What the hell?
Perched on a five-bar gate
Wondering just what you could tell your mates
Oh, you are no Sir Galahad
The party's nearly over
The morning sun spreads out its fingers
But you, you had that gate right off its hinges
If you didn't know
Listen up, 'cause I've got something to tell you, oh
You don't know how to handle a girl
Oh, it's strange but true what I'm telling you
What I'm telling you is that girls like it too
Take it slow; she could give you the world
Oh, it's strange but true what I'm telling you
And what I'm telling you is that girls like it too
Her name is Karen
Now that's the only word that you want to say
So say it loud and say it to her face
But don't spread it around, no no
Pull these last strands of darkness all around you, oh
You don't know how to handle a girl
Oh, it's strange but true what I'm telling you
And what I'm telling you is that girls like it too
Take it slow; she could give you the world
Oh, it's strange but true what I'm telling you
And what I'm telling you is that girls like it too
Oh, she wants to hold you
Yeah, but you're in such a state
She saw you sitting on that five-bar gate
And now it's time to step down and hold her
It's not too late, oh yeah yeah yeah
Don't you know how to handle a girl
Oh, it's strange but true what I'm telling you
And what I'm telling you is that girls like it too
Take it slow; she could give you the world
Oh, it's strange but true what I've been telling you
And what I'm telling you is that girls like it too
Don't you know, oh how to handle a girl
Yeah, it's strange but true what I'm telling you
And what I'm telling you is that girls like it too
Don't you know
Speaking to the NME in April 2008 Jarvis explained that the song is about how females enjoy sex as well as men – "which boys sometimes forget".
The title reportedly comes from a letter read out at John Peel's funeral by his younger brother, in which John advised him that, indeed, 'girls like it too'.