[4] The song's title is a reference to the eponymous sheela na gig statues; figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva found throughout Britain and Ireland.

However, the lyrics narrate "imperious male demands and female self-loathing"[6] and "a leather jacket-wearing rocker, black-humouring the boys with her twangy moan.

The lyric "dirty pillows" is a reference to the Stephen King novel Carrie,[8] in which Margaret White uses the term to describe breasts.

The repeated lyric, "I'm gonna wash that man right outa my hair" is the title of a song from the 1949 musical South Pacific.

[3] The single was extremely successful in the United States, where it entered and peaked Billboard''s Alternative Songs at number 9,[12] however, was less successful in the United Kingdom, where it managed to enter the UK Singles Chart at number 69,[13] leaving the charts the following week.

He commented how Harvey "plots a tale of male weakness and fear in the face of female strength and beauty" and noted the song's "brittle, primitive riff that's reminiscent of both Patti Smith's 'Gloria' and the Pixies in its ruthlessly efficient dynamic", and Harvey's "curiously indefinable" voice and "adroit lyrical touch".

[14] Andrew Smith of Melody Maker stated, "Harvey would be an angry, man-eating hen, locked in its coup and poked with sticks by the sadistic pigs (us).

"[16] In Entertainment Weekly, a review said that the song "redeems [Harvey's] disturbing subject matter with cathartic vocals and her own caustic guitar.

"[17] AllMusic has praised the song highly, describing the dynamics of the song-writing as "outstanding, veering from a tensely whispered verse to a full-throttle chorus topped by a middle eight that explodes (twice) in righteous fury."

The lyrical content of the song was also praised, describing them as "still startling; in the guise of a Celtic fertility symbol, Harvey recounts presenting her nude self to a potential lover only to be rebuffed in a brutally cruel manner" and referred to the final verse "as if a careless razor cut ended the song prematurely", summarizing that "Sheela-Na-Gig" is "a stunning three minutes, probably still her finest performance.