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Used to Be My Girl Lyrics

Colour pictures of re-entry
Voices calling down the hall
I wanted you to know
You’re the only one that bent me
This far out of shape
Don’t make no mistake

I’m a liar, I’m a cheat, a leech, a thief
The outside looks no good and there ain’t nothing underneath
Darling can’t you see, my heart melted in the heat
My heart melted in the heat like yours

First impressions of the century
Two way mirror one way street
Good cop bad cop routine
Black-light animal print boogie
Left in a heap a kiss on either cheek

I’m a phoney, I’m a fake, a fraud, a snake
Gimme all your love so I can fill you up with hate
Girl I’m in a state, my heart melted yesterday
My heart melted yesterday like yours

The odyssey, came down kind of hard on me
The here and now so suddenly
Became a different world
Finally, I slipped out of reality
It must all be imaginary
She used to be my girl

Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
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Cover art for Used to Be My Girl lyrics by Last Shadow Puppets, The

Though it may be cliche (as fuck) this definitely has hints towards LSD within it.

The odyssey, came down kind of hard on me The here and now so suddenly Became a different world Finally, I slipped out of reality It must all be imaginary She used to be my girl

An odyssey being a sort of spiritual journey or trip, he then talks essentially about how it fucked him up and not only he, but the whole world, appeared different afterwards. Saying he slipped out of reality and that everything must be imaginary also the ramblings of someone who's a bit tripped out.

Besides that fuck knows what the rest of the lyrics mean. Alex's lyrics have a kind of weird hint at opposites e.g. good cop bad cop but idk

My Interpretation
Cover art for Used to Be My Girl lyrics by Last Shadow Puppets, The

I like to see this song in its obvious way: it is a breaking up song. I understand the verses as several problems couples face during the relationship. The first strophe is quite clear regarding this:

Colour pictures of re-entry Voices calling down the hall I wanted you to know You're the only one that bent me This far out of shape Don't make no mistake

The 3rd strophe, in my interpretation, is literal regarding the problems the routine brings to a couple - different, excludent viewpoints, important things that are left behind, and the lack of intimacy:

First impressions of the century Two way mirror one way street Good cop bad cop routine Black-light animal print boogie Left in a heap A kiss on either cheek

And the bad adjectives in the beginning of the 2nd and 4th strophes could be some adjectives we use to qualify our partners in some angry moments. The way those adjectives are stated, though, shows the irony and the guilty of an argue.

I'm a liar, I'm a cheat A leech, a thief [...] I'm a phoney, I'm a fake A fraud, a snake

It seems that the breaking up is nobody fault, because both hearts couldn't handle the relationship.

My Interpretation