This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Puts up the closed sign does the man in the corner shop
Serves his last then he says goodbye to him
He knows it is a hard life
But it's nice to be your own boss really
Walks off home does the last customer
He is jealous of the man in the corner shop
He's sick of working at the factory
Says it must be nice to be your own boss, really
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
Sells cigars to the boss from the factory
He is jealous of the man in the corner shop
He is sick of struggling so hard
Says it might be nice to own a factory
Go to church do the people from the area
All shapes and classes sit and pray together
For here they are all one
For God created all men equal
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
Go to church do the people from the area
Go to church do the people from the area
Go to church do the people from the area
For God created all men equal, they know
That God created all men equal, they know
That God created all men equal, they know
That God created all men equal, they know
That God created all men equal, they know
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la...
Serves his last then he says goodbye to him
He knows it is a hard life
But it's nice to be your own boss really
Walks off home does the last customer
He is jealous of the man in the corner shop
He's sick of working at the factory
Says it must be nice to be your own boss, really
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
Sells cigars to the boss from the factory
He is jealous of the man in the corner shop
He is sick of struggling so hard
Says it might be nice to own a factory
Go to church do the people from the area
All shapes and classes sit and pray together
For here they are all one
For God created all men equal
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
Go to church do the people from the area
Go to church do the people from the area
Go to church do the people from the area
For God created all men equal, they know
That God created all men equal, they know
That God created all men equal, they know
That God created all men equal, they know
That God created all men equal, they know
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la...
Lyrics submitted by planetearth, edited by Jammerwords
Man in the Corner Shop Lyrics as written by Paul John Weller
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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'He is jealous IS the man in the corner shop'. Not 'jealous OF' . Whole dynamic of the lyric changes. Worker in the factory wants to own a corner shop, corner shop owner wants to own a factory, factory owner smokes cigars. Fabulous social commentary, still valid 40years later, was probably valid 40years earlier. Almost brings a tear to my eye, could be sentimentality though ;-).