The Uninvited Guest

Marillion

You may not recall the moment that you asked me
But your invitation was clear
You'll pretend you've never met me but it's far too late
Now I'm here

'Cause I'm the one who knows what scares you
I'm the one who loves you best
I'm the thirteenth at the table
I'm the uninvited guest
I'm the Banquo at your banquet
I'm the cuckoo in your nest
I'm your fifteen-stone first-footer
I'm the uninvited guest

I was there when you said insincere "I love you's"
To a woman who wasn't your wife
And I fronted you the money
That you ran away and blew
On the biggest regret of your life

'Cause I'm the one who knows what scares you
I'm the who loves you best
I'm the thirteenth at the table
I'm the uninvited guest
I'm the Banquo at your banquet
I'm the cuckoo in your nest
I'm your New Year's resolution
I'm the uninvited guest

I'm the face you hoped you'd never see
But always knew you would
I'm the one thing you knew you shouldn't do
But did because you could

I'm the evil in your bloodstream
I'm the rash upon your skin
And you made a big mistake all right
The day you let me in
And you can fly to the other side of the world
You know you'll only find
I've reserved the seat behind you
We can talk about old times

'Cause I'm the one who knows what scares you
I'm the who loves you best
I'm the thirteenth at the table
I'm the uninvited guest
I'm the Banquo at your banquet
I'm the cuckoo in your nest
I'm your fifteen-stone first-footer
I'm the uninvited guest
Let me in!


Lyrics submitted by Idan

Uninvited Guest Lyrics as written by John Philip Helmer Steven Hogarth

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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The Uninvited Guest song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    To me this song is about the darker side of human nature, personified by that little cartoon devil on someones shoulder.

    my_nothingon September 20, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I agree. that little guy who gets you in trouble sometimes, who people try to hide but we all know is there inside

    2stepson December 04, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Heh, that's apparently what H thought it was about, too, until John Helmer told him it was literally about AIDS.

    To me, the song is about that guilty conscience, something you did in your past that you just can't escape. The alternate angle feels less meaningful, in my opinion, although it bears the same idea, in a more tangible sense.

    olorwenon April 04, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yes i thought its about AIDS too. Nice song.

    MMM88on December 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    Split-personality.

    2006200720082009on May 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I personally think it's about our councious...that part of us who knows all about our dirty secrets we try to hide from ourselves and will always be there to reminds us of 'em, no matter where we are...

    Verses like: "And you can fly to the other side of the world You know you'll only find I've reserved the seat behind you We can talk about old times"

    and

    "Cause I'm the one who knows what scares you I'm the who loves you best I'm the thirteenth at the table I'm the uninvited guest"

    You can't invite your councious to your own mind.It's there, whether you like it or not. It's the rational part of the mind. The one that allows you to celebrate with each victory or to condemn with each failure.

    I don't think that the person in the song has much to celebrate though. It seems that he's done a lot of bad things in his life and now is trying to erase, run away or forget about it, but can't. He can lie to every single person in the world, except for one... yeah, you know who. Chuck Norris. Seriously... he can't lie to himself. Your councious can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. The one who has access to all your dreams, desires, fetishes, regrets... etc. Now imagine what someone with all that information can do to you.

    Djones90125on February 21, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    replace councious for conscience* bah.

    Djones90125on February 21, 2011   Link

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