Beyoncé’s ‘Bodyguard’ Lyrics Are Some of Her Most Seductive on ‘Cowboy Carter’
Beyoncé’s “Bodyguard” doesn’t include Taylor Swift on background vocals, but the song does offer a very steamy look at Bey’s feelings for her husband, Jay-Z.
Lines like “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” and “I don’t like the way she’s lookin’ at you / Someone better hold me back, oh-oh” highlight Beyoncé’s desire for her longtime partner and her protectiveness of their relationship. (Beyoncé, in fact, devotes Cowboy Carter track “Jolene” entirely to warning other women to stay away from her man.)
Her line “You should let me ride shotgun, shotgun” echoes the lyrics of the album’s later track, “II Most Wanted,” where Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus sing, “Woah, I’ll be your shotgun rider ’til the day I / ’Til the day I die.”
Beyoncé started dating Jay-Z when she was 19. The couple got married in April 2008 and have three children together: Blue Ivy, Sir, and Rumi. (Rumi is even featured on “Protector.”)
In her press release for Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé called out Jay-Z as one of her album’s collaborators. The songs themselves on Cowboy Carter contain a “narrative steeped in truth-telling, revealing hidden histories, and reveling in all the magic you seek when you take an intentional journey back to your roots,” according to the release.
And if there’s any takeaway from the honest—and flirtatious—lyrics of “Bodyguard,” it’s that Beyoncé’s love and commitment to Jay-Z are unshakably strong. Listen to the track and read the lyrics below, via Genius.
Intro
One, two, three, four
Ooh-ee-ooh, ah
Ooh-ee-ooh
Verse 1
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
Pre-Chorus
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
Chorus
Honеy, honey
I could be your bodyguard (Hey)
Oh, honеy, 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
Verse 2
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)
Pre-Chorus
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
Chorus
Honey, honey
You could be my bodyguard (Huh, uh)
Oh, honey, honey
Will you let me ride shotgun? Shotgun
Oh, oh, oh
Outro
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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