Who's applications for visas to tour the states. At that time, Spiro Agnew was raising a hissy-fit about how underground publications & rock muzik were corrupting the minds, hearts, & souls of white middle-class amerikan youth & causing them to...think for themselves. The Guess Who were always quite outspoken about u.s. foreign policy-esp. Viet Nam & military-industrial imperialism. It was an act of censorship & a violation of 1sdt Amendment. The "American Woman" is the Statue of Liberty.

Burton Cummings was 1 hell of a poet-& the Guess Who was way more political than they are commonly given credit for.

I cant understand. | Reviewer: Junior | 7/20/09

I can't understand how you guys don't notice what the song really is about.

If you even know how true American Women are. The ones that get pregnant and act crazy.

Then you would know every line goes with how this song is written.

NO OFFENSE TO AMERICAN WOMEN. But you guys nag, you're needy, you're the way the song says you are.

And before you go and say im racist or w/e.

My wife is american and we have a daughter.

how this song came a boot. :) | Reviewer: Canadee_Dan | 6/18/09

Choo Amercian (as Tony Montana would say)
a little research goes a long way. Stop speculating on assumptions and read people read... now : look: Listen and : Learn...

Randy Bachman explained the origins of this song in an interview with Words & Music magazine, Spring 2005. Said Bachman: "We were playing in a curling rink in Kitchener, Ontario (Canada), and I broke a string. I was up there alone, tuning up my E an B strings on an old Les Paul. I started playing that riff and in the audience, heads started turning. The band got up, and I said, 'Keep playing this, I don't want to forget it.' When Burton had run out of solos, I yelled out, 'Sing something!' So out of the blue Burton just screamed, 'American Woman, stay away from me!' That was the song, the riff and Burton yelling that line over and over. Later, he added other lines like 'I don't need your war machine, you ghetto scenes.' Before America knew it, it was a #1 record and it was a protest song."


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------ Performed by The Guess Who

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------ 05/26/2012

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