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The Flag Lyrics
Words and Music by Steven Page
The phone rings, it's early, it's seven o'clock,
He says, "Sorry I woke you, but I just had to talk.
You know last night, remember, when I tried to choke you?
I didn't mean it, I was drunk, it was only a joke."
You should know that by now,
When the chequered flag comes down,
No one, no one, no one has won the race.
The next night he's over and over and under
And after he's finished she lies there and wonders
Just why does she need him, and why does she stay here,
And then in the darkness, he'll quietly say, "Dear,
You've never really known.
That when the white flag is flown,
No one, no one, no one has won the war."
They're complicated people leading complicated lives,
And he complicates their problems by telling complicated
lies.
He tells her he's sorry. She tells him, "It's over."
He tells her he's sorry. She says, over and over,
"You've never really known,
That when the white flag is flown,
No one, no one, no one has won the war."
There goes a forest and there goes a bluebird
There goes a partridge and there goes a Go Train
There goes an angel and there goes a steeple
There goes a cop car and there goes an eagle
There goes a raven and there go the ribbons
There goes a raven and there go...
The ribbons, the ribbons, the ribbons...
The ribbons of the flag.
Andy Creeggan: suitcase, vocals
Jim Creeggan: Double Bass (arco), vocals
Steven Page: Lead vocal
Ed Robertson: Guitar, vocals
Tyler Stewart: Bass Drum, snare drum
The phone rings, it's early, it's seven o'clock,
He says, "Sorry I woke you, but I just had to talk.
You know last night, remember, when I tried to choke you?
I didn't mean it, I was drunk, it was only a joke."
You should know that by now,
When the chequered flag comes down,
No one, no one, no one has won the race.
And after he's finished she lies there and wonders
Just why does she need him, and why does she stay here,
And then in the darkness, he'll quietly say, "Dear,
You've never really known.
That when the white flag is flown,
No one, no one, no one has won the war."
And he complicates their problems by telling complicated
lies.
He tells her he's sorry. She tells him, "It's over."
He tells her he's sorry. She says, over and over,
"You've never really known,
That when the white flag is flown,
No one, no one, no one has won the war."
There goes a partridge and there goes a Go Train
There goes an angel and there goes a steeple
There goes a cop car and there goes an eagle
There goes a raven and there go the ribbons
There goes a raven and there go...
The ribbons, the ribbons, the ribbons...
The ribbons of the flag.
Jim Creeggan: Double Bass (arco), vocals
Steven Page: Lead vocal
Ed Robertson: Guitar, vocals
Tyler Stewart: Bass Drum, snare drum
Song Info
Submitted by
ojms On Apr 01, 2001
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Just a little clarification: it should be "GO Train" which stands for Government of Ontario Train which are the trains that go between cities in Southern Ontario (I live there). I think duckadooz is probably on the right track with the whole watching life go by idea; the GO Train part is probably just a reference to something Steven saw often growing up or something... they're pretty common in Ontario...
I have always believed the woman in this song was killed by her lover. The first three "there goes" are opportunities to fly away. Then the drumming changes to taps and there goes an "angel" and a "steeple", which are funeral references. A cop car and the eagle, a rapacious bird of prey are next. Then the raven, a symbol of death, is the last reference. The ribbons of the flag represent two lives completely destroyed.
great song! i dont really understand the "there goes a _" part but its about a couple who is going through rough times. the man is not treating the women right. she knows she shouldnt be with him, but she cant leave him. he doesnt understand the situation.
I don't quite get that either. This might be picking too deeply, but at that part there is a key change. Constantly, constantly in the song they refer to the flag, how meaningless it is, and at the end, there is an appreciation for its beauty, and perhaps the ideals that the woman could get out of it, could change.
A go train, though?
The meaning of this song is simple. The flag represents the womans surrendering to the abusive spouse. There is no beauty in the image of the flag. This is a great song but very sad and depressing.
@Skeezmo I think this is right.
@Skeezmo I think this is right.
"remember when I tried to choke you? I didn't mean it," is quite clear. Then:
"remember when I tried to choke you? I didn't mean it," is quite clear. Then:
"When the checkered flag comes down no one has won the race", In other words, just because he got his way, he didn't win. They both lost.
"When the checkered flag comes down no one has won the race", In other words, just because he got his way, he didn't win. They both lost.
i agree with you guys, you can tell that its about a couple and skeezmo is soo right. i think this is a really beautiful song that makes me cry, but i still dont get the "there goes a..." part.
i think that the "there goes a - " part was the girl singing about how she's watching her life go by, but she's not a part of it, and she wishes she could do something about it, but again she's bound by this abusive relationship. i'm not sure, but i'd like to think that she's getting out of the relationship at the end. i tend to make up lots of stuff in a song that isn't really there, but if the "go train" is the right lyric that goes there, then maybe she's watching all this stuff go by on a train and that's her life and she's trying to see where she can jump back on?
I think the "there goes a-" part is a metaphor for the relationship described in the rest of the song. It's a contrast between freedom and security..
Forest = Dark, scary / Blue Bird = Free Partridge = Beauty, freedom / GO Train Confining, controlling Angel = Devine / Steeple = Human Cop Car = Enforcement / Eagle = Soars Free and so forth.
.. So pretty much it's a metaphor for the girl's decision whether to leave him.
If you listen to the drums at the end, it sounds like a millitary march. This could represent her victory or something like that- its open to interpretation.
I feel that the forest, bluebird, patridge and GO train to be of her running away or escaping from the relationship or of her wishing to escape. The steeple and angel for me represents that she stayed one day too long and he finally murdered her in his rage. The cop car also supports the theory he murdered her and the eagle represents that she's finally free. The ribbons for me represent the support she has all along for her to get out of the situation, like the red ribbon for AIDS and pink for Breast cancer. The flag for me represents many thing, red flags indicates a warning, white indicates surrender, checkered means its all over.
I really love this song, the music is beautiful. I've always taken it as a woman breaking free from an abusive relationship. At the beginning the man is apologizing for beating her, but using an excuse that he was drunk, which is not an excuse at all.
The line "You've never really known, That when the white flag is flown, No one, no one, no one has won the war." Is a motto she lives by. Saying that forgiving him after he ‘flies the white flag’ for peace is not anyone winning, cause the abuse will just happen again. the correct line is “she'll quietly say" not "he'll quietly say"
At the beginning when he says: "When the chequered flag comes down, No one, no one, no one has won the race. " is him getting her motto wrong, showing that he's arrogant and doesn't understand forgiving is not enough for what he has done.
I imagine that at the end, when everything is passing by, is her breaking free, driving away, looking out the window and seeing it all fly by. Freedom at last.