Women & Men: Exploring the Sarcastic Folk Ballad of Procreation

What happens when we sing about the women and the men who cross the oceans.

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Really, there are just too many people.

Throughout history, human beings have traveled to new places, multiplied, expanded, exploited, and depleted everything around them—often (if not always) with complete disregard for the human beings who were already established there. On multiple occasions, they even offered “gifts” to those other humans that contained smallpox, a dastardly reminder of the destructive tendencies masked as kindness.

Flood, They Might Be Giants’ third studio album, is often celebrated for its quirky takes on human life. “Women & Men,” the album’s sixteenth track, is no exception—offering a folksy and whimsical look at the not-so-whimsical history of human expansion.

Another Happy Song with Less Happy Undertones

This track, musically, not without a driving force brought by John Linnell and John Flansburgh on accordion, keyboard, and acoustic guitar. The song’s melody shines through with a raw, unfiltered brightness that contrasts sharply with the dark undertones of the lyrics of which I immediately fell in love with as a teenager.

I’ve always found this to be a particularly fun song to play along with on my guitar. The rhythm is both satisfying and challenging, yet I struggle to play and sing it simultaneously. Hey, I never promised I was a professional musician when I started this newsletter.

Sarcasm at its Finest

The only thing I love more than the acoustic guitar on this song is the heavily sarcastic opening verse, which I think sets the tone for the entire piece. The stage is set to tell a tale of there being far too many people on this planet, and often, that becomes somebody’s problem. Let’s take a closer look at that opening verse:

When the ship runs out of ocean
And the vessel runs aground
Land's where we know the boat is found
Now there's nothing unexpected
About the water giving out
“Land's” not a word we have to shout

I’m not entirely confident that what I’m going to share is the intended idea for the song, but here’s how I’ve always interpreted it.

That last line in the first verse, “‘Land’s’ not a word we have to shout,” initially struck me as a delightfully snarky lyric to sing. It reinforced one of my favorite features of TMBG’s music: their ability to infuse their songs with a biting sarcasm. This was a feature that I felt spoke to me specifically and I’m sure every other fan felt the same.  By establishing this sarcastic tone early on, I’ve always taken the rest of the song in that same measure.

A Deceptively Cheerful Tune

For example, consider this line:

Bringing with them messages of love
And every where they go love will grow

Can you think of instances throughout history where people traveled to far distant lands? I wouldn’t have necessarily called them envoys of love unless that love was commonly expressed via disease-infested blankets or bloodied swords in the name of whatever empire. The song is dripping in facetiousness, a trait that’s often present in TMBG’s work.

The juxtaposition of upbeat, almost celebratory music with lyrics that critique the very nature of human expansion is classic Linell and Flans. The sweetly delivered lines like “Bringing with them messages of love” just feels deceptively cloaked in a cheerful melody. This contrast is what makes the song so great to me and, frankly, so much fun to sing along to.

I Need to Practice the Guitar More

I remember first trying to play this song as a teenager. It has such a simple chord progression that was generally easy for beginners. The strumming pattern - or however you would technically refer to it - did not lend itself naturally to the cadence of the lyrics. I often find myself having a difficult time playing this song while singing at the same time. 

Doe my struggle to sing and play it at the same time mirror the nature of the song itself—a joyful melody that’s impossible to align with the cynical lyrics? Maybe. I might be forcing that connection for the sake of writing this maybe. I can’t deny that there is still a dissonance that keeps drawing me back to this song all of the time. It is a no-skip favorite without a doubt.

Still Surprisingly Relevant

In a world where the consequences of unchecked human expansion are becoming more apparent—whether it’s climate change, overpopulation, or the displacement of peoples—“Women & Men” remains eerily relevant. It’s a reminder, through sarcastic wit and folk balladry, that the stories of expansion and conquest are often far from the rosy tales we tell ourselves. At the very least, its a song about people “making” more people x 100.

The genius of “Women & Men” lies in its ability to make us tap our feet and hum along to the tune, all the while slyly forcing us to confront the darker aspects of human beings. And that is the greatest message of love They Might Be Giants has to offer—one that challenges us to see the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.

Listen to “Women & Men”

Give this song a listen yourself and let me know what you think!