Where the Boys are Separated from the Men

Beyonce Knowles’ “If I were a Boy” is a modern day love ballad in which the speaker, who is a woman, voices her opinions on the inappropriate ways a man behaves in a romantic relationship. Her main message, which is repeated in the chorus multiple times, is that the man (or boy) is “taking her for granted”. The entire song is a story, or rather an imagining, of what the speaker would do if she were a boy. During the music video, Beyonce and her “boy” switch places for a day, and the wrongdoings of the boy are revealed through Beyonce’s actions.

The verses of the song are mostly composed of stereotypical associations with things that the typical boy does, such as “go drink beer with the guys” and “chase after girls”. The speaker is implying that men are always messing around—always having fun. They do what they want to. As the song continues, the speaker brings even greater accusations forth. In the second verse, she says, “If I were a boy/ I would turn off my phone/ tell everyone it’s broken/ so they’d think that I was sleeping alone.” In this stanza, the speaker is accusing her boyfriend of cheating on her, and turning off his phone as a way to try and hide it.

As a whole, it seems that song is a compilation of the accusations placed on the man, and how the woman has been hurt as a result. The chorus reveals that the speaker hasn’t been listened to, has been taken for granted, has lost the one she wanted, and has had everything destroyed. The speaker says, “If I were a boy/ I think I could understand… I swear I’d be a better man.” Clearly, this is a demonstration of the classic relationship in which the man is careless, and the woman is hurt because of it. However there is a clear distinction between “men” and “boys” in this song. “Boys” are irresponsible and take women for granted, as does the boy in the song. “Men” are “better”. They “understand how it feels to love a girl.” Eventually, the final chorus is directed towards the boy of the ballad. The speaker says, “But you’re just a boy/ you don’t understand”. Ultimately, the song tells a story of a relationship in which the woman was hurt, because her “man” was still just a boy and took her for granted. The song provides somewhat of a set of guidelines that a true “man” should follow, and also points out those that “boys” stumble upon.