Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (poker face)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
(Poker face) ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Can't read my (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Mam-mam-mam-mah
Mam-mam-mam-mah
Mam-mam-mam-mah
I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas, please (woo)
Fold 'em, let 'em hit me, raise it, baby, stay with me (I love it)
LoveGame intuition, play the cards with spades to start
And after he's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on his heart
Oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
I wanna roll with him, a hard pair we will be (woo)
A little gamblin' is fun when you're with me (I love it, woo)
Russian roulette is not the same without a gun
And baby, when it's love, if it's not rough, it isn't fun, fun
Oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah (mam-mam-mam)
I won't tell you that I love you
Kiss or hug you 'cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I'm not lyin', I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunnin'
Just like a chick in the casino
Take your bank before I pay you out
I promise this, promise this
Check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (poker face)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my, can't read my
No, he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah (mam-mam-mam-mah)
About This Song
"Poker Face" is a masterfully crafted double entendre that uses poker metaphors to explore themes of sexual desire, emotional detachment, and strategic deception in romantic encounters. Beneath its gambling imagery, the song reveals a deeper narrative about a woman maintaining psychological control while hiding her true sexual fantasies and bisexual desires from her male partner. The "poker face" becomes a mask of heteronormative performance, allowing her to engage physically while mentally escaping to thoughts of women, as suggested by the line "bluffin' with my muffin." The track's minimalist electro-pop production, built around a hypnotic synth loop and robotic vocal delivery, mirrors the emotional distance and calculated nature of the protagonist's approach to intimacy. Lady Gaga's deliberately monotone vocals and the song's repetitive structure create an almost mechanical feeling that reinforces themes of performative sexuality and emotional numbness. The infectious hook and dance-floor energy masked these complex themes, making it accessible to mainstream audiences while offering deeper meaning to those who looked closer. This duality between surface-level pop appeal and subversive queer subtext became a hallmark of Gaga's early work, helping establish her as an artist who could smuggle LGBTQ+ themes into the pop mainstream. The song's massive success proved that audiences were hungry for pop music with genuine artistic depth and hidden layers of meaning.
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