Bare breasted, you make love in the turret
I feel each single thrust that you take
And in silence I watch on from the bastion
Entranced, I make myself look away
And bare breasted making love in the turret
I've never loved nobody other than you
And in silence, I can feel that you quiver
Keep quiet or you know what he will do
And I know I am not the man you desire
I know you think that I am some kind of fool
And I know you would gaze in his eyes forever

I've figured out just how to give that to you
When he found us in the western wing sleeping
You cried at all the things you thought he would do
And I tell you in the heat of the scuffle
Nobody ever takes my eyes off of you
And you know Katherine how you run me my fever
Oh Katherine, tell me was it worth it for him?
These gallows are no place for the stubborn
Just you and your lover as a dark souvenir
She sees me on display inside the museum
Comes every morning and again when she can
Strokes her blistered hand across my glass container
Says its so good to see you back here again


Lyrics submitted by SaraJean, edited by brettpr, kmcneil

Pyotr Lyrics as written by

Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group

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Pyotr song meanings
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5 Comments

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  • +8
    General Comment

    According to Andy Hull at a Bad Books concert in Phoenix on October 12, 2012, this song is about Peter the Great (the Russian tsar). Apparently, Peter discovers that his wife Katherine has been cheating on him, so Peter has her lover beheaded. He then has the man's head placed in a jar to preserve it, and as punishment, Peter forces Katherine to spend some time each day staring at the head in the jar. This song is a love song to Katherine, sung from the points of view of Peter and also Katherine's lover's head (in alternating verses). Kinda twisted, but a brilliant song nontheless.

    HumNummaon October 15, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    amazing.

    BrandKNEWon September 19, 2012   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    Andy talked about the meaning of this one when he played it at a show I went to during the summer. Apparently it's about a Russian czar who found out his wife had taken a lover, so he cut off the lover's head and put it on display in their foyer. The song is a back and forth perspective between the czar and the head.

    kredmondon November 07, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "And I tell you in the heat of the scuffle, Nobody ever takes my eyes off of you"

    "Strokes her blistered hand across my glass container Saying "It's so good to see you back here again.."

    My favorite lines from this song.

    ThisIsGodon July 13, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song reflects the love between Catherine the Great and Pyotr Zavadovsky.

    AKrantzon March 19, 2014   Link

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