This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
In the grip of a winter came love and greed
Insane with faith, I took the driving front seat
In the lowlight comfort of Berlin streets
The calm from emptiness duetted with my body heat
I was alone at the front line
The message I was told was to triumph at
The joy of a lifetime
I just can't think of England
I can't see the picture
I'm still running from the fire, the fire
I just can't think of England
I can't see the picture
I'm still running from the fire, the fire, the fire
In the twilight hours of nervous rest
I bought the peace before believing the threats
In a foreign field, I cut all regrets
But the boys in stories just repeat themselves in a fucked up mess
I was alone for the first time
The message I was told was to triumph at
The joy of a lifetime
I just can't think of England
I can't see the picture
I'm still running from the fire, the fire
I just can't think of England
I can't see the picture
I'm still running from the fire, the fire
I just can't think of England
Can't see the picture
(Ah)
Can't see the picture
(Ah)
Can't see the picture
Insane with faith, I took the driving front seat
In the lowlight comfort of Berlin streets
The calm from emptiness duetted with my body heat
I was alone at the front line
The message I was told was to triumph at
The joy of a lifetime
I just can't think of England
I can't see the picture
I'm still running from the fire, the fire
I just can't think of England
I can't see the picture
I'm still running from the fire, the fire, the fire
In the twilight hours of nervous rest
I bought the peace before believing the threats
In a foreign field, I cut all regrets
But the boys in stories just repeat themselves in a fucked up mess
I was alone for the first time
The message I was told was to triumph at
The joy of a lifetime
I just can't think of England
I can't see the picture
I'm still running from the fire, the fire
I just can't think of England
I can't see the picture
I'm still running from the fire, the fire
I just can't think of England
Can't see the picture
(Ah)
Can't see the picture
(Ah)
Can't see the picture
Lyrics submitted by blacknbluetan
Think Of England Lyrics as written by Chris Corner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The Night We Met
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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Chris has said himself in several interviews that Think Of England is him re-obsessing over how he felt in england before moving to berlin. How depressed and suffocated he was. Also, 'Think Of England' is a reference to a saying from the Tudor times, when Queens and upper class women were told to 'lie back and think of england' when having sex with their husband King (who they do not love). AMAZING SONG anyhow :)
a comment on the lyrics; I read that someone heard "triumph at the joy of a lifetime" instead of "try and find" I'm not sure which is the correct option there because it's difficult to hear.
Love the song, lyrically it is a lot more straight forward than many of the previous songs.
yeah, blacknbluetan, you're right. I saw IAMX live recently and they played this song and it was clearly "triumph at/and the joy of a lifetime" instead of "try and find" !
this is an amazing song, I'm sure the new album will be fantastic!
Hi! I found out that: it's 'I bought the peace', not beast And 'the boys in stories' rather than poisoned stories.
I love this song. I think it's about a shell-shocked soldier, who has seen so much and given up his past 'cut all regrets' in the battlefield, that he just can't imagine returning to a normal life, he can't 'think of england'. Even in the quietness of Berlin, now war is over, he can't stop 'running from the fire' as the images of war or 'poisoned stories' just repeat themselves in his mind.<br /> <br /> It's a beautiful song though, it's quite despairing but the melody to it also makes it sound really peaceful in the verses.<br /> <br /> Also, I think the line you mention 'to try and find the joy of a lifetime' is actually 'a triumph and the joy of a lifetime'. This would make sense because, at least in my interpretation of the song, the soldier definitely wouldn't understand how war could be the 'joy of a lifetime' and would remember having to deliver that message.<br /> <br />
yer blacknbluetan even on the cd it sounds like "triumph at the joy of a lifetime
cant wait till the new album!!
This is a great running song