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The Libertines – The Good Old Days Lyrics	17 years ago
I guess also, if you don't have a religion, then "love and music" are what you cling to.. They give root to your existence. And if you lose your faith in that, you lose your faith in everything..

submissions

The Libertines – The Good Old Days Lyrics

17 years ago

Yeah, it's about keeping the flame alive I think. Though it seems to be a bit contradictory for Peter & Carl actually, because they have a very deep love for older music such as The Clash, Billie Holiday, and for the type of England/London depicted in old English sitcoms - Hancock's Half Hour, The Likely Lads, Steptoe & Son- and films and whatnot. I remember Pete saying "I don't know if it's possible to be nostalgic for a time that didn't exist.. I think I am." But I guess they're saying that as much as you can be in love with your past, nostalgia softens everything.. Keep your memories close to your heart but don't live inside them, because life is fleeting. Carpe diem: seize the day. In terms of sentiment it reminds me a lot of Fuck Forever, which is also about living for the moment, but about disregarding the future as opposed to the past. It's a beautiful, beautiful song.. I get swept away by the imagery in the last verse. The idea of ships sailing on the sea is so romantic..

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The Libertines – Love On The Dole Lyrics

17 years ago

It's a book, by Walter Greenwood. Love is on the dole is a strange statement in itself, is it not? I wonder what it implies.. Hmm. Yes I love that line too: Oh, well, don't you tell me how blessed are the poor.. It's like the idea that being poor is romantic, like being in the gutter but looking at the stars (was that Wilde?) yet the person in the song always wants "one slice more", thus being poor isn't really fulfilling or romantic. Other than that I'm not sure what the deeper implications of this song are.. but it's typical Libs, isn't it? Beautiful use of imagery yet somehow sinister.

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The Libertines – Arbeit Macht Frei Lyrics

17 years ago

It's irony, and brilliant irony! Work means freedom - of course it fucking doesn't! For the people in the death camps especially; once they could no longer work they were killed. I suppose there could be a darker implication in that - once you are dead you are free. The last couple of lines are a brilliant observation of the inability of some British people to realise that being racist, or homophobic, puts you on a par with the Nazis. An exaggeration? Perhaps, but it makes the point.

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The Libertines – Mayday Lyrics	17 years ago
The fact that each time it leaves you wishing it was longer proves that it was a brilliant idea to make it so short. Leave em wanting more - classic. What a way to finish an album! Sheer brilliance.

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The Libertines – Up The Bracket Lyrics	17 years ago
The first Libertines album is thus called Up The Bracket because it was intended to be a metaphorical punch in the face to the British music scene. And it is to the listener to methinks in terms of its charisma and energy.. and well, sheer brilliance really. :)

submissions

The Libertines – Up The Bracket Lyrics	17 years ago
Yes the "shadow men" is a reference to the notorious Kray twins. I love this song because it's so quintessentially British.. I go with the interpretation that it's about two people on drugs and the drugs coming first. But it's not about Kate Moss! This was way before her.. "A good punch up the bracket never hurt anybody" is indeed a catchphrase of the (brilliant!) comedian Tony Hancock.

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The Libertines – Bangkok Lyrics

17 years ago

I love how shamelessly phallic "like a sausage up an alleyway" is haha.. But yeah, I'd say it's about love, sleaze, and drugs. "Pound of flesh" is a reference to Shakespeare's Merchant Of Venice, in which a wealthy Jew, Shylock, lends a merchant money on the condition that if he doesn't return it by a certain date, Shylock gets to choose a pound of flesh to cut off from anywhere on the merchant's body.

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The Libertines – Tell The King Lyrics

17 years ago

I'd say the lines 'And you know how I feel out of place/Until I'm levered off my face" are pretty self-explanatory..or they are to me. About feeling angular and awkward, like you are somehow different from those around you, until you're inordinately pissed, which gives you confidence and blurs reality, if only temporarily.. Definitely a lot of Peter's paranoia in here. I find it very sinister.. One of my favourite Libertines songs, and the fledgling of The Man Who Would Be King! The last verse gets me everytime..

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