The Birthday Party

Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)

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Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow) Lyrics

Hamlet fishin' in the grave
thru custard bones and stuff
he aint got no friend in there
I believe our man's in love
Hamlet's got a gun-now
he wears a crucifex
pow pow pow pow
Hamlet moves so beautiful
walking thru the flowers
who are hing 'round the corners
He's movin' down the street-now
he likes the look of that cadillac
pow pow pow pow
Is this love some kinda love
Now he movin' down my street
and he's coming to my house
crawling up my stairs
Where for art thou baby-face
where-for-art-thou
pow pow pow pow
Is this love
Pow!
He shoot it inside
Don't let'em steal your heart away
he went and stole my heart
POW!!
hey hey hey
POW!!

Submitted by

girgo On May 11, 2004

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Girgo

Submitter

2004-05-11 16:23:11

2 Meanings

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Cover art for Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow) lyrics by Birthday Party, The

by london_corgi_love

18y ago

I think this is about a one-sided relationship where the singer is deeply in love with the hamlet character and wishes that hamlet loves him back but it's just not so. Hamlet is the kind of person that steals and hurts the other and just doesn't care. Though i've never read hamlet, i just know the plot, I think nick was trying to say that the hamlet character in the relationship has some problems, perhaps family problems which makes him incapable of a real relationship, which is where the frustration of the singer comes from.

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by morbid morag

17y ago

Hamlet in the play is a famous ditherer - he spends most of his time agonizing over what to do & when he finally gets round to doing it everything goes spectacularly pear-shaped. Cue piles of dead bodies. This Hamlet has a gun & he's not at all indecisive - sees Cadillac, wants Cadillac, pow pow pow, gets Cadillac. So I suppose the message is, the gun changes him. Not necessarily for the better. That line about "fishing in the grave/through the custard bones & stuff" makes me feel delightfully queasy!

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