Birds are calling to sing along
But my window's painted shut
And all that year of chorus taught me
Is out of style and long forgot
How can I sing like a girl
And not be stigmatized by the rest of the world?
Tell me how can I sing like a girl
And not be objectified as if I were a girl?
I want to raise my freak flag
Higher and higher and
I want to raise my freak flag
And never be alone
Never be alone
From the watchtowers I've been spotted
Fingers pointing at my mouth
Spotlights turn and pivot towards me
But I dare not make a sound
How can I sing like a girl
And not be stigmatized by the rest of the world?
Tell me how can I sing like a girl
And not be objectified as if I were a girl?
I want to raise my freak flag
Higher and higher and
I want to raise my freak flag
And never be alone
Never be alone
How can I sing like a girl
And not be stigmatized by the rest of the world?
Tell me how can I sing like a girl
And not be objectified as if I were a girl?
How can I sing like a girl
How can I sing like a girl
How can I sing like a girl
How can I sing like a girl
Quoth the Johns:
This song is as much about freedom of expression as it is about how to sing high. Its title was inspired by part of TMBG's live show where Flansburgh had to sing in a falsetto to reproduce the sound of a sped-up vocal from a recording called "She Was a Hotel Detective." And so the idea of having "the right to sing like a girl on demand" was born.
John Flansburgh and John Linnell
[source: "A Guided Tour of Factory Showroom," TMBG Info Club Newsletter, Holiday 1996 edition]