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Mother Tongue Lyrics

The city stays high all night
Lit up and shivering like a pinball table of fireflies
An echo of home on the edge of life
Shot through the veins of an angel and a devil in exile

But if you have forgotten your precious mother tongue
What do you think your mother would say at what you've done
And if you can't remember the place you call a home
Or having trouble placing who's calling on the phone
Who's calling on the phone

Dip the nose of the card to the sugar lines
Add to the desert of the cinnamon hills of moonshine
He said "what can I do to make you mine?"
"Kiss out the twang from my lips on the way to the big time"

But if you have forgotten your precious mother tongue
What do you think your mother would say at what you've done
And if you can't remember the place you call a home
Or having trouble placing who's calling on the phone
Who's calling on the phone

Forgot your mother tongue
Forgot your mother tongue
Forgot your mother tongue

But if you have forgotten your precious mother tongue
What do you think your mother would say at what you've done
And if you can't remember the place you call a home
Or having trouble placing who's calling on the phone

But if you have forgotten your precious mother tongue
What do you think your mother would say at what you've done
And if you can't remember the place you call a home
Or having trouble placing who's calling on the phone
3 Meanings

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Cover art for Mother Tongue  lyrics by White Lies

It seems to be about a young woman who has moved to a big city and is partying hard. Staying up all night, snorting coke and drinking.

As part of this she is trying to distance herself from he past provincial life. Both in softening her regional accent ("kiss the twang from my lips)" and not keeping in touch with people back home ("having trouble placing who's calling on the phone").

Mother tongue in this song referring to their regional accent / past roots.

Song Meaning
Cover art for Mother Tongue  lyrics by White Lies

the lyrics having some gaps (question marks) inbetween, makes me assume that those are not directly taken from the band's album or website... or anything official and original?

Because what I'm hearing is them singing:

"(I) believe you have FORGOTTEN your precious mother tongue What do you think YOUR mother WOULD say OF what you've done And IF YOU can't remember the place YOU CALL HOME OR HAVING TROUBLE PLACING who's calling on the phone"

which makes more sense to me...

Cover art for Mother Tongue  lyrics by White Lies

These comments are way off.

@whytespyder77 - I did try and update but it needs approval :p my update has been added to the wiki as well

 
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