It was an upset
In two minutes flat
We're back on the freeway
Foot to the mat

I can't understand it
We had it down pat
It's very upsetting
Could we leave it at that

We all had positions
We each had a role
We'd overrehearsed it
We had full control

They can't teach you acting
It's there in your soul
It's the same with a bank job
And each thing we stole

So I don't need attitude
'Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
And wait by the phone

I was the driver
You ran the show
You had the last word
The go or no go

I knew every laneway
In Ontario
But it's not what you're sure of
It's what you don't know

It should have been filled with
The usual ones
Throwing their cash in
To mutual funds

We all had our ski masks
And sawed off shotguns
But how do you plan for
A bank full of nuns

But I guess we panicked
We all have taboos
And they were like zebras
They had us confused

We should be in condos
With oceanfront views
Instead we're most wanted
On the 6 o'clock news

So, I don't need attitude
'Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
And wait by the phone

Inside the police car
You tried to explain
Your crisis of conscience
The voice in your brain

And now that the whole thing
Has gone down the drain
I think we all know who
Should shoulder the blame

'Cause you made a choice there
Almost sublime
I'm all for compassion
Just not on my dime

You look like an amateur
And that's the real crime
So I'll take a walk now
And you do the time

And I don't need attitude
'Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
There's no need to phone

We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone


Lyrics submitted by subroc

Bank Job Lyrics as written by Steven Page Ed Robertson

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Bank Job song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

21 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think that the "Wait by the phone" lyric is cleverly placed... Ed's singing about how when they're resting, the "robbers" should wait by the phone for further instructions.

    Regardless of hidden messages or ulterior motives that BNL had in writing this one, I think that it shows that BNL has not lost their sense of humor and deserves props for any meanings we or they could come up with...

    andrewxcon July 04, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.