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Who let the dogs out

Posted by Smokey Stover on July 26, 2006

In Reply to: Who let the dogs out posted by Isaac on July 25, 2006

: There is a song titled Who let the dogs out.What's the meaning? Anyone can tell me? Thanks!

I'm not ready to ascribe a "meaning" to the song, made popular by the Baha Men. So I'll just copy the lyrics. It's just a raucous party song, but some one may care to provide an explication. Keep it clean, if you can.

Who Let The Dogs Out (Baha Men) Lyrics

Who let the dogs out
(woof, woof, woof, woof)
(woof, woof, woof, woof)
(woof, woof, woof, woof)
(woof, woof, woof, woof)

Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)

(woof, woof, woof, woof)

When the party was nice, the party was jumpin' (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)
And everybody havin' a ball (Hah, ho, Yippie Yi Yo)
I tell the fellas "start the name callin'" (Yippie Yi Yo)
And the girls report to the call
The poor-dog show down

Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)

I see ya' little speed boat head up our coast
She really want to skip town
Get back off me, beast off me
Get back you flea-infested mongrel

Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)

I'm gonna tell {Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo}
To any girls calling them canine {Yippie, Yi, Yo}
Tell the dummy "Hey Man, It's part of the Party!" {Yippie Yi, Yo}
You fetch a woman in front and her man's behind {Yippie, Yi, Yo}
Her bone runs out now

Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)

Say, A doggy is nuttin' if he don't have a bone All doggy hold ya' bone, all doggy hold it
A doggy is nuttin' if he don't have a bone All doggy hold ya' bone, all doggy hold it

Wait for y'all my dogs, the party is on
I gotta get my girl I got my my mind on
Do you see the rays comin' from my eye
What could you be friend
That Benji man that's breakin' them down?
Me and My white short shorts
And I can't seek a lot, any canine will do
I'm figurin' that's why they call me faithful
'Cause I'm the man of the land
When they see me they doah-ooooo(howl)

Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)

-------

Several commentators (Maureen Dowd included) have associated the title of the song with Bush foreign-policy, equating "Let the dogs out" with "Let slip the dogs of war," as in Marc Antony's speech in Shakespeare's Julius Caessr:

And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

SS
Ate was a Greek female mythological character devoted to evil and mischief.

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