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Tickle Me Pink Lyrics
Tickle me pink
I'm rosy as a flushed red apple skin
Except I've never been as sweet
I've rolled around the orchard
And found myself too awkward
And tickle me green I'm too naive
[Chorus]
Pray for the people inside your head
For they won't be there when you're dead
Muffled out and pushed back down
Pushed back through the leafy ground
Time is too early
My hair isn't curly
I wish I was home and tucked away
When nothing goes right
And the future's dark as night
What you need is a sunny, sunny day
[Chorus]
Don't know where I can buy myself a brand new pair of ears
Don't know where I can buy a heart
The one I've got is shoddy
I need a brand new body
Well, and then I can have a brand new start
[Chorus]
Monsters in the valley
And shootings in the alley
And people fall flat at every turn
There is no straight and narrow
Offload your wheelbarrow
And pick up your sticks and twigs to burn
[Chorus]
[Repeats till end]
Pray for the people inside your head
For they won't be there when you're dead
I'm rosy as a flushed red apple skin
Except I've never been as sweet
I've rolled around the orchard
And found myself too awkward
And tickle me green I'm too naive
Pray for the people inside your head
For they won't be there when you're dead
Muffled out and pushed back down
Pushed back through the leafy ground
My hair isn't curly
I wish I was home and tucked away
When nothing goes right
And the future's dark as night
What you need is a sunny, sunny day
Don't know where I can buy a heart
The one I've got is shoddy
I need a brand new body
Well, and then I can have a brand new start
And shootings in the alley
And people fall flat at every turn
There is no straight and narrow
Offload your wheelbarrow
And pick up your sticks and twigs to burn
Pray for the people inside your head
For they won't be there when you're dead
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Source: http://www.losthighwayrecords.com/artist/press/detail.aspx?nid=2131&aid=258
"I wrote it when I was feeling particularly despondent about things. I tried to just cheer myself up. It has a seemingly quite dark chorus - 'pray to the people inside your head, they won't be there when you're dead- - which sounds dark but is meant to be hopeful and celebratory. Getting away from all the temporal stuff that we get caught up in."
I think this song is a refernece to Brighton Rock by Graham Greene.. I havent actually read the novel but i know from Pete doherty lyrics in the song "I love you (but youre green)" "Oh you, you're green You don't know what love means Well let me tell you It tickles you pink oh yeah" is similar to the lyrics "Tickle me pink and tickle me green I'm too naive"
This is a reference to the novel "there's the part where Pinkie tells Rose, who is in love with him "You're green. You don't know what people do. You're innocent." He doesn't believe love brings much good, and thinks that rose could only love anyone because she is 'green' (which would definitely mean ignorant or naive in this case)." courtesy of songmeanings page for the pete doherty song
anyway its such a good song.
Is this song in any way related to mental illness? If it is, I'd like to adopt is as a theme of my own. Psychosis is something I live with, and that lyric feels nice to me. I really appreciate this positive lyric about such a thing. If not, oh well, I like it.
i think it's about that too, but perhaps only as much to mental illness as it is to mental health. it's not ill or healthy, just a mentality. and yeah the positivity is so nice, so many songs are negative!
i think it's about that too, but perhaps only as much to mental illness as it is to mental health. it's not ill or healthy, just a mentality. and yeah the positivity is so nice, so many songs are negative!
@Centrisian What I see up and down the street every day is mental illness. You, yourself, are just marvelous!! =D
@Centrisian What I see up and down the street every day is mental illness. You, yourself, are just marvelous!! =D
Seeing as not many people have commented on the meaning of this song, i'll share what i think. I think its about your conscience and morals, the 'people inside your head'and how perhaps to stop leading your life by their rules. The first verse 'Tickle me pink...' is about their deceiving looks, viewed by others to be rosy -harmless and happy on the outside but not so innocent or happy on the inner. They therefore find it difficult to go on through life (rolling around the orchard) with others due to their wrongly perceived naivety (tickle me green could therefore be some kind of ironic reference to the fact that they wished they were more naive) and the way in which they see there actions in the past as perhaps wrong. The next few verses go on to perhaps say that they wished that they could have stayed naive longer and that they could go back to the way things were before and how they want a whole new start in life. The final verse 'monsters in the valley...' is about the horrors of mankind and how there are no moral underpinnings (there is no straight and narrow) which will keep your life on the right track so 'off-load your wheelbarrow' and forget about all the things that preachers say are right and moral, live your life how you want to live it as there is no right way. Finally, the chorus 'pray for the people inside your head for they won't be there when your dead', i think this refers to your conscience and morals which have been put there by other people and appear as 'voices' inside your head. its them realizing that they these are not immortal and have no long lasting legacy (muffled out) and there just as mis-interpreted as they are, so why should they live by them and feel guilt when they don't? But however much maybe the 'voices' shouldn't be listened to, they still want to keep them and will 'pary for them' as they are the only things keeping them from losing their way. Anyone else have any ideas???
wow, i'm the first to comment on Johnny Flynn; what an honour! what a great song, 'Pray for the people inside your head for they won't be there when you're dead' must be one of the greatest pieces of songwriting i've come across.
Seconded! Fantastic music, love it! Saw them in Leicester last weekend & met Johnny afterwards! :D Lovely chap, very polite
I love this song! I found Johnny Flynn while looking at some lyrics for Nick Drake. He was on an ad thing.
I saw on a video where he was talking about this song and said something like "it was written I guess in a moment of despondency. it was sort of about how I was feeling. I was just pretty pissed off about everything. But it’s in those moments. In quiet bleak moments the relative value of then seeing something kind of hopeful or getting round that in your head. seeing something good from within that you feel better then anything."
I truly admire him. This song is one of my favorites.
LOVE this song. Love Johnny Flynn and love this song. <3 Great writing, great bass line, and amazing lyrics.
Moone Boy brought me here!