There's a nag gonna dance home at Epsom
Can't wait to see how it upsets 'em
We've loaded the saddles, the mickeys are slipped
We're swapping the turf for the sand and the surf and the sin
Cause the fix, the fix is in
The odds that I got were delicious
The jockey is cocky and vicious
We'll buy him the patch in the Tuscany hills
And the Vino di Vici will flow like a river in spring
Now the fix, the fix is in
The snaps of the steward so candid
Yes, our pigeons have finally landed
In penguins and pearls, we'll drink and we'll dance
'Til the end of our days, cause it ain't left to chance
That we win
Cause the fix, the fix is in
"Postally pipped" is a play on "pipped at the post", i.e. overtaken at the last minute. "Our pigeons have finally landed" is to do with pigeon racing; if your pigeon at least lands, you've had some degree of success.
I love this song, but it gives me the creeps. I imagine it's from the perspective of someone who is hired to help organised criminals fix horse races, has been doing so for years, but then decides this time to fix the race in his own favour instead, and run away with the proceeds. In his mind he's imagining the great time he'll have, but you know that he will eventually get tracked down. Just listen to it with that in mind and you'll see what I mean.
I love this song, but it gives me the creeps. I imagine it's from the perspective of someone who is hired to help organised criminals fix horse races, has been doing so for years, but then decides this time to fix the race in his own favour instead, and run away with the proceeds. In his mind he's imagining the great time he'll have, but you know that he will eventually get tracked down. Just listen to it with that in mind and you'll see what I mean.
I had absolutely no idea what this song was until Guy clarified (at the Glastonbury concert last year, I think) that it's all about rigging a horse race. So, for those who were as lost as me, as many of these confusing lovely terms clarfied as I can, thanks to a dictionary and Wikipedia:
"The fix is in" - they've fixed the horse race! Epsom Downs is a racecourse near London. Postally means angrily... pipped means drunk, I think, which doesn't make much sense, but the short of it is that they're bleedin' annoyed. They've made the saddles on the other horses heavier, and mickeys (or Mickey Finns) are drinks they've slipped the other jockeys to get them drunk. "The redoubtable beast has had pegasus pills" - I'm reasonably sure they've given their horse steroids. Vino di Vici is wine, of course. :) "Pigeons have finally landed" sounds like it should be a saying, but I draw a blank. The Donahue Sisters is a play. But they may be actual sisters. A penguin is a tuxedo, so they'll be rich and classy. I want to see Guy Garvey in a tuxedo now.
Good work moonflash. The only thing I can add is that I think 'postally pipped' is possibly a reference to the phrase 'pipped at the post' which means to lose something narrowly, particularly in horse racing. So in other words they're saying they've missed out too many times so now they're going to make sure they win.
Good work moonflash. The only thing I can add is that I think 'postally pipped' is possibly a reference to the phrase 'pipped at the post' which means to lose something narrowly, particularly in horse racing. So in other words they're saying they've missed out too many times so now they're going to make sure they win.
In the UK, if you've been 'pipped at the post', it means you've been beaten right at the end of the race. So, postally pipped means they've been beaten too many times right at the line.
In the UK, if you've been 'pipped at the post', it means you've been beaten right at the end of the race. So, postally pipped means they've been beaten too many times right at the line.
Also, if your pigeons (or any birds) have come home to roost, then it means either that secrets you had long forgotten have come back to haunt you or you've finally got your reward for something, probably the latter in this context.
Also, if your pigeons (or any birds) have come home to roost, then it means either that secrets you had long forgotten have come back to haunt you or you've finally got your reward for something, probably the latter in this context.
Thanks moonflash, nicely done.
Thanks moonflash, nicely done.
I just wanted to add that Vino di Vici not just wine is, but the wine of victory (like in Caesar's popular quote "veni vidi vici" - I came, I saw, I conquered).
I just wanted to add that Vino di Vici not just wine is, but the wine of victory (like in Caesar's popular quote "veni vidi vici" - I came, I saw, I conquered).
I think "the saddles are loaded, the mickeys are slipped" means that the other horses and had extra weight put into their saddles and the stable lads, who are often Irish (micks = mickeys) been bribed (slipped cash).
Pegasus pills could mean steroids or just mean that the horse is almost fast enough to fly (Pegasus = flying horse)
The snaps of the stewards so candid - suggests that the officials are in on the fix as well
Penguins and pearls - dinner suits and smart dresses for the ladies.
Donahue Sisters - is the name of a play set in Ireland by Gerald Aron. No obviously connection but keeps with the Irish theme
@hilts Donahue sisters might be a reference to The Dolly Sisters. Two actress and dancers who were famous for high stakes gambing at horse tracks and casinos. Kind of The Cheeky Girls of Pre-War Europe.
@hilts Donahue sisters might be a reference to The Dolly Sisters. Two actress and dancers who were famous for high stakes gambing at horse tracks and casinos. Kind of The Cheeky Girls of Pre-War Europe.
Another hit by Elbow. This song is criminally hip in the same way as Fugitive Motel.
Well done moonflash
I love this song, but it gives me the creeps. I imagine it's from the perspective of someone who is hired to help organised criminals fix horse races, has been doing so for years, but then decides this time to fix the race in his own favour instead, and run away with the proceeds. In his mind he's imagining the great time he'll have, but you know that he will eventually get tracked down. Just listen to it with that in mind and you'll see what I mean.
Vino di Vici means Victory Wine, meaning Garvey's sure he'll win. Unlike, say, Amarone della Valpolicella or Taurasi, Vino di Vici is something that, in reality, is not produced. At least not as a type of wine.
@midgetjones Actually a phonetic play on Veni, Vidi, Vici. We came, we saw, we conquered (Julius Caesar)
@midgetjones Actually a phonetic play on Veni, Vidi, Vici. We came, we saw, we conquered (Julius Caesar)
'The mickeys are slipped' I think is more likely to refer to a 'mickey finn' which is a drugged drink - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Finn_%28drugs%29 - I would surmise that the opposing horses - or at least those of them considered likely to beat our horse - have been given (or 'slipped') drugs to slow them down.
surely its harder not to get this song!! its pretty bloody obvious