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Perfume Garden Lyrics
You can shake your hips
You can seal your lips
I can't make that trip
And all life's fears
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
I can laugh with a friend
And remember the faces we wore at school
Making the madness
And solitary sadness
A friendly fool
I thought of stories
They told us long ago
Of how the world was a perfume garden
I haven't yet learned to tame the creature there
And that at least I think is something good
All across the town
And across the street
You could feel the heat
Let me tell you friend
They can hardly wait
To chain your feet
Now it's maximum joy
For the men they employ
To hold you down
Well I hope now you know
That this isn't the bliss
That you thought you'd found
Endless emptiness
Endless ringing bells
I couldn't show you
But I hope to one day
Pretty promises to teach the tender child
To welcome madness every Monday
Beck and call
It didn't seem to matter at all
Beck and call
You told us how to conquer it all
Beck and call
These children have nothing at all
Listening hard
For the voice of a child
I though I heard an alarm bell ringing
Pulled from my sleep
By invisible hands
The distant sound of a lady singing
You can seal your lips
I can't make that trip
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
And remember the faces we wore at school
And solitary sadness
A friendly fool
They told us long ago
Of how the world was a perfume garden
I haven't yet learned to tame the creature there
And that at least I think is something good
And across the street
You could feel the heat
They can hardly wait
To chain your feet
For the men they employ
To hold you down
That this isn't the bliss
That you thought you'd found
Endless ringing bells
I couldn't show you
But I hope to one day
Pretty promises to teach the tender child
To welcome madness every Monday
It didn't seem to matter at all
Beck and call
You told us how to conquer it all
Beck and call
These children have nothing at all
For the voice of a child
I though I heard an alarm bell ringing
Pulled from my sleep
By invisible hands
The distant sound of a lady singing
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According to Mark:
"When we fell out with Statik Records we were in a difficult situation because we couldn't officially record anything for any other label. When we were invited back to do the third Peel session it was a god-send and we came up with the songs so we could do the session. The lyrics of the Peel versions are different from that of the album and I think as a result I like the radio versions much better 'cause they feel more spontaneous than the album, which was just a way to get out of the Statik thing, to be honest. As usual the session came so fast I hadn't had time to develop the idea and so I just made it up on the spot, but later I thought I owed it to myself to write something proper. The live version became a kind of combination of the two. The themes deal with the lies and rigidity that existed in the British education system at that time, they probably still exist, worse if anything, I couldn't say. The opening verse is a swipe at pop-stars in general. It always struck me as strange, that, with the odd exception, artists only got played on the radio when they were saying nothing of any importance whatsoever. That's definitely more true today than then."
Wow thanks for that :)
Wow thanks for that :)
It explores the themes of personal growth and reflection, nostalgia for the past, and societal pressure to conform. The opening lines express a sense of personal limitations, with the narrator recognizing that they are unable to follow a certain path or keep up with certain social expectations. However, the narrator finds solace in their friendships and memories, describing a time of carefree youth and shared experiences. The mention of stories from the past being about a "perfume garden" suggests a longing for a simpler, more idyllic time.
The song then takes a darker turn, with mentions of societal pressure and the need to conform. The lines "all across the town and across the street, you could feel the heat" give a tense and oppressive atmosphere, and the references to "mark your sheet" and "maximum joy" imply some sort of test or evaluation that must be passed.
"These children have nothing at all, listening hard for the voice of the child" gives a sense of innocence and vulnerability being lost in the face of societal expectations.
The final lines are about an awakening or realization, with the narrator hearing an "alarm bell ringing" and being "pulled from [their] sleep" and "the distant sound of a lady singing." This is probably a metaphor for a new awareness or understanding, a call to action, or a reminder of something important that had been forgotten or ignored.