Tell The King

I'd say the lines 'And you know how I feel out of place/Until I'm levered off my face" are pretty self-explanatory..or they are to me. About feeling angular and awkward, like you are somehow different from those around you, until you're inordinately pissed, which gives you confidence and blurs reality, if only temporarily.. Definitely a lot of Peter's paranoia in here. I find it very sinister.. One of my favourite Libertines songs, and the fledgling of The Man Who Would Be King! The last verse gets me everytime..

Seems to me that it's about someone who came up from nothing to have "something to be proud about", but people will still put them down. The first verse suggests that, plus later in the song it's talking about being "out of place"

Correction, the line should be 'Jack drinks and smokes his cares away.'

I think this song is about a shitty friend, anmed at the end as Jack. This friend gossips behind your back, and acts superior. However, the singer can't help but still love Jack, and pleads with him. However, Jack is up in his castle, and won't hear the singer's cries.

However, then Jack's superiority complex begins to screw him over, and the castle begins to crumble, and the friend falls. Then, at the end of the song, it turns out Jack is just on the beach, ignoring the world, after having fallen from his castle built on sand.

I love this song. Another underrated Libertine favourite.

I think it sounds like being about Pete's drug addiction, or at least descension for 'decent society' into the drug underworld. The first verse carries a theme of paranoia in which reality is inverted ('your nothing') and dettachment and suspicion reign, 'you're like a journalist, the way you cut and paste and twist, you're awful'.

The lines begin to lash out angrily at the judgemental listener, bitterly suggesting they can tell the king for all he cares, and ironically accusing people of not knowing what they are talking about, 'Tell him you know how I feel'. However, the glory of this recklessness is short-lived, as again paranoia sets in 'See snakes in eyes and danger signs'. 'You won't like this at all' he warns, 'there's nothing to break your fall'. Pete's last two lines are tragic in their resignation to the conventional. Whether or not they are prophetic is yet to be proven, we have yet to read the last chapter of the Pete Doherty story. 'Didn't they explain? You have to play the game.'

The final verse is the lyrics of another writer. An observer. His voice is tender as he remembers how the hero 'is in a lonely way, living in the ruins of a castle built on sand'.

the king is petes dad, who grew up relitavely poor but achieved the highest ever rank in the army for someone to come from a working class background, however he was never allowed to get any higher because of his working class background

For anyone wondering the final lyrics used for live versions is: He’s buying a Chinese takeaway Two blue eyes did look his way Said that love might find a way Takes him by the hand they say

I can't believe noone has commented on this song!! Definately the best Libertines song.

I really can't work out exactly what it's about however..

I agree with you regan 89,,,the best libs song by a long long mile...I'm completely engrossed it and have been for a very very long while..

No clue what this is about, I just love the line "And you know how I feel out of place"

I think its to do with petes paranoia about carl running with the cool set and he's left feeling delusioned and he won't feel anything but out of place. just what i think though.