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The Sporting Life Lyrics
I fell on the playing field
The work of an errant heel
The din of the crowd and the loud commotion
Went deafening silent and stopped in motion
The season was almost done
We'd managed it 12 to 1
So far I had known no humiliation
In front of my friends and close relations
There's my father looking on
And there's my girlfriend arm in arm
With the captain of the other team
And all of this is clear to me
They condescend and fix on me a frown
How they love the sporting life
And father had had such hopes
For a son who would take the ropes
And fulfill all his old athletic aspirations
But apparently now there's some complications
But while I am lying here
Trying to fight the tears
I'll prove to the crowd that I come out stronger
Though I think I might lie here a little longer
There's my coach he's looking down
The disappointment in his knitted brow
"I should've known," he thinks again
"I never should have put him in"
He turns and loads the lemonade away
And breathes in deep
The sporting life
The sporting life
The sporting life
How he loves
There's my father looking on
And there's my girlfriend arm in arm
With the captain of the other team
And all of this is clear to me
They condescend and fix on me a frown
How they love the sporting life
The work of an errant heel
The din of the crowd and the loud commotion
Went deafening silent and stopped in motion
The season was almost done
We'd managed it 12 to 1
So far I had known no humiliation
In front of my friends and close relations
And there's my girlfriend arm in arm
With the captain of the other team
And all of this is clear to me
They condescend and fix on me a frown
How they love the sporting life
For a son who would take the ropes
And fulfill all his old athletic aspirations
But apparently now there's some complications
But while I am lying here
Trying to fight the tears
I'll prove to the crowd that I come out stronger
Though I think I might lie here a little longer
The disappointment in his knitted brow
"I should've known," he thinks again
"I never should have put him in"
He turns and loads the lemonade away
And breathes in deep
The sporting life
The sporting life
The sporting life
How he loves
And there's my girlfriend arm in arm
With the captain of the other team
And all of this is clear to me
They condescend and fix on me a frown
How they love the sporting life
Song Info
Submitted by
imposs1ble On Jan 10, 2005
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Should be mentioned that the main allusion here is the 1963 film "This Sporting Life" -- I haven't seen it myself, but, like "Billy Liar," it's one of those classic British kitchen-sink dramas beloved by Morrissey and therefore in beloved in imitation by Colin Meloy. What's kind of amazing about Meloy is that he does such good work with such unoriginal material.
'Course, I grew up as a small-town USA Smiths fan too, so I can relate.
It's cool, jxnarcoticz. I always thought it said "deafening silence and stark emotion". Haha
And way to be a dick, my2gaycats. "anyone who isn't a complete moron knows this song is about being a homosexual"? The point of this site is for everyone to express what each song means to him/her. While we're on the subject, by the way, I don't think this song has anything to do with homosexuality. It seems like another scenario/story song like Mariner's Revenge from the same album. I take it literally.
One question I'm having is about: "And there's my girlfriend arm in arm With the captain of the other team And all of this is clear to me They condescend and fix on me a frown"
Who's frowning at him? His girlfriend and the guy she's cheating on him with? Why?
@Greggor I don't think the girlfriend is necessarily cheating on him. I think he lost her, either through his own fumbling incompentency or general bad luck. The fact that she's arm-in-arm with the captain of the other team is a visual indication that everything seems to turn against him in a humiliating way. He is chagrined that he can't, in general, seem to compete.
@Greggor I don't think the girlfriend is necessarily cheating on him. I think he lost her, either through his own fumbling incompentency or general bad luck. The fact that she's arm-in-arm with the captain of the other team is a visual indication that everything seems to turn against him in a humiliating way. He is chagrined that he can't, in general, seem to compete.
what is this on?
picaresque, which is due out march 22 but obviously it's leaked... this song is so cute.
my god!! the band seems to release records as fast as catholic women give birth. (catholic in the "MP and the Meaning of Life" sense.)
thank god for that, pumkinhed.
the meaning is pretty self explanitory. but it's a fun song.
4th line should read 'went deafening silence and stopped emotions' instead of 'when deafening silence had stopped emotion'
I'm almost certain it doesnt read' trying to fight the tears', but I can't figure out what it says instead.
the nifty lyric booklet that came with the CD corrects the following lines:
line 4: went deafening silent and stopped in motion ;)
and for clarity, the following lines are to be read "I should've known," he thinks again. "I never should've put him in."
a new favorite song...for the time being. Oh, and for all you who still don't know, IT'S RELEASED TODAY!!!!!!
It's about YMCA soccer. I saw them in concert, and that's what he said. Yeah, making posts that actually talk about the meaning of the song is fun =D