Bougainvilleas fall into the pool
The hard shelled bugs bite my forearm
My right index fingernail chewed to the quick
My cervix is alarmed, scared even
My sprinklers go off at 6 P.M. each day
And sometimes they spray unsuspecting visitors
My pimples are gooses all over my legs
My brow is furrowed and my vision is blurred

And how I do love London
And how I do love London

The birds make guttural sounds and protect me
My friends come to visit and love me a lot
I don't have the energy to fill them in
I am lagged by the jet and the twelve hour flight

And how I do love London
How I do love London

I am intrigued by the boy with the androgynous songs
Sometimes they rhyme sometimes they rhyme not
The steam will smell of eucalyptus in the shower
The hug will feel forced upon you inconsolable thing

And how I do love London
And how I do love London

Deep breaths will not make my brain stand still
To be loved and swallowed or single and depraved
I love speaking French to the taxi drivers
We slept and were cold on the train out of France

And how I do love London
And how I do love London


Lyrics submitted by Lamia

London Lyrics as written by Alanis Nadine Morissette Glen Ballard

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

London song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

8 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    The other day I was in the shower and it dawned on me that the "how I do love London" sentence could be a sadly sarcastic one, in the sense that Alanis is admittedly used to pretending she's fine and/or nice.

    In the lyrics she describes, mostly, tense or sad situations...and then she finishes each verse with "I do love London". It's like she feels like shit for several reasons but pretends, in front of audiences or the media, that everything's fine and makes false compliments and says she loves the city or the country she is in, etc. And it's kind of a cliché to say that one loves London.

    And there are a few lines in which she says pleasant or not-so-bad things like "I love speaking French..."...Maybe with these few lines she means that she is seldom having fun and relaxed and is most of the time tense or sad...and keeps pretending that everything is fine anyway.

    It could otherwise be about unexpected things as someone else once said. But then I'm not sure what "loving London" would mean...maybe ONE expectedly thing among all the rest.

    JulioCMMSon May 31, 2010   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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.