submissions
| Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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This is their best song. Clap Your Hands...' lyrics are always pretty obtuse, but I think I get this one. It's about a small-town guy who moves to the city. 'Know the emptiness of talking blue the same old sheep', means if he stays where he is he'll just get bored, so he heads off to New York City. |
submissions
| Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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Great song, great words. The 'You're name isn't Rio...' line is a reference to the Duran Durna song, with the chorus 'Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand'. The girl in that Duran Duran song was being painted as really exotic and Alex Turner is pretty much saying the scene in this song couldn't be further from that one. |
submissions
| Arcade Fire – In the Backseat Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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Yes, Nightneversleeps got this one on the money... she doesn't want to take control of her life, or it's more that she feels she can't take control, hence she's been 'learning to drive my whole life'. The fear of driving element reminds me of Radiohead's Airbag. Make no mistake, this is a beautiful song. |
submissions
| The Libertines – Death On The Stairs Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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This is a very, very good song - one of The Libs' best for me. The lyrics are all over the place but they're pretty fantastic. I love the way he says 'half of less than 50p' instead of 'less than half', it always makes me smile. 'I'm stranded on the street that once paved my only way home' is a really lovely line too. |
submissions
| The Libertines – Time For Heroes Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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I've always felt this is The Libertines best song, and Pete's best poetry. It really is a wonderfully romantic, world weary trip around grimy old London that perfectly encapsulates the Libertines' vision. There are some really beautiful lines in there: 'Did you see the stylish kids in the riot?' is a fabulous opening line, and for me, definitely about the middle class kids who co-opt left-wing rallies. 'The stale chips are up and the hope stakes are down' is also a great image. There's so much dirt and filth and bad living going on. 'It's not right for young lungs to be coughing up blood' is a very potent image too. |
submissions
| Franz Ferdinand – Tell Her Tonight Lyrics
| 20 years ago
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Surprised nobody else has picked up on the narrative thread in this, or at least what I perceive to be the narrative. I think in the first verse, he's flirting with a girl who notices what's going on; in the second she flirts back with him; but the third verse is the best, because he kisses the girl, but this time the person who sees him is his current girlfriend. It's a brilliant song, and a witty lyric. |
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