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Billy Liar's got his hands in his pockets
Staring over at the neighbor's, knickers down.
He's got his knickers down.
So the summer is eternity for you?
Sleeping in until your father's shaking you down
He's shaking you down.
And the mailroom shift gets a real short shrift
As you dole out the packages, no-one seems to want you around
All skulking around.
Let you legs loss on the lino
'Til your sinews spoil
Will you stay here for a while, dear,
'Til the radio plays something familiar?
Plays smoething familiar.
All a-drifting, he's a nogood boyo
Sent a-fishing for a whalebone corset frame
(His only catch all day)
So he sits and lets the current take him
A gentle breeze will leave his pants in disarray
And at his ankles laid.
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!
Let you legs loss on the lino
'Til your sinews spoil
Will you stay here for a while, dear,
'Til the radio plays something familiar?
Plays smoething familiar.
Staring over at the neighbor's, knickers down.
He's got his knickers down.
So the summer is eternity for you?
Sleeping in until your father's shaking you down
He's shaking you down.
And the mailroom shift gets a real short shrift
As you dole out the packages, no-one seems to want you around
All skulking around.
Let you legs loss on the lino
'Til your sinews spoil
Will you stay here for a while, dear,
'Til the radio plays something familiar?
Plays smoething familiar.
All a-drifting, he's a nogood boyo
Sent a-fishing for a whalebone corset frame
(His only catch all day)
So he sits and lets the current take him
A gentle breeze will leave his pants in disarray
And at his ankles laid.
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!
Let you legs loss on the lino
'Til your sinews spoil
Will you stay here for a while, dear,
'Til the radio plays something familiar?
Plays smoething familiar.
Lyrics submitted by sendthestars, edited by pyite32, Funky_Nickie
Billy Liar Lyrics as written by Colin Meloy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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. <br /> God bless John Peel.