With a crooked smile and a heart-shaped face
Comes from the West country where the birds sing bass
She's got a house-big heart where we all live
And plead and council and forgive
Her widow's peak, her lips I've kissed
Her glove of bones at her wrist
That I have held in my hand
Her Spanish Fly and her monkey gland

Her Godly body and its fourteen stations
That I have embraced, her palpitations
Her unborn baby crying, "Mummy"
Against the rubble of her body
Her lovely lidded eyes I've sipped
Her fingernails, all pink and chipped
Her accent which I'm told is broad
That I have heard and has been poured
Into my human heart and filled me
With love, up to the brim, and killed me
And rebuilt me back anew

With something to look forward to
Well, who could ask much more than that?
A West country girl with a big fat cat
That looks into her eyes of green
And meows, "He loves you", then meows again


Lyrics submitted by ilse

West Country Girl Lyrics as written by Nicholas Cave

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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West Country Girl song meanings
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  • +1
    My Interpretation

    I'm not really going to mention PJ Harvey much, since it's pretty much common knowledge that the song is about her.

    I think the way this song is written, as a list of descriptions about PJ in terms of her looks and attributes, is done so vividly, that it really captures how one views a person when they are in love with them. That person becomes so vivid in your mind, and you notice all the small minute details, which run through your head, almost to the point of obsession.

    Even musically, the song is tainted by Nick's desire for PJ, taking on a folky, 'West Country' vibe that aligns with PJ's home in rural Dorset. This further proves the fact that when somebody is in love, their lover becomes so much a part of them, that it affects and alters everything.

    JJKelsallon January 24, 2014   Link

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