After teasing new music by hitchhiking in a pair of Daisy Dukes, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” dropped on June 5 — and fans are already wondering whether it’s destined to be another song of the summer à la “Espresso.”
On the new track, Carpenter sings through her frustrations with a partner who’s “incompetent” but attractive. As she wonders at one point: “Why so sexy if so dumb?”
The Playful Meaning Of “Manchild”
In an Instagram post, Carpenter revealed that she wrote “Manchild” with Amy Allen and Jack Antonoff soon after wrapping her album, Short n’ Sweet.
“This song became to me something I can look back on that will score the mental montage to the very confusing and fun young adult years of life,” she wrote, calling “Manchild” the “embodiment of a loving eye roll.”
As to who she’s rolling her eyes at? Listeners are naturally having fun theorizing about who “Manchild” is about — as one fan noted, it arrives one year after Barry Keoghan starred in Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” video, in which she implored her partner to not “be stupid” and embarrass her. While “Manchild” treads similar territory, it seems to be a little broader in scope as Carpenter pokes fun at her dating patterns over time. “I swear they choose me, I’m not choosin’ them,” she sings.
Plus, as one listener pointed out, Carpenter writing “Manchild” so close to Short n’ Sweet seems to suggest it’s not about a recent split.
Carpenter said “Manchild” feels like a road trip — and indeed, the country-leaning pop lends itself to singing along with your friends wherever the season takes you. That’s why the Grammy winner wanted to drop it now, she added: “So you can stick your head out the car window and scream it all summer long!”
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” Lyrics
Listening along? Here are the lyrics to “Manchild,” from Genius:
Oh boy
You said your phone was broken, just forgot to charge it
Whole outfit you’re wearing, God, I hope it’s ironic
Did you just say you’re finished? Didn’t know we started
It’s all just so familiar, baby, what do you call it?
Stupid
Or is it slow?
Maybe it’s useless
But there’s a cuter word for it, I know
Manchild, why you always come a-runnin’ to me?
F*ck my life, won’t you let an innocent woman be?
Never heard of self-care
Half your brain just ain’t there
Manchild, why you always come a-runnin’, takin’ all my lovin’ from me?
Why so sexy if so dumb?
And how survive the Earth so long?
If I’m not there, it won’t get done
I choose to blame your mom
Manchild, why you always come a-runnin’ to me?
F*ck my life, won’t you let an innocent woman be?
Never heard of self-care
Half your brain just ain’t there
Manchild, why you always come a-runnin’, takin’ all my lovin’ from me?
Oh, I like my boys playin’ hard to get
And I like my men all incompetent
And I swear they choose me, I’m not choosin’ them
Amen, hey men
Oh, I like my boys playin’ hard to get (Play hard to get)
And I like my men all incompetent (Incompetent)
And I swear they choose me, I’m not choosin’ them (Not choosin’ them)
Manchild, why you always come a-runnin’ to me? (Always come a-runnin’ to me)
Fuck my life, won’t you let an innocent woman be? (Amen)
Oh, I like my boys playin’ hard to get (Play hard to get)
And I like my men all incompetent (Incompetent)
And I swear they choose me, I’m not choosin’ them (Not choosin’ them)
Amen (Amen), hey men (Hey, men)
The post Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” Lyrics & Meaning, Explained appeared first on Bustle.
