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American Guitars Lyrics
They were failing dutifully
If you're going to fail at all
Failing came more easily
Than it did to us all
And I wanted to be there
See them begin
It was easy to see they were
The best band to be in
I gave up drugging
When you spiked my drink
Stopped freeloading
When I could not get in
I gave up singing
When I was told
I could not dance
Knew my place in the world
When I heard them start
Woke up Sunday morning
With a hole
the size of my pool
Couldn't believe
I'd grown so ugly
Couldn't believe
I'd been so cruel
I should have set back
Thought about their past
East coast to west coast
How they'd struggled
for their art
Some people
were born to write
Some people
were born to dance
Thought I knew
my place in the world
Thought I knew my art
Glad to be there, see them begin
It was easy to see
They were the best band to be in
According to his book 'Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in its Downfall', Luke Haines (The Auteurs' singer and songwriter), this song is (and I quote):
'part sarcastic riposte to British bands who cannot find their own voice, forever worshipping at the altar of US rock, part self-mythologising history of my fledgling band'
This is one of The Auteurs' earliest songs and was written at a time when British rock/indie music was at a real low and American grunge music, most notably Nirvana, was dominating. Bands like The Auteurs and Suede, perhaps somewhat unconsciously and/or unwillingly, began a sort of uprising of British music that would eventually go on to be labelled by the media as 'Britpop'
great song
lyrics are missing the chorus though.