Don't like the way I act?
Girl, you better face the fact
You can wait a long while
I'm not about to change my style
This is me / How I like to be
Take it or leave it / I am free
How I like to be/Take it or leave it
What you get is what you see
You better believe it /Take it or leave it
You think I'm a big disgrace (hoo hoo)
Why don't you get off my case? (hoo hoo)
You say I'm the hurtin' kind
Girl, you oughta keep in mind...
This is me / How I like to be
Take it or leave it
What you get is what you see
You better believe it / Take it or leave it, baby
Take it or leave itThis song debuts in "The Stingers Hit Town (Part 2)."
The Stingers were staying at the Starlight House and behaving poorly. Riot, Minx, and Rapture weaponize their charisma, fame, good looks, and talent to dominate "the scene," such as it is, at a girls' orphanage.
Riot dismissed the orphans, despite them fangirling over him; he was not interested in giving them autographs. Minx told Krissie her art was terrible. Rapture scared Terry, claiming she was a werewolf and would come looking for her when the full moon happened.
These three liked being bullies, being jerks, and being abrasive.
Aya, having had enough of their bullying antics, confronted the Stingers at the pool, yelling, "You are nothing but a bunch of egotistical snobs!"
Riot, uninterested in her anger, aloofly responded, "We are what we are." And Minx added, "Yes, hehehe, take it or leave it," which kicked off the song.
... And with that, Rapture and Minx pushed Aya into the pool. LOL
Rapture shown frightening Terry out of bed, who runs into the arms of Shana.
... then, acting innocent, she gave the girl back her teddy bear, only having placed the fangs on the bear.
Minx shown destroying and making a mess of the art room. Paints mustaches on Raya and Krissie's faces...
... then for good measure, she tosses a bucket of paint at Raya. LOL
Shana and Raya help Aja out of the pool, and the song ends with the Stingers pushing all three ladies into the pool. LOL
This didn't just show their confidence; they were gleefully cruel! ... in several cases to little orphan girls even!.. and they dismissed the Holograms discomfort with their behavior (the women actually hosting them at the Starlight House).
"Take It Or Leave It" is the song's title after all. Riot's creed was cast as, "you don't like it, tough sh**."
So, this original airing of the song, Riot and his bandmates were antagonists...
... but the second go at it, the episode "Riot's Hope"...
... it reframes it about his father, who was overly strict and dismissive of him. It's about as "abusive father" coded as you'll get on a children's cartoon. Riot's father thought music and arts were for "sissies" (re: gay).
Same song, different meaning. The first is about a bully daring people to challenge him, and the second is a shield against paternal abuse.
This is me / How I like to be becomes about autonomy, not arrogance
You think I'm a big disgrace / Why don't you get off my case reclaiming dignity, Riot won't carry his father's judgment anymore
Take it or leave it now a refusal to conform to his father's attempts to break him
Riot's cruelty and aloof behavior read as performative because of the emotional abuse that shaped him.
Thus... "Take It Or Leave It" ... a positive anthem that promotes survival, defiance, being resolute, seeking your own self-definition, and even confronting judgement from others.
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