When, on New Year’s Eve in 2011, American recording artist Katy Perry’s marriage to English comedian Russell Brand ended by text message after just fourteen months, fans wondered how she would respond musically. The answer came in August 2013 when Roar, the first single from “Prism”, Perry’s fourth album, was released. Co-writer Bonnie McKee described it as a song about self-empowerment, telling MTV it is a “pick yourself up and dust yourself off and keep going” song. Perry also revealed that after therapy she was “sick of keeping all these feelings inside and not speaking up for myself.”

463 ROAR Istock
Istock

The song opens with the ‘used to’ form and four idioms, describing what the singer was like in the past, but no longer is. The first two verses continue largely in the past simple, before the chorus triumphantly reveals how strong and independent she now feels. It refers to the movie Rocky III’s motivational theme tune Eye of the Tiger as well as Helen Reddy’s 1971 feminist anthemI Am a Woman, with the line “hear me roar”. The song goes on to refer to iconic boxer Mohammed Ali’s catchphrase “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath

Scared to rock the boat and make a mess

So I sat quietly, agreed politely

I guess that I forgot I had a choice

I let you push me past the breaking point

I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up (hey)

Already brushing off the dust

You hear my voice, you hear that sound

Like thunder, gonna shake the ground

You held me down, but I got up (hey)

Get ready ‘cause I’ve had enough

I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter

Dancing through the fire

‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar

Louder, louder than a lion

‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar

Chorus
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

You’re gonna hear me roar

Now I’m floatin’ like a butterfly

Stinging like a bee, I earned my stripes

I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up (hey)

Already brushing off the dust

You hear my voice, you hear that sound

Like thunder, gonna shake the ground

You held me down, but I got up (hey)

Get ready ‘cause I’ve had enough

I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter

Dancing through the fire

‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar

Louder, louder than a lion

‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar

Chorus 2