"Greetings To The New Brunette" as written by and Billy Bragg....
Shirley,
It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this new room
Shirley,
You're my reason to get out of bed before noon
Shirley,
You know when we sat out on the fire escape talking
Shirley,
What did you say about running before we were walking
Sometimes when we're as close as this
It's like we're in a dream
How can you lie there and think of england
When you don't even know who's in the team
Shirley,
Your sexual politics have left me all of a muddle
Shirley,
We are joined in the ideological cuddle
I'm celebrating my love for you
With a pint of beer and a new tattoo
And if you haven't noticed yet
I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet
Politics and pregnancy
Are debated as we empty our glasses
And how i love those evening classes
Shirley,
You really know how to make a young man angry
Shirley,
Can we get through the night without mentioning family
The people from your church agree
It's not much of a career
Trying the handles of parked cars
Whoops, there goes another year
Whoops, there goes another pint of beer
Here we are in our summer years
Living on icecream and chocolate kisses
Would the leaves fall from the trees
If i was your old man and you were my missus
Shirley,
Give my greetings to the new brunette
It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this new room
Shirley,
You're my reason to get out of bed before noon
Shirley,
You know when we sat out on the fire escape talking
Shirley,
What did you say about running before we were walking
Sometimes when we're as close as this
It's like we're in a dream
How can you lie there and think of england
When you don't even know who's in the team
Shirley,
Your sexual politics have left me all of a muddle
Shirley,
We are joined in the ideological cuddle
I'm celebrating my love for you
With a pint of beer and a new tattoo
And if you haven't noticed yet
I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet
Politics and pregnancy
Are debated as we empty our glasses
And how i love those evening classes
Shirley,
You really know how to make a young man angry
Shirley,
Can we get through the night without mentioning family
The people from your church agree
It's not much of a career
Trying the handles of parked cars
Whoops, there goes another year
Whoops, there goes another pint of beer
Here we are in our summer years
Living on icecream and chocolate kisses
Would the leaves fall from the trees
If i was your old man and you were my missus
Shirley,
Give my greetings to the new brunette
Lyrics submitted by Madame Me
"Greetings to the New Brunette" as written by Billy Bragg
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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①"You’re my reason to get out of bed before noon"...Is getting out of bed before noon early or late for the singer?
②"running before we were walking"..,What does this mean? A kind of proverb?
③"How can you lie there and think of england/ When you don’t even know who’s in the team"
my understanding: She was thinking about the future of England strictly. But the word "England" means nothing for him except for the name of a football team...Right?
④"And if you haven’t noticed yet/ I’m more impressionable when my cement is wet"
my understanding: He is saying that he gets nervous about the omen of breakup if she doesn't notice the new tattoo of him...Right?
⑤"The people from your church agree/ It’s not much of a career"
...This phrase is especially difficult for us both grammatically and culturally. Does "The people from your church" mean "the people having same religion as her" (and his religion is not same as her)? Does "It’s not much of a career" mean their account on him? (Then why the subject is "it" ?)
⑥"Trying the handles of parked cars"...What does this phrase mean? A kind of metaphor?
⑦"Give my greetings to the new brunette"...I cannot help thinking that this "new brunette" means her new lover. But why and how things got so? He said "Here we are in our summer years" just prior to this...
...I cannot understand even why this song is difficult for me because my English is poor or this song is vague in the first place. Please let me hear your opinion.
In response to your questions
1. The singer's character is presumably out of work, and so the idea of getting up to go to work - or do anything - is not real for him: he might be tempted to stay in bed all day.
2. There's an English phrase: "don't run before you can walk", meaning: don't try something hard before you master something easy.
3. A bit more complicated! There's a story that Queen Victoria told women to "lie back and think of England", in relation to ... sexual relations. The singer is combining that with the common perception that "England" refers most often in popular speech to the football team, much more a male pursuit than a female one.
4. Again, a bit tricky. I wonder whether he is saying that when he's drunk ("wet") he will agree with his partner's hope (for marriage?). When cement is wet, you can make an impression that will last. I don't think the tattoo is significant except that it's probably her name.
5-6. This indicates their difference of faith (and maybe "class"), and perhaps people saying he's not good enough for her, especially as he a) either steals cars, or b) (more likely) in metaphor - is stuck trying the same things that don't work, year after year.
7. This is the difficult one! It could be a) that there is a new baby. I don't think so. b) that there's a new man in her life. I don't think so. c) that in the 1980s (when this song was written) most people were just discovering hair dye, and the woman might have been trying to create a new image for herself. Maybe the singer is trying to find his place in this "new image" as her partner?
1). My grammar probably isn't quite good enough to tell you exactly what is going on! I think you might technically call it a presumptive past subjunctive? Essentially "if you hadn't noticed yet" means "either you have noticed, or should have noticed..." It's essentially a rhetorical not-quite-a-question, asking for a response without an actual question, and assuming an answer (i.e. that the singer's partner knows that this is true, and what the cryptic comment means!).
The use of "if" is largely similar to "though", but with the sense of hoping that the singer's lover will understand his intentions. It has a sense of momentum, pushing forward (just my opinion).
I think the "new brunette" idea is about someone trying to re-create themselves - trying to make a new identity. I am old enough to remember people who in the 1980s dyed their hair and seemed to "re-brand" themselves - trying to create a whole new identity. That seems like at least one understanding of what the singer is talking about.
I have to say, you are dealing with very complex issues in English and lyrics. Your English and other understanding is very good!