Robert Wyatt

Alifib

4 Meanings

Add Yours

Q&A

Alifib Lyrics

Not nit not nit no not
Nit nit folly bololey
Alifi my larder
Alifi my larder
I can't forsake you or
Forsqueak you
Alifi my larder
Alifi my larder
Confiscate or make you
Late you you
Alifi my larder Alifi my larder
Not nit not nit no not
Nit nit folly bololy
Burlybunch, the water mole
Hellyplop and fingerhole
Not a wossit bundy, see ?
For jangle and bojangle
Trip trip
Pip pippy pippy pip pip landerim
Alifi my larder
Alifi my larder

Submitted by

lednerg On Jan 07, 2006

Sea Song

Stay Tuned

Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road

Shipbuilding

The Last Straw

Lyrics saved successfully! Thanks!

These lyrics are currently locked and can only be edited by moderators and administrators.

You must be logged in to edit lyrics.

Unable to save lyrics. Please try again.

Lyrics cannot contain links.

Lyric edit submitted successfully and is pending approval. Approvals usually take 24 hours.

Keep it true to the song

Fix what’s wrong, but don’t rewrite what the artist wrote. Stick to the official released version — album booklet, label site, verified lyric video, etc. If you’re guessing, pause and double-check.

Respect the structure

Songs have rhythm. Pages do too. Leave line breaks where they belong. Don’t smash things together or add extra empty space just for looks.

Punctuation counts (but vibe-editing doesn’t)

Correct typos? Yes. Re-punctuating a whole verse because it ‘looks better’? Probably not. Keep capitalization and punctuation close to the official source.

Don’t mix versions

If you’re editing the explicit version, keep it explicit. If it’s the clean version, keep it clean. No mashups.

Let the lyrics be lyrics

This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.

Edit lightly

If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’

When in doubt, ask the crowd

Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.

lednerg

Submitter

2006-01-07 12:10:35

4 Meanings

Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.

Sort by

by IgwaldTheWooly

12y ago

Alfreda Benge is an artist and collaborator with Robert Wyatt. She is also his wife and more - especially as he has been confined to a wheelchair since the 1970's. She's often referred to as Alfie... and Alife is an anagram of it with also the obvious meaning of "A life".

This is one of Wyatt's songs which - at least in part - refers to his wife.

It's also a companion song to Alifib (which includes Alfie's response to Alife).

Regards the gibberish language.... does anything have to make sense, anyway?

No, it does not.

Song Meaning

Users:

Reply · 0 Share

by imsokoolitsunkool

15y ago

The lyrics are pure gibberish. The way Wyatt sings them, however, is clear as a bell. Sometimes making a coherent point comes second to distilling true emotion and passion.

Users:

Reply · 0 Share

by oilywagg

10y ago

Reminds me of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. Language heard in a dream, or just heard wrong. Look for similar sounds that mean something to you.

Users:

Reply · 0 Share

by pinkslaysabath

9y ago

Oilywagg it reminded me of Joyce too. It also reminds me of the type of middle English used in Canterbury tales. Also interesting that Wyatt was prominent in the Canterbury music scene. I know Joyce liked Chaucer a lot and was clearly influenced by him.

Users:

Reply · 0 Share

Questions and Answers

Ask specific questions and get answers to unlock more indepth meanings & facts.