Billy Liar Lyrics
Staring over at the neighbor's, knickers down.
He's got his knickers down.
Sleeping in until your father's shaking you down
He's shaking you down.
As you dole out the packages, no-one seems to want you around
All skulking around.
'Til your sinews spoil
Will you stay here for a while, dear,
'Til the radio plays something familiar?
Plays something familiar.
Sent a-fishing for a whalebone corset frame
(His only catch all day)
A gentle breeze will leave his pants in disarray
And at his ankles laid.
He is decked by a Japanese geisha with a garland of pearls
How she twists and twirls!
'Til your sinews spoil
Will you stay here for a while, dear,
'Til the radio plays something familiar?
Plays smoething familiar.
so, the annoying thing is that i can't correct the lyrics where it says "loss" instead of "loll" because they are typed correctly. i don't know why they're showing up incorrectly that way - i'm assuming something to do with the "Lyrics powered by LyricFind" bit. it must be overriding what i actually typed and pulling the words from some other database. pretty poor!
LINO, is used in this instance to denote a "line," as is used in a(n) (assembly line) work setting. It is a slang term used from the Victorian industrial era, up to the current day in the United Kindom, as well as America in the 30's through the 50's.
In the movie Billy Liar, Walter Mitty is an automaton, of sorts, and simply goes along with the humdrum days that life chooses to throw at him. His daydreaming, an escape that he employs to make things less dull, outwardly shows forth in his work and his everyday life. His father is livid with his decisions, and his "friends" and coworkers are constantly scoffing at him, due to his seeming lack of care about life. Hence, in the mailroom, he sits around doing nothing but daydreaming on the assembly line. The phrase that delineates his 'sinews spoiling' just adds to the colorful characterization.
"Walter Mitty" is not a character in Billy Liar. He's a character in ."The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Tom Courtenay's character in Billy Liar is named Billy Fisher. The two characters are similar in many ways, but they're not the same.
"Walter Mitty" is not a character in Billy Liar. He's a character in ."The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Tom Courtenay's character in Billy Liar is named Billy Fisher. The two characters are similar in many ways, but they're not the same.
Although it's generally about teen-angst, boredom, aimlessness and masturbation I guess you can also look at it as a kind of portrait of a character too (or a certain type/age of person...) as Thomas highlights...
"read Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas and you might understand a bit better."
Better still - try to get a CD/tape of it. It was written as a radio play and is fantastic read live.
Colin Meloy has said that he took a lot of influence for this album from Under Milk Wood.
It's the character known as "Nogood Boyo". He basically goes about the small town in which the play is set, making a mischief of himself, terrorising young women in the wash-house, eliciting disgust from others and sailing about on his boat, laying back watching the sun in complete boredom.
Here's a few quotes from the play to shed some light, if you're not familiar...
Second Voice: Boyo catches a whalebone corset. It is all he has caught all day.
Nogood Boyo: Me, Nogood Boyo, up to no good in the wash-house.
First Woman: Look at that Nogood Boyo now Second Woman: too lazy to wipe his snout
Perhaps related to Keith Waterhouse's novel, Billy Liar?
Yeah, I think this song is more about Billy Fischer (the title character from Billy Liar). There are quite a few Under the Milkwood references too ("nogood boy-o").
Yeah, I think this song is more about Billy Fischer (the title character from Billy Liar). There are quite a few Under the Milkwood references too ("nogood boy-o").
@Razin1670 It seems to have very little in common with the novel. Billy Fisher works for an undertaker.
@Razin1670 It seems to have very little in common with the novel. Billy Fisher works for an undertaker.
So I think this song is about a boy 'Billy Liar' I guess, whos unhappy and confused with his life. He has a shitty job and he is just too depressed. I think the sixth (or last) verse before the final chorus explains the meaning the best
As he drifts to sleep with a moan and a weep He is decked by a Japanese geisha with a garland of pearls How she twists and twirls!
So that basically says how he is crying when he goes to sleep because of his pathetic life but when hes dreaming, he's in his fantasy life (having sex with a Japanese geisha) and he's happy.
I also think the chorus helps explain it
Let you legs loll on the lino Until your sinews spoil Will you stay here for a while, dear Until the radio plays something familiar? Plays something familiar
So its just explaining how he wants to sleep all day and night. So long, that he'll leave his clothes out to dry, and when he comes back to retrieve them, theyll be all ruined because they were outside for so long (if that all makes sense). Then the lines:
Will you stay here for a while, dear Until the radio plays something familiar? Plays something familiar
talks about how the lady who is in his dream is asking him to stay (in his dream' with her. She wants him to stay until the radio plays a familiar song which wakes him and he realizes he's in his shitty life. Perhaps he likes music well so music is the only thing that wakes him up.
Just some thoguhts.
I agree with you mostly, just want to add to your last note about the radio- maybe it's a little of Colin Meloy's exasperation at it being a "familiar" song instead of a good song. He's complaining about how popular songs are only popular because of the ampount of playtime they get- which is loads because radio stations now get told what to play, and don't get to play what they LIKE. God bless John Peel.
I agree with you mostly, just want to add to your last note about the radio- maybe it's a little of Colin Meloy's exasperation at it being a "familiar" song instead of a good song. He's complaining about how popular songs are only popular because of the ampount of playtime they get- which is loads because radio stations now get told what to play, and don't get to play what they LIKE. God bless John Peel.
Billy Liar is based upon, not the book, as some have stated, rather it is a ditty about the movie. The movie "Billy Liar", made in 1963 starred Tom Courtenay as 'Billy' Walter Mitty, and also starred Julie Christy as the female lead. Events in the life of a young Walter Mitty who escapes his humdrum life via daydreams is the basic premise of the movie. Colin was a big fan of the movie, and if you have ever seen it, you will know why. It has such a very Baroque, yet timeless feel to it. It encapsulated what, I feel the Decemberists at that time, were trying to purvay to themselves, as well as their flock.
such an unashamedly sweet song. i believe billy liar is a literary work by keith waterhouse but being unfamiliar with it i can't say how true a representation of it this is.. but its still wonderful.
ba-baaaaba-baaaaba-baaaaabadadaba-baaaa..
the chorus is so pretty..and it reminds me of neutral milk hotel. atleast the "let your legs lull on the lino till your sinews spoil". beautiful song but i cant think of what to say on its meaning.
for the meaning look at the first 3 lines, thats all i'll say
for the meaning look at the first 3 lines, thats all i'll say