Top Five Menstrual Songs

I took a lot of women’s studies classes in college and even spelled women as “womyn” for a while, but I’ve never quite understood menstrual art. I have a lil’ soft spot for all the artists on this list, but it was loads of humorous fun pulling the lyrics for our Top Five Menstrual Songs:

5. “Cause my swag is serious/Something heavy like a first-day period.”—Janet Jackson, “Feedback”, Discipline
I’m confused. Janet’s periods are heavy on the first day? That sucks.

4. “Fruit flower myself inside-out/I’m tired and I’m bleeding for you.”—PJ Harvey, “Happy & Bleeding”, Dry
This song is about Eve, or something, and how periods are God’s way of punishing women for Eve’s sins. If you believe that sort of thing. I just think Polly Jean is rad.

3. “Raining blood/From a lacerated sky/Bleeding its horror/Creating my structure/Now I shall reign in blood.”—Tori Amos, “Raining Blood”, Strange Little Girls
Fact: This is Tori’s take on a Slayer song called “Reign In Blood”. Something tells me that the metal band probs did not appreciate her turning their song into a feminist menstrual war cry.

2. “What is the color, the color of shame?/Is it red? is it blood, blood red?/Does it creep out from my two legs, up to my face, if you notice the stain?/Never wear white or your shame will creep thru/Never wear white or your shame will creep right thru.”—Heavens To Betsy, “My Red Self”, Kill Rock Stars compilation
This track is from back in the ‘90s, during the peak of the Riot Grrl movement. I guess the whole point behind a lot of period music is about reclaiming something that makes girls ashamed. Though I will say I desperately wanted to get my period when I was a teen and though I am not ashamed of it now, I can’t quite understand why I was so enthusiastic.

1. “I didn’t really have much to say the whole time I was there/So I just left a big brown bloodstain/On their white chair.”—Ani DiFranco, “Blood In The Boardroom”, Puddle Dive
I really appreciate Ani’s attention to detail. Guys probably don’t realize this, but period blood is often brownish, not bright red. Which is decidedly less pretty as a stain, fyi. Oh, and for the record, this is not the only Ani DiFranco song about menses. I had many to choose from.