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I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous Lyrics
Let's begin at the beginning:
We're lovers and we're losers,
We're heroes and we're pioneers,
And we're beggars and we're choosers.
We're skirting round the edges
Of the ideal demographic.
We're almost on the guestlist,
But we're always stuck in traffic.
We've watched our close associates
Up and play their parts;
They're chatting up the it girls,
And they're tearing up the charts,
While we were paying with coppers
To get our round in at the bar.
We're the see-Team, we're the almost famous
Old friends of the stars.
Justin is the last
Of the great romantic poets,
And he's the only one among us
Who is ever going to make it.
We planned a revolution
From a cheap Southampton bistro.
I don't remember details
But there were English boys with banjos.
Jay is our St George, and he's standing on a wooden chair,
And he sings songs and he slays dragons, and he's losing all his hair.
Adam is the resurrected spirit of Gram Parsons, In plaid instead of rhinestone and living in South London.
And no one's really clear about Tommy's job description,
But it's pretty clear he's vital to the whole damn operation.
Dave Danger smiles at strangers, Tre's the safest girl I know,
Zo and Harps will skamper up to victory in the city we call home.
We won't change our ways, we will proud remain when the glory fades.
I am sick and tired of people
Who are living on the B-list.
They're waiting to be famous
And they're wondering why they do this.
And I know I'm not the one who is habitually optimistic,
But I'm the one who's got the microphone here so just remember this:
Life is about love, last minutes and lost evenings,
About fire in our bellies and furtive little feelings,
And the aching amplitudes that set our needles all a-flickering,
And help us with remembering that the only thing that's left to do is live.
After all the loving and the losing,
For the heroes and the pioneers,
The only thing that's left to do
Is get another round in at the bar.
We're lovers and we're losers,
We're heroes and we're pioneers,
And we're beggars and we're choosers.
We're skirting round the edges
Of the ideal demographic.
We're almost on the guestlist,
But we're always stuck in traffic.
Up and play their parts;
They're chatting up the it girls,
And they're tearing up the charts,
While we were paying with coppers
To get our round in at the bar.
We're the see-Team, we're the almost famous
Old friends of the stars.
Of the great romantic poets,
And he's the only one among us
Who is ever going to make it.
We planned a revolution
From a cheap Southampton bistro.
I don't remember details
But there were English boys with banjos.
And he sings songs and he slays dragons, and he's losing all his hair.
Adam is the resurrected spirit of Gram Parsons, In plaid instead of rhinestone and living in South London.
And no one's really clear about Tommy's job description,
But it's pretty clear he's vital to the whole damn operation.
Dave Danger smiles at strangers, Tre's the safest girl I know,
Zo and Harps will skamper up to victory in the city we call home.
Who are living on the B-list.
They're waiting to be famous
And they're wondering why they do this.
But I'm the one who's got the microphone here so just remember this:
About fire in our bellies and furtive little feelings,
And the aching amplitudes that set our needles all a-flickering,
And help us with remembering that the only thing that's left to do is live.
For the heroes and the pioneers,
The only thing that's left to do
Is get another round in at the bar.
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot is about a man who has inner desires but does not act on them. He continues to live his mundane life and doesn't do the things he really wants to do. And he grows old, and continues to be mundane and reminisce about lost opportunities.
I think the song is a protest against the celebrity culture that we're living in, and a recommendation to notice the little but utterly beautiful things in life: the last minutes; the lost evenings; the furtive little feelings. One doesn't have to be to be famous or successful in order to live well, we can be lovers, we can be losers, we can be beggers and choosers. The good and the bad is what makes up our lives, you can't have one without the other.
Despite just about having the money to pay for a round of drinks, we're still poets, patron saints, and revolutionaries. We don't need to be striving for success, prestige or celebrity status, we're brave enough to live our lives fully, to have the courage to stick our necks out and do what we love despite the fact that we might fail. And while we're living in this honest, authentic way, the only real thing that's left to do is live.
I've not really got into Frank Turner yet but someone mentioned to me the line 'We planned the revolution from a cheap Southampton bistro' and I had to check the song out
I've only heard this once but I loved it The whole sound of it feels kind of resigned and nostalgic with the optimism coming out through the lyrics
I love the lines
"Well life is about love, lost minutes and lost evening About fire in our bellies and about furtive little feelings And the aching amplitudes that set our needles all a-flickering And they help us with remembering that the only thing that’s left to do is live"
Such a good lyricist.
This is a fantastic opening to a brilliant album! The passage highlighted by kryptonite22 is my favourite too - pure quality. I also like the way he references the other artists in the lyrics/video. Justin is Jay Jay Pistolet, Jay is Beans on Toast and Dave Danger is the singer from the Holloways but can anyone tell me who Adam, Tommy and Tre are? I feel like I could be missing out on more great music...
Tre is likely Tre Cool of Green Day, Adam is probably a Beastie Boy, and Tommy, I have no idea.
Tre is likely Tre Cool of Green Day, Adam is probably a Beastie Boy, and Tommy, I have no idea.
And sullen hearts will scamper off to victory in the City we call home
This is "Zoe and Harps will scamper off to victory in the City we call home
well, i love this song but i didnt get its full message yet. is it about frank turner's "normal" life without fame?
In 1905 the political party Sinn Féin was founded and in 1917 the IRA...
In 1905 the political party Sinn Féin was founded and in 1917 the IRA...
In 1905 the political party Sinn Féin was founded and in 1917 the IRA...
That may very well be true, but in Love, Ire & Song when Frank says "Let's be 1905 but not 1917" he is on about the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917.
That may very well be true, but in Love, Ire & Song when Frank says "Let's be 1905 but not 1917" he is on about the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917.
I'm pretty sure Tre is his tour manager. She is the one who provided the wheelchair at Reading!
"Jay is our St George" Jay is the singer from beans on toast who frank is good friends with and tours with. Beans on toast are a good search for people who like frank turner. I have found that frank often says what his songs are about when you go and see him live.