Another bloated disco, another sniff of romance I'll forget. We promised to ourselves before we came out we'd do something we regret. These people are your friends, this cunted circus never ends. I won't remember anything you say. I lost my social skills a while ago but now I feel them coming back. My eyes were rolling when we met and now they are preparing for attack. I want to fall in love tonight and form the perfect unbreakable bond. You can be my teenage Jenny Agutter, swimming naked in a pond. You know I'm always moaning but you jump-start my serotonin. But how do you know you've ever really loved? But when I feel like this, I know it doesn't matter. When I eat when I'm not hungry, I'm sure I feel my face get fatter. Then I thin out every weekend and I think that she might want me. But I always slip off on my own ‘cause I let those feelings haunt me, they control me but tonight I'm letting go. You're more than just a photo album, you're more than what some people let you know and if we ever make it home, I'll tell you all the things that shaped me thus. Something forged in a phonebox but lost in a restaurant, we've got so much to discuss. Here, have you tried the blue ones? I hear he's got some new ones. Sleep is not an option tonight. Look at us just stand and stare, look at them just pose and pout, and we'll all be standing here until the pigs chuck us out.


Lyrics submitted by _valerie

The Shy Retirer Lyrics as written by Malcolm Middleton Aidan Moffat

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Shy Retirer song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

7 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think this song is talking about taking ecstasy...

    "You know I’m always moaning but you jump-start my serotonin." Ecstasy works by releasing serotonin from your brain.

    "But when I feel like this, I know it doesn’t matter." When a person is high or rolling they usually don't have a care in the world. Nothing really matters except for being high.

    "Here, have you tried the blue ones? i hear he’s got some new ones." Ecstasy come in all sorts of colors including blue and this line is probably talking about a dealer with a fresh batch of blue pills.

    "Sleep is not an option tonight." Usually ectasy keeps users awake for a long time.

    versatilestyle87on May 03, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example: "'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/