City of Bugs

I have spent a really long time trying to work out what this song means. A couple of images suddenly clicked for me so I'm going to go through and see if I can make some sense - any clarification is appreciated!

It came to me like a voice from above Or like a message in praise of platonic love At the moment I'm leaning towards this being a sarcastic little joke, perhaps a "message in praise of platonic love" because it's a condemnation of any other kind of love? IE: a message damning sex?

And if you stand in the booth Then you don't have to sit with a stranger So "booth" to me just means photo booth or confessional booth. Confessional booth perhaps makes more sense, if you're in the booth you don't have to sit with the stranger (the Priest). Also sets the scene for confessions being necessary

A perfumed gust drifts to my core I give you one last look Through a cross-hatched door So the "perfumed gust" (I heard ghost?) is clearly a woman, he's leaving her but it's cutting him to the "core" and he's hurt. The "cross-hatched door" to me implies prison, the last look she gets is of him in a cage (the van they take you off to prison in?)

But I'm messed up baby Like the Berlin Wall Tonight Clearly this is just saying he's gone wrong

You feel the rape in the city of bugs Fill the hole with glass Vessels burst after love So the "City of Bugs" has to be insanity or hell, perhaps the two are one and the same. I get the feeling all of this is just give an impression of torture and depravity, "glass" being followed by "burst" makes me think of broken glass, and the presiding line talking about "rape" certainly sounds like torture to me.

But don't go too long without letting them know That you're there I'm not sure if this is intending to be comforting or not, so far we have no likable characters in this song so knowing they're there may not be a good thing

You came into reach Like the Serpent and Peach Clearly the Biblical idea of Evil, also Knowledge and perhaps freedom?

Came to me in the dream That contractions set free So here's why I can't help thinking of this being a song about miscarriage or stillbirth. The Cribs have a lot of songs about sex in the procreative sense - We Were Aborted, Hari Kari etc. so I get the feeling it may be an overarching theme of the album. The previous references to a condemnation of sex, rape, "forbidden fruit", "after love" I just get the feeling it may be about pregnancy

But it's never too late to admit to me That you're worried Never a choice Don't remember your voice I was born out of glass I'll return there at last In a shattering climax "climax" has to be another sexual image which is quickly framed by more vaguely violent images. "glass", "shattering" "never a choice", on its own a "shattering climax" could be dismissed as purely sexual but with the "glass" in the line before it becomes destructive. Either the orgasm itself is destructive or the after effects for some reason are (pregnancy?)

For left out children to carry A world without sin is a laughable thing So go out on a limb Take a stone for a swim Whilst this verse seems to be a strangely positive one lyrics-wise this line here is clearly about suicide, or more aptly, murder. Generally when someone takes "a stone for a swim" they are being dumped in a river against there will (usually because they're dead). I get the feeling this entire verse may be more black humour. "Sin will always happen! So have a laugh, go on, go swimming with stones"

I don't know, I get the idea the whole song is just pieced together, or extremely idiosyncratic. Either way it's brilliant!

What a great band, they wipe the floor with all this faux rock nonsense. you can trust ole johnny Marr, i mean the man made the smiths for christ sake. I hope they don't make it big like kings of leon, but'll be happy if they do. This song is very important to this album. Though I think Its a strange place for the album. Its a bit stadium rock reverby for my taste. Though the lyrics are smashing, something you come to expect from the sainted Jarmans'.

Does anyone know how to get hold of a roses edition without traveling to yorkshire or portland?