Pulling Mussels (From The Shell) Lyrics
They do it at Waikiki.
Lazing about the beach all day,
At night the crickets creepy.
Squinting faces at the sky;
A Harold Robbins paperback.
Surfers drop their boards and dry
And everybody wants a hat.
My holiday's complete
And I feel like William Tell,
Maid Marian on her tiptoed feet...
Pulling mussels from a shell.
Topless ladies look away.
A he-man in a sudden shower
Shelters from the rain.
You wish you had a motor boat
To pose around the harbour bar.
And when the sun goes off to bed
You hook it up behind the car .
Something for the mantelpiece;
In for bingo all the nines,
A panda for sweet little niece.
The coach drivers stand about
Looking at a local map
About the boy he's gone away
Down to next door's caravan.
Look behind the Chalet
My holiday's complete
And I feel like William Tell
Maid Marian on her, tiptoed feet
Pulling mussels from a shell
Pulling mussels from a shell
My holiday's complete,
And I feel like William Tell
Maid Marian on her tiptoed feet...
Pulling mussels from a shell.
Pulling mussels from a shell.
RDTX14, Let's remember this is Squeeze, the band who did the corny naff 'can the person who owns the car with the reg number PEN15, please move it as it's blocking the exit' gag on OGWT. It's about sex-as a young likely lad the holiday was complete by pulling a bird, usually in secret behind the caravan while your Mum and Dad snored in front of Corrie or were getting dressed for the campsite bingo. Maid Marian-I 'Made' Marian is on tiptoes because of him going down on her, and his aim is true-he feels like William Tell. Pulling Mussels? The Love muscle. C'mon man it's obvious, and I'm no kiddie-I'm old enough to have seen them live
Wow I never thought this song was sexual. Great tune though.
The chorus is about cunnilingus.
There's a lot of sexual innuendo in this song! The bit about shrinking in the sea, so cold, etc. might very well be about the "shrinkage problem" that men have in cold water! Also Maid Marion can be interpreted as "made Marion."
No I'm not sure about that, according to Chris Difford, it's about a holiday he took with his mate when he was twelve!
It's a picture of the goings on of a summer vacation with the enthusiasm of the youthful hope of hooking up (romantically). Clearly "But behind the Chalet / My holiday\'s complete" is a reference to some sort of hooking up, but the details of which may be hidden in British slang with which I'm not familiar.
I am not entirely sure about the sexual stuff (though I can see it) but I do know that in interviews Glenn Tilbrook & Chris Difford refer to this song as "Pulling Muscles For Michelle," so perhaps it's about a young Chris Difford trying to show off to a girl he fancies that he has met on holiday.
I dunno, but it's a great song.
Flackyack is correct. The verses all lead up to a chorus which is basically about oral sex on lady's bits. Pretty obvious really.
@stoolhardy, William Tell is the one who (supposdely) shot the apple off someone's head, so with all the other innuendo in the song, I'm wondering if it's some sort of witticism about him having good aim nudge nudge wink wink. Though then that reminded me of the famous William Tell Overture of classical music, and I wondered if it was to do with that. Which could be to do with the way the music builds as some sort of sexual reference, or in @uncomplicated's version then it would just be a reference to how kids like to dress up as chivalrous knights.
It's a double entendre - the song itself. Of course it's about his experiences as a kid, but you're not a kid forever. The Beach becomes something different as you grow and develop into adolescent and then reflect back on it as an adult (perhaps now of vacation as successful musician with means.) We're talking art here - pop art, but art.
It's a double entendre - the song itself. Of course it's about his experiences as a kid, but you're not a kid forever. The Beach becomes something different as you grow and develop into adolescent and then reflect back on it as an adult (perhaps now of vacation as successful musician with means.) We're talking art here - pop art, but art.
Pulling Mussels is British slang for having sex on the beach