Beyoncé Shows Off Her Lover-Girl Side on “Bodyguard”
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Beyoncé’s singing and songwriting capabilities are unmatched in their versatility, as she so clearly displays on her newly released eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter. But the international icon also never fails when it comes to delivering a classically great love song.
She did just that in “Bodyguard,” a bouncy dance anthem that illustrates her desire to protect and care for her lover—so much so that she playfully offers to be their “bodyguard,” “lifeguard,” and “Kevlar,” the latter referencing the material used to make bulletproof vests.
The lyrics also detail her passion and obsession for her partner, highlighting both their physical bond and her feelings of jealousy. In the first pre-chorus, she sings, “Sometimes I hold you closer / Just to know you're real (Ah) / Wheels in the gravel / Davis in my bones / Sometimes I take the day off (Ah) / Just to turn you on.” In the second verse, she adds, “I don't like the way she's lookin' at you / Someone better hold me back, oh-oh / Chargin' ten for a double and I'm talkin' / I'm 'bout to lose it, turn around and John Wayne that ass (One, two, three, four).”
The song makes generous references to sitting shotgun in the car with her partner, a symbol that validates her feeling of primacy in her partner's life. The shotgun concept also appears in “II Most Wanted,” another Cowboy Carter love song that features Miley Cyrus.
It's likely that “Bodyguard” is an ode to husband Jay-Z, but it also may reference Western cinema. In a press release, the singer revealed that every song on the album reimagines a Western film, with movies like The Hateful Eight, Space Cowboys, and Killers of the Flower Moon inspiring her songwriting process.
Listen to the track, then read the full lyrics below.
One, two, three, four
Ooh-ee-ooh, ah
Ooh-ee-ooh
So sweet
I give you kisses in the backseat
I whisper secrets in the backbeat
You make me cry, you make me happy, happy (Happy)
Leave my lipstick on the cigarette
Just toss it, and you stomp it out, out, out
Inhalin' whiskey when you kiss my neck
We've been hurtin', but it's happy hour, oh, hour
Oh, oh, oh
They couldn't have me (Ah)
And they never will
And sometimes I hold you closer
Just to know you're real (Ah)
Wheels in the gravel
Davis in my bones
Sometimes I take the day off (Ah)
Just to turn you on
On, on, oh
Honey, honey
I could be your bodyguard (Hey)
Oh, honey, honey
I could be your Kevlar (Huh)
Oh, honey, honey
I could be your lifeguard (Huh)
Ooh, honey, honey
You should let me ride shotgun, shotgun
Oh, oh, oh
Be your best friend
I protect you in the mosh pit
And I'll defend you in the gossip
You know how people like to start shit and pop shit
I don't like the way she's lookin' at you
Someone better hold me back, oh-oh
Chargin' ten for a double and I'm talkin'
I'm 'bout to lose it, turn around and John Wayne that ass (One, two, three, four)
They couldn't catch you (Ah, with me)
And they never will (You see)
Sometimes I hold you closer
Just to know you're real (Ah)
Tell me your problems (I got you)
I take how you feel (Mm, huh)
I show you an exit (Ah)
When you're restless I take the wheel
Ooh, oh, oh
Honey, honey
You could be my bodyguard (Huh, uh)
Oh, honey, honey
Will you let me ride shotgun? Shotgun
Oh, oh, oh
Oh (Ah)
Oh
Oh (Ah)
Oh
I could be your bodyguard
Please let me be your Kevlar (Huh)
Baby, let me be your lifeguard
Would you let me ride a shotgun? Shotgun
Oh, oh, oh
One, two, three, four
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