No one wants to hear about your 97th tear
So dry your eyes or let it go uncried, my dear
I am all out of love to mouth and to your ear
And not above letting a love song disappear
Before it's written

And no one wants a tune about the 100th luftballoon
That was seen shooting from the window of your room
To be a spot against the sky's colossal gloom
And land deflated in some neighbor's state that's strewn
With ninety-nine others

Eight Chinese brothers
Well, there's a reason why the last is smiling wide
And sitting higher than the others
Swinging his arms

You would probably die before you shot up nine miles high
Your eyes dilated as light played upon the sight
Of TVC16 as it sings you goodnight
Relaxed as hell and locked up in cell forty-five
Well, I hope you're feeling better

51st way to leave your lover
Admittedly, it doesn't seem to be as gentle
Or as clean as all the others
Even a scars all in the after hours of some Greenpoint bar

I told you, I can't listen, baby, 'bout the 4th time you were a lady
And how your forthrightness betrayed a secret shyness
Stripped away by days of being hailed as your highness
And what's new pussycat as you were once a lioness
They cut your claws out

Kitten, not everyone's keen on lighting candle 17
The party's done, the cake's all gone, the plates are clean
The chauffeur's near and full of cheerless mezzanine
And in just one year, this straight world could pay to see
What they have been missing

You were caught kissing eight Chinese brothers
Well, there's a reason why the last is smiling wide
And sitting higher than the others
Staking with charm

And he says, lets get lost, let them send out alarms
He says, lets get crossed out and come to harm
Lets make the world's stupidest stand and truly mean it
Lets hit the limit of loss over lover's arms
No, lets exceed it



Lyrics submitted by smileforthecamera

Plus Ones Lyrics as written by Will Robinson Sheff

Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group

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Plus Ones song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment

    Just a correction on a few of the lyrics...

    The song is called "Plus Ones" because it references several songs with numerical titles, except with one added number ("plus ones").

    Therefore:

    "100th left balloon" should be "100th luftballon," in reference to Nina's "99 Luftballons"

    "TBC 1-6" should be "TVC16," in reference to David Bowie's "TVC15"

    "(Cindy?) first when you leave your lover" should be "Fifty-first way to leave your lover," in reference to Paul Simon's "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"

    "lighting candles, 17" should be "lighting candle 17," in reference to Roy Orbison's "16 Candles"

    That's all I've got as far as corrections go. As far as I know, these are the other songs that are referenced:

    ? and the Mysterians - 96 Tears R.E.M. - 7 Chinese Brothers The Zombies - Care of Cell 44 The Commodores - Three Times a Lady

    kevin111on June 25, 2007   Link

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