Stripes

Producer

Brandy debuted her artist career with the single “Stripes”, a gun-loaded and fashion-conscious address to a fictional cheating husband. Backed with Western-influenced… Read More

Dec. 1, 20121 viewer

Stripes Lyrics

[Intro]
Woah, woah, woah, woah

[Verse 1]
You were lyin' there with nothing on
But a goofy little grin and a platinum blonde
I can't believe you'd do that on our bed
I got a pistol and I got a bullet
And a pissed off finger just itchin' to pull it
The only thing keepin' me from losin' my head

[Chorus]
Is I hate stripes and orange ain't my color
And if I squeeze that trigger tonight
I'll be wearin' one or the other
There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion
The only thing savin' your life
Is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes

[Post-Chorus]
Woah, woah, woah

[Verse 2]
I could fall in love with a prison guard
I could sell cigarettes in the prison yard
Don't think hard time would be that hard on me
I could pick up trash on the side of the road
But I'd die if I saw someone I know
Ain't the chains, it's the clothes that's stoppin' me

[Chorus]
I hate stripes and orange ain't my color
And if I squeeze that trigger tonight
I'll be wearin' one or the other
There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion
The only thing savin' your life
Is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes

[Bridge]
Oh, and one shot ain't worth a bad mugshot
God knows I wouldn't be caught holdin' up a number
While the whole town's starin' at the picture
In the paper of me wearin' stripes

[Chorus]
There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion
The only thing savin' your life
Is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes
And orange ain't my color
And if I squeeze that trigger tonight
I'll be wearin' one or the other
There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion
The only thing savin' your life
Is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes

[Outro]
Woah, woah, woah, woah

Embed

About

Brandy debuted her artist career with the single “Stripes”, a gun-loaded and fashion-conscious address to a fictional cheating husband. Backed with Western-influenced production and a “rowdy saloon” vibe, the song sees Brandy resisting the urge to murder her husband in fear of committing a “crime of fashion”. The song was at the forefront of 12 Stories’ promotional strategy, and received a music video and a televised performance.

Brandy revealed that the song was partially inspired by the illegal location of its writing. The song was written on trespassed property that she and her co-writers had jumped over the fence to access. Brandy also explained that her interest in the subject matter was piqued by her obsession with prison documentaries:

I love all those shows like Lockdown and Lockup. On Saturday nights, that is my date. I’m laying in bed watching those shows. In watching those shows, what I’ve learned is that most people in prison aren’t psychopaths. They just had one moment of temporary insanity and this song is about what keeps some people out of prison, especially women.