Paris Paloma, the musical artist behind the global feminist anthem “labour,” released a new single on September 19, 2025. Titled “Good Boy,” the song plays with themes of power, oppression, and patriarchal standards. In this article, I’ll be reviewing and examining the lyrics and message of “Good Boy.”
The song begins with a spoken introduction narrated by Emma Thompson. Her words, “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,” preface the gist of the song: historically, women have had to watch men in power make decisions without consulting them, and those decisions were not always made by the brightest of the male sex.
The lyrics of “Good Boy” compare the actions of a man striving for power to those of a dog attempting to please an owner who will never be satisfied. The first two lines of the chorus are, “Mouths open, servants of a higher power/They told him, ‘It’s a staircase, it’s a tower.’” Paloma references the fact that positions of power do not have a ceiling at which they stop. People will seek power wherever they can, for as long as they can, and to the furthest extent possible. Dogs are often stereotypically represented as following their owners with blind faith or doing tricks in exchange for rewards. Paloma makes the comparison that people behave similarly to achieve what they believe will bring them security, whether that be money, status, or recognition.
During the bridge, Paloma sings, “Good boy! You’re working exactly as intended/Has the penny dropped? You’re never gonna get it.” Our society relies on communal work to achieve goals, but this foundation can cause people to be taken advantage of. Falsely promised their sought-after “security,” many people pour themselves and their hearts into a job, only to be pushed aside or given metaphorical scraps instead of what they deserve.
Paloma herself commented on the song: “Good Boy is a message to men. The everyday man who upholds power systems. Who tread on women in their day-to-day life… The song is my way of saying to these men that you have more in common with me. You have more in common with everyday women than the billionaires and the manosphere ‘role models’ that you idolize and uplift with no reward.”
In my opinion, “Good Boy” is a strong song with a lot of potential.I’m not sure it will catch on in the same way that “labour” did, but I’m definitely interested in keeping an eye on it to see its progress.
I think the overall message is one that I agree with: the lack of appreciation and respect men have shown for women has led to a world where neither sex is able to flourish. Paloma’s music reflects the truth that when women are not valued as equal in dignity to men, everyone suffers. “Good Boy” is the aftermath of “labour.” The “good boy” in the music video (expressively played by Tom Blyth) pushes past a woman to get to the top of the chain of command, only to realize his ability to seize power for himself was an illusion, and he is no better off than the woman he disrespected only a few lyrics before.
To close, I want to comment on Paloma’s artistry in this song, specifically how she builds the saltwater metaphor and uses it to weave a story through the verses. Verse one ends with, “And I have nevеr seen a creature more pitiful than him/He drinks power like saltwater, all because he cannot swim.” The chorus echoes, “Poor madman, that’s what happens when you drink saltwater,” and, “Even the dogs know not to drink saltwater.” Humans should not drink saltwater because it’s harmful to the human body. The attempt of the “good boy” to be relevant and to fit in leads him to take harmful action (drinking saltwater = blindly pursuing power). The chorus lays out the consequence of his pursuit of power—the reward for which is a lack of “security”—and notes that even dogs, with their blind obedience, would not do what is harmful to themselves just to please their owner.
I hope I’ve given you an insight into “Good Boy.” I highly recommend listening to it for yourself and checking out the music video if you get the chance. Paloma really does incredible work with the visual storytelling, and I think it adds deeper meaning to the song.