Why Do You Want Him?

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Slappy.jpg
Why Do You Want Him?
Written by: Billie Joe Armstrong
Song length: 2:31
Album: Slappy (1990)
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991)
Chronology
Previous song: "Paper Lanterns"
Next song: "409 in Your Coffeemaker"

"Why Do You Want Him?" is the second song on the Slappy EP and the 12th song on the compilation album 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. Billie was only 14 years old when he wrote this song and it is the first serious song he has ever written. His mom has a new boyfriend, and he tries to figure out what she sees in him. Billie has 5 siblings and nobody likes the new boyfriend. Nobody can replace their deceased father.

Song meaning[edit | edit source]

It's about being hurt in love once again. The narrator talks about a woman who has to suffer dissapointment after dissapointment in a new relationship, her boyfriend not taking it very seriously. She feels like crap and it makes her wonder if she's making the right decisions in life. Another view on the lyrics could be that she feels guilty about finding a new love after her husband passed away (His memory will always dwell). But she also has her needs and she's afraid she's becoming too desperate to fill these needs, which results in one letdown after the other.

Lyrics[edit | edit source]

Main article: Why Do You Want Him?/lyrics