M.I.A.

Songwriter: M.I.A.

Producer: M.I.A.

[Intro]
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad

[Verse 1]
I am so bad, they call me the terrorist
There's many haters that I call the narrowest
You wanna take a risk, find me and I'll tie your wrist
You wanna get me pissed, you'll end up on my wishlist
I try, I try, I try to be good, yeah I try
I try, I try, I try to be good, yeah I try

[Chorus]
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad

[Verse 2]
Shibi-dibi-dee, dibi-dibi-dee-dee
Who is in the tree? He trying to shoot me
Shibi-dibi-dee, dibi-dibi-dee-dee
Who is in the sea? He trying to shoot me
Like a Somalian yeah I’m in the sea
I get all of your guns before you get me
Go to the army, trying to find me
But that ain’t going to happen 'cause you can’t track me
I’m bad, I'm better, I'm even more fed up
With nothing to lose but my bootleg sweater
You can call the government and call me terror
But I say your trick is to get more cheddar

[Chorus]
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad

[Bridge]
I try, I try, try to be good, yeah I try
I try, I try, try to be good, yeah I try
I try, I try, try to be good, yeah I try
I try, I try, try to be good, yeah I try

[Verse 3]
You're fucked and corrupt, and you know I'm just bad
You say "give peace a chance", I save peace a seat for chance
You punks play pranks cause your campaign works on grants
That's why I make them bounce and hide out in the south of France

[Chorus]
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad

[Outro]
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad
I'm ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm bad

One of the most musically-diverse and perplexing artists of the 2000s, Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam is arguably the decade’s best representation of Hip-Hop in its truest form and artistry in its broadest, most diverse format. Her lyrics are as political as Public Enemy, her sound is more eclectic than Stankonia-era Outkast, and she is as aesthetically-driven as Kanye West.

The road that M.I.A. was forced to travel to international stardom was not an easy one. Born on July 18th, 1975 in Hounslow, West London to Sri-Lankan Tamil immigrants, she moved to her parents' homeland when she was only six months old. However, it was the Sri Lankan Civil War which came to shape her childhood. During her formative years, she witnessed many her father was hunted as an enemy of the state, her schools were bombarded, and her impoverished family was constantly in hiding. In 1986, her family moved back to London to find stability and a sense of relative peace.

In England, she discovered her artistic talents and completed several years of secondary education in fine art – eventually gaining attention as a visual artist, painter, and musician. In the early-2000s, Maya began to seriously explore her musical talents and used the internet and underground radio as the means to build her reputation as a unique and talented firebrand. Amidst her no-nonsense politics, however, critics from around the world heard a talent in the making.

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M.I.A.

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