Sister Lyrics

Read the complete lyrics to “Sister” by Caribou from the album “Songs”. Browse more Caribou songs or search for other tracks.

Artist Caribou

Album Songs

Length ~1 min read (72 words)

About “Sister”

“Sister” opens Suddenly on a subdued, introspective note, telling the story of modern feminism and the #MeToo movement through a simple dialogue. The male part expresses a sense of guilt and willingness to change, but also encourages the female part to keep up the fight. The female part responds by demonstrating that this encouragement is misplaced, because it serves to divert responsibility away from the oppressor. It is men, not women, who need to do the changing. Though feminism and sexism are wide reaching topics, the lyrics to “Sister” have roots in Snaith’s personal experiences with his family, of whom a great deal of the record is written about. Speaking to Purple Sneakers, Snaith talked about how the #MeToo movement changed his perspective: I like to think of myself as someone who has their eyes and ears open to this and being an ally in this kind of thing, but I realised I had not been. I was not aware of what was going on. The first song on the record, I have two sisters and I grew up in a very female-dominated household. My dad was emotionally absent, so I was around women all my childhood. I now have two daughters and a wife and a two-year-old niece, so I’ve always been in a very female environment. So this song is writing to them to say, “I’m sorry. How did I miss this?” and a commitment to changing. Using the words “brother” and “sister” are crucial, because without them, the song could be interpreted as a romantic tale. In addition, they serve to contrast the binary gender roles while still maintaining we are all part of the same family. One can see a parallel between the experimental distortions of the synths, and the complex modernism of today’s debates on gender and sexuality.

[Verse 1]
Sister, I promise you I'm changing
You've heard broken promises, I know
If you want to change it, you must break it
Rip it up and something new will grow

[Verse 2]
Brother, you're the one that must make changes
No one else can do it if you don't (The farmer's cat jumped over the...)
Surely, you'll have noticed things are changing
I can't do it all on my own