Song Meaning
The lyrics present a defiant embrace of being fat, framing it as a source of comfort and a shield against unwanted attention. The opening lines, "Hey it's fun to be fat / You always know where you sat," establish a playful, almost cozy, physicality. This initial sentiment is immediately undercut by the observation that "People look at you on the streets / People look at you when you eat," suggesting that while there's a personal comfort, public scrutiny is unavoidable.
The central tension arises from the narrator's past experience with dieting. They recall being "on the first place of local rate" before losing weight, a phrase that’s ambiguous but implies a former status or perhaps a specific, though unstated, social standing. The repeated desire, "Gimme back my weight / Gimme back my size / Gimme back my fat," reveals a deep regret over this lost state, indicating that the diet was a mistake or led to an undesirable outcome.
The craft here hinges on the stark contrast between the perceived benefits of being fat and the societal judgment it attracts. The line "Be not attractive for man" suggests a deliberate choice to opt out of conventional desirability, finding freedom in invisibility. This is further amplified by the bizarre, yet telling, assertion that "Everybody thinks you're from u.s.a," a non-sequitur that might humorously point to a perceived lack of sophistication or a generalized stereotype. The narrator’s plea to get their fat back suggests that the perceived freedom and self-knowledge associated with their former size outweighed the public gaze and the societal pressures they experienced.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their unexpected inversion of societal norms. Instead of lamenting weight, the narrator actively seeks to reclaim it, framing it as a lost part of their identity and a source of a unique, albeit scrutinized, existence. The repeated, almost desperate, calls for their fat back underscore a profound sense of loss, making the embrace of a marginalized identity feel like a genuine, personal reclamation.