Ladies of the Road

Islands

**"Ladies of the Road"** is a song released by the English experimental rock band King Crimson, and is the fourth track of their fourth album, *Islands* (1971). The song, a reflection by the band on female groupies, tells about women they’ve met “on the road” while touring. Because of its treatment of women, this song has been the center of critiques of “*Islands*” as misogynistic. Each verse tells about a different “lady of the road;” as the song progresses, the lyrics detailing their sexual encounters become more and more explicit.

## Lyrics

[Verse 1]

A flower lady's daughter, as sweet as holy water

Said: "I'm a school reporter. Please teach me," mmm, I taught her

[Verse 2]

Two-fingered Levi'd sister, said, "Peace," I stopped I kissed her

Said, "I'm a male resister," I smiled and just unzipped her

[Verse 3]

High-diving Chinese trender, black hair and black suspender

Said, "Please, me no surrender, just love to feel your Fender."

[Chorus]

All (of you) know (that the) girls (of the) road (Are like apples we stole in our youth)

All of you know that the girls of the road (Been around and are versed in the truth)

[Verse 4]

Stone-headed Frisco spacer, ate all the meat I gave her

Said would I like to taste hers, and even crave the flavour

Like marron-glacéed fish bones, "Oh lady hit the road!"

[Chorus]

All (of you) know (that the) girls (of the) road (Are like apples we stole in our youth)

All of you know that the girls of the road (Been around and are versed in the truth)

[Outro]

Ladies of the road

Ladies of the road

Ladies of the road

Ladies of the road

## Lyrical Problems

*"A flower lad**y's* *da**u**ghter, as* *swe**et a**s* *holy w**at**er.* *Sa**id:* *"I'm a sch**oo**l report**e**r. Please* *teach me,"* *mmm**,* *I ta**ught h**e**r."*

The first verse is the most euphemistic and least explicit of all four verses, as it discusses a reporter for her school newspaper, which brings up the first problem of this song: it’s quite possible that this woman is actually underage; note that she is identified first as someone’s daughter, rather than by any particular traits of her own; assigned to cover the band for her paper, she approaches the band members to request an interview. It’s ambiguous whether the narrator actually taught the young reporter something for her article, or if “taught” is a euphemism for sex.

*Said "I'm a male resister."*

This woman is a second-wave feminist; perhaps one of the demonstrators who publicly burned their bras as a sign of protest against discrimination and other injustices resulting from institutionalized patriarchy.

*Said, "Please, me no surrender."*

The punctuation in this line could be up for debate, because while it is definitely a mockery of the stereotypical English-speaking Chinese accent with “me no surrender” instead of “I won’t surrender”, we could also interpret the line as “Please me, no surrender” which becomes both grammatically correct, and much more consensual.

*"Stone-headed Frisco spacer, ate all the meat I gave her. Said would I like to taste hers, and even crave the flavour. Like marron-glacéed fish bones, "Oh lady hit the road!"*

The final verse is the most explicit, and almost directly refers to oral sex. These lines continue with the oral sex encounter. ‘Hers’ (that is, the woman’s vulva) is said to taste of marron-glacéed fish bones, which recalls the popular trope of female genitalia smelling (and tasting) of fish. This repulses the narrator and he shoos the girl away.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King\_Crimson\_discography
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islands\_(King\_Crimson\_album)
3. ↑ https://genius.com/King-crimson-ladies-of-the-road-lyrics