The music and lyrics of the song were improvised on stage during a concert in Southern Ontario, Canada (the guitarist, Randy Bachman, recalled it being in Kitchener; Burton Cummings, the lead singer, said it was at the Broom and Stone, a curling rink in Scarborough that was used for concerts).
Bachman was playing notes while tuning his guitar after replacing a broken string, and he realised he was playing a new riff that he wanted to remember. He continued playing it and the other band members returned to the stage and joined in, creating a jam session in which Cummings improvised the lyrics. They noticed a kid with a cassette recorder making a bootleg recording and asked him for the tape. They listened to the tape and noted down the words that Cummings had extemporized, and which he later revised.
Lyrics
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman, she gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind
Say A,
Say M,
Say E,
Say R,
Say I,
Say C,
Say A,
Say N,
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman, stay away from me
American woman, mama let me be
Don?t come hangin? around my door
I don?t wanna see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Than spend my time growin? old with you
Now woman, I said stay away,
American woman, listen what I say.
American woman, get away from me
American woman, mama let me be
Don?t come knockin? around my door
Don?t wanna see your shadow no more
Coloured lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else?s eyes
Now woman, I said get away
American woman, listen what I say.
American woman, said get away
American woman, listen what I say
Don?t come hangin? around my door
Don?t wanna see your face no more
I don?t need your war machines
I don?t need your ghetto scenes
Coloured lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else?s eyes
Now woman, get away from me
American woman, mama let me be.
Go, gotta get away, gotta get away
Now go go go
Gonna leave you, woman
Gonna leave you, woman
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
You?re no good for me
I?m no good for you
Gonna look you right in the eye.
Tell you what I?m gonna do
You know I?m gonna leave
You know I?m gonna go
You know I?m gonna leave
You know I?m gonna go, woman
I?m gonna leave, woman
Goodbye, American woman
Goodbye, American chick
Goodbye, American broad ...
Songwriters: Burton Cummings / Gary Peterson / Michael Kale / Randy Bachman
American Woman lyrics © BMG Rights Management
