Paris Paloma’s uncompromising rallying cry “Good Boy” is a gut-punching, gorgeously defiant anthem that dismantles patriarchy, critiques capitalism, and demands we all wake up – together.
for the fans of Florence and the Machine, Lorde, Hozier
follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist
Stream: “Good Boy” – Paris Paloma
I knew one day I’d have to watch powerful men burn the world down; I just didn’t expect them to be such losers…
* * *
The minute Emma Thompson’s voice echoed through the intro of Paris Paloma’s “Good Boy,” I had chills.
Not metaphorical ones – the real, full-body kind that start in your spine and bloom outward. I already knew I was in for a ride, and she did not disappoint. This is not just a protest song, not just a feminist anthem – it’s a thunderous rebellion wrapped in poetry and defiance. “Good Boy” evokes the emotional state of waking up in a burning world and choosing not just to survive it, but to fight back.
It’s a message to men. But not the rich men. Not the powerful ones at the top. This song is for the regular man – the kind who clocks in, tries to be a provider, and gets crushed under the same boot that’s been pressing down on women for centuries.
It’s a call to open your eyes, to stop confusing obedience for virtue. It’s not about hating men – it’s about dismantling the system that’s hurting all of us.
I have never seen submission
embodied half so well
As in the feeble competition
between men with souls to sell
And I’ve never seen a guard dog
with less fearsome of a bite
Than with its tail between its legs
found at the rich man’s side
Look at him, he’s sweating,
he’s sweating from the climb
Office worker, soldier, CEO,
hе’s bleedin’ and he’s blind
And I have nevеr seen a creature
more pitiful than him
He drinks power like saltwater,
all because he cannot swim
Released on September 19th, 2025 as a standalone single, “Good Boy” is the latest drop from Paris Paloma, the UK-based singer/songwriter who first broke into the spotlight with her viral track “Labour” in 2023. She’s known for her haunting vocals, rich lyricism, and willingness to take aim at societal systems too many artists tiptoe around. Her 2024 debut album Cacophony made it clear she was here to say something – but “Good Boy” brings that mission to new heights. Armed with a gothic edge and a literary soul, Paloma continues to rewrite the rules of what protest music can sound like in 2025.
Sonically, “Good Boy” is massive. There’s a cinematic build to it, a near-religious reverence to the way it swells and crashes like waves. It begins soft, reverent, like a sermon – then grows into something blistering, righteous, uncontainable. There’s a sort of climactic rebellion in the sound: percussive, urgent, breathless. Paris Paloma doesn’t scream – she doesn’t have to.
Mouths open, servants of a higher power
They told him, “It’s a staircase, it’s a tower”
Full circle, wagging tails, wearing a collar
Poor madman, that’s what happens
when you drink saltwater
Her voice slices through the instrumentation like a whispered threat made holy. And the metaphors? Devastating. The “good boy” is a dog – obedient, well-trained, praised for fetching and rolling over while he’s being exploited. These men are praised for their loyalty to their bosses, for chasing money, power, approval, but at what cost?
The lyrics are equally sharp and unforgettable. “They told him, ‘It’s a staircase, it’s a tower.’ / And I have never seen a creature more pitiful than him.” That line alone gutted me. It’s the image of a man reaching and reaching, told he’s climbing toward success, while actually being held in place by a system that feeds on his compliance. What she does so brilliantly here is mirror the themes of “Labour” but from a new angle – this time, the lens is flipped. The patriarchy is no longer just a weapon wielded against women; it’s shown as a system that uses men, too. That pits us against each other. That promises power while delivering disillusionment. The song is about hierarchy. About obedience. About waking up from a lifelong lie and realizing you’ve been complicit in your own erasure.
There’s something so freeing about it. It gives language to a feeling that so many people carry but don’t know how to voice: that deep internal rage at the systems that demand so much and give so little. It’s not just feminist – it’s intersectional, it’s anti-capitalist, and it’s timely as hell. This is the kind of song you scream in your car after a terrible shift at work, or when a man on the internet tells you to smile, or when you realize your worth isn’t tied to how palatable you are. It’s empowering. It’s explosive. It’s the protest banner you’ve been waiting to wave.
Burned your tongue too early and realised too late
The tragedy of losin’ everything you’ll never taste
The clearness of the river, the honey on her tongue
Door opened to communion, bein’ your father’s son
And I would not expect you to witness what we know
The songs sung in the dark times, the fire and the snow
We’ll be piling up our pyre and you defend your lords
And we will have our joy, but it will never be yours
“‘Good Boy’ is a message to men that you have more in common with me, more in common with everyday women, than you do with men in power pushing capitalist patriarchy; so don’t be their good boy,” Paloma tells Atwood Magazine.
“Any knee-jerk reaction to women criticising and working against patriarchy, by calling women ‘man haters’, bites off your own nose, and upholds a system that isolates and betrays you, cutting you off from community and love. You won’t be rewarded by those in power for upholding a system that harms you and benefits them. You’ll get nothing, not even so much as a ‘good boy.’”
Mouths open, servants of a higher power
(Higher power)
They told him, “It’s a staircase, it’s a tower”
Full circle, wagging tails, wearing a collar
(Wearing a collar)
Even the dogs know not to drink saltwater
For me, “Good Boy” unlocked a feeling of awakening. It’s that moment of pride and pain, where you realize how much of your life has been shaped by forces you didn’t consent to – and how ready you are to start reclaiming your power.
This song isn’t about blame – it’s about understanding. About drawing the line between the billionaires who pull the strings and the everyday people dancing to their tune. And Paloma makes that crystal clear.
Good boy, you’re working exactly as intended
Has the penny dropped? You’re never gonna get it
Unrewarded for all of your defendin’
From your loneliness epidemic
Good boy, has any of the money trickled down yet?
You say one day you’ll be rich? Well, tell me how then
Unpaid marketing department for the power
Good boy, good boy
Ah, good boy, good boy
In an Instagram video, Paloma further explains, “I want to use this song to articulate that the women such men trample upon have more in common with them than they do with billionaires or manosphere influencers. When you broadly label any woman calling out patriarchy as a ‘man-hater’ as a knee-jerk reaction, you’re shooting yourself in the foot, because then the system which harms both of us is being upheld.”
That quote hits like a punch to the ribs – because it’s true. The idea that calling out injustice equals hatred is a trap. And she is trying to free us from it.
If you loved Everybody Scream by Florence + The Machine, Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers, or Liability by Lorde, this will absolutely destroy you in the best way. “Good Boy” belongs in that sacred canon of songs that don’t just hit – they change something inside you.
And here’s the best part: this song doesn’t just speak. It listens. It sees you. It doesn’t ask for perfection – it asks for awareness. And in today’s world, that’s more radical than ever.
Mouths open, servants of a higher power
(Good boy, you’re working exactly as intended)
(Has the penny dropped? You’re never gonna get it)
They told him, “It’s a staircase, it’s a tower”
(Unrewarded from all of your defendin’
from your loneliness epidemic)
Full circle, wagging tails, wearing a collar
(Good boy, has any of the
money trickled down yet?)
(You say one day you’ll be rich?
Well, tell me how then)
Even the dogs know not to drink saltwater
(Unpaid marketing department for
the power, good boy, good boy)
— —
:: stream/purchase Good Boy here ::
:: connect with Paris Paloma here ::
— —
Stream: “Good Boy” – Paris Paloma
— — — —
Connect to Paris Paloma on
Facebook, TikTok, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
© Phoebe Fox
© Phoebe Fox
:: Today’s Song(s) ::
follow our daily playlist on Spotify
:: Stream Paris Paloma ::
