Can't be with the one you love, then love the one you're with
Spliff in the ashtray, red stripe, I pull the lid
Her touch tickles, especially when she's gentle
But I don't hear her words 'cause I slide the instrumental
Keep the girl in the distance, moves are very hazy
No sunshine in my life the way I deal is shady

Skip hip data to get the anti-matter
Blue lines are the reason why the temple had to shatter
To the sound of silence surrounded by the mass
Her face is on the paper, not the strangers that I pass
The ones that are looking back to see if they are looking back at me

Are you predator, or do you fear me?

Yeah, while I'm doing this, I know
The place I really wanna go
The one I love but never gets near me

It's a beautiful day well, it seems as such
Beautiful thoughts means I dream too much
Even if I told you, you still would not know me
Tricky never does, Adrian mostly gets lonely
How we live in this existence, just being
English upbringing, background Caribbean

It's the way that we billety
Sharing a soliloquy
We cut the broken thread from flexibility
Mi chiamo 3D si sono Inglese
No sunshine in my life because the way I deal is hazy
And everyday's a daisy 'cause I'm on my toes
While contemporaries of mine remaining comatose

There's a looking glass she's looking through
She hated me, but then she loved me too
I'd lie, not try, so I lost faith
Then turn to her to keep the faith
She told me, 'take an occupation, or you lose your mind.'
And on a nine-to-five lemon, looking for the lime

Box clever, watch your system come together
Crazy weather at the end of my tether

Massive in the area, murderer
Attack in the area, murderer

Some go softly, softly round the habitat
Ratchet in the right hand
They got no one to stab it at
Take a walk, Billy, don't be a hero
Effort's on minimal though almost touch zero
Excommunicated from the brotherhood of man
To wander lonely as a puzzled anagram

Car paint blue, green, primer and zinc
Take it to extremities, my purple and pink
I feel the colours fill my room beneath the patter of the rain
I can't stand the drops that dribble down my windowpane
They wash away my shadow and don't even leave a mark upon my soul
They leave the rainbows in the dark

Blues get big, Massive are even larger
Save enough space into the tricky tardies
We'd trawl what I saw from down in Darren's hall
People laying their claim
In stormy weather it's rain

But you're living on a see-saw
I try to see more

Somebody da-ditty, nobody
Walking on sunshine, but, still, we're treading water
The son of many reasons searching for the daughter
Seeking knowledge, not acknowledging the jet-set
Silver papers of the sound within my Budakon headset
The solar system watches in wisdom
The children dance as the moonlight kissed them

To Massive Attack, Matt Black appear wearing beads
Two hours traveling, so I wrote this on repeat
Always living fast, people getting jumpy
Where on Gruggy falls I just do the Walter Crumpy
Microphones held close, crouching far apart
Take my piece of mind, and sign my name across your heart


Lyrics submitted by Ice

Blue Lines Lyrics as written by Andrew Lee Isaac Vowles Adrian Nicholas Matthew Thaws

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Blue Lines song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

7 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    A line from nearly every other song on the album reappears in this song.

    Crane42on July 18, 2017   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    the first line of the lyric is wrong, instead of:

    You can be with the one you love or love the one you're with

    It should be:

    If you can't be with the one you love, then love the one you're with

    junocakeon April 17, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Yeah, I love that last line too.

    The song (poem, really) kinda goes all over the place, like the guys are all trying to tell a story, but not really paying attention to if it all makes sense.

    At it's heart, though, the song is about love, and how difficult it can be for two people to truly understand each other.

    YanYan108on May 17, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I'm pretty sure this song is describing The Doctor on Doctor Who, which is a long-running BBC show. The Doctor is an alien who travels all space and time, alone in his ship, the TARDIS. Sometimes, he picks up human companions, mostly women, to join him on his journey, but he always keeps them at a certain distance.

    The Blue Lines are the Blue Lines on his ship, the TARDIS,which looks like an old-school Police Box.

    There are some lines about the band members' upbringings...but mostly the song is about this.

    shnugen17on February 29, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    DOCTOR WHO!

    othatzsokewlon September 21, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The best part of this song is the final few lines delivered by Tricky and the abrupt end.

    hlsguyon April 03, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Dr. Who guy....That is the best comment i've ever read about any song anywhere.

    I disagree but thank you for making me smile.

    Everyone....i'm not convinced that these are the right lyrics but neither am i convinced that what i think are the correct lyrics.

    While i agree, the abrupt ending is excellent. For me though, it's the abrupt ending immediately followed by the gear-shift into "Be Thankful..."

    This remains in my top 10 albums ever.

    JLoDaMofoon March 17, 2018   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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.