Bougainvilleas fall into the pool
The hard shelled bugs bite my forearm
My right index fingernail chewed to the quick
My cervix is alarmed, scared even
My sprinklers go off at 6 P.M. each day
And sometimes they spray unsuspecting visitors
My pimples are gooses all over my legs
My brow is furrowed and my vision is blurred

And how I do love London
And how I do love London

The birds make guttural sounds and protect me
My friends come to visit and love me a lot
I don't have the energy to fill them in
I am lagged by the jet and the twelve hour flight

And how I do love London
How I do love London

I am intrigued by the boy with the androgynous songs
Sometimes they rhyme sometimes they rhyme not
The steam will smell of eucalyptus in the shower
The hug will feel forced upon you inconsolable thing

And how I do love London
And how I do love London

Deep breaths will not make my brain stand still
To be loved and swallowed or single and depraved
I love speaking French to the taxi drivers
We slept and were cold on the train out of France

And how I do love London
And how I do love London


Lyrics submitted by Lamia

London Lyrics as written by Alanis Nadine Morissette Glen Ballard

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC

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London song meanings
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8 Comments

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  • 0
    General CommentI love speaking French to the taxi drivers not sure why i love that lycric so much.
    u.oughta.knowon December 07, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General CommentCannot understand why she speaks of her cervix????
    Auroreon December 13, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Commentthis is the most confusing song ever. I am from England, I have wondered if she is talking about BEING a statue in london? Has anyone else considered this or am i being stupid?
    "The hard shell bugs bite my forearm
    My right index fingernail chewed to the quick" - could this be referring to the decaying of a monument?
    "My friends come to visit and love me a lot
    I don't have the energy to fill them in"- a reference to tourists coming to visit the statue they love- although it never speaks back.
    "I am intrigued by the boy with songs
    sometimes they rhyme sometimes they rhyme not"...referring to buskers who perform around such monuments??
    I don't know- maybe i've got it completely wrong, what do people think?
    p.s. the lyrics on this site are wrong in parts.
    dandeman2010on March 24, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI always presumed this was about the London in Canada - what with the:
    -"My friends come to visit and love me a lot" line
    - there's a large percentage of French in Canada's population (Quebec, innit?) so those lines didn't look out of place
    - the fact that she's Canadian

    But the "train out of France" must mean she's talking about our London.
    Lonelyascanbeon December 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Commenti think this song is about how she loves london, but she has to leave it,for some reason!!! and how she is going to mis the live that she had in london, but thats just my opinion!!!
    sneakerpimpsfanon November 26, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI think these lyrics are more accurate:

    Bounganvillas fall into the pool
    The hard shell bugs bite my forearm
    My right index fingernail chewed to the quick
    My cervix is a long one
    My sprinklers go off at 6pm each day
    And sometimes they spray unsuspecting visitors
    My pimples are goosehairs all over my legs
    My brow is furrowed and my vision is blurred
    And how I do love London
    And how I do love London

    The birds make guttural sounds and protect me
    My friends come to visit and love me a lot
    I don't have the energy to fill them in
    I am lagged by the jet and a 12 hour flight
    And how I do love London
    And how I do love London

    I am intrigued by the boy with the androginous songs
    sometimes they rhyme sometimes they rhyme not
    The steam will smell of eucalyptus in the shower
    The hug will feel forced upon you, inconsolable thing
    And how I do love London
    And how I do love London

    Deep breaths will not make my brain stand still
    To be loved and swallowed are single and depraved
    I love speaking French to the taxi drivers
    We slept and were cold on the train out of France
    And how I do love London
    And how I do love London
    JulioCMMSon May 31, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General CommentThe other day I was in the shower and it dawned on me that the "how I do love London" sentence could be a sadly sarcastic one, in the sense that Alanis is admittedly used to pretending she's fine and/or nice.

    In the lyrics she describes, mostly, tense or sad situations...and then she finishes each verse with "I do love London". It's like she feels like shit for several reasons but pretends, in front of audiences or the media, that everything's fine and makes false compliments and says she loves the city or the country she is in, etc. And it's kind of a cliché to say that one loves London.

    And there are a few lines in which she says pleasant or not-so-bad things like "I love speaking French..."...Maybe with these few lines she means that she is seldom having fun and relaxed and is most of the time tense or sad...and keeps pretending that everything is fine anyway.

    It could otherwise be about unexpected things as someone else once said. But then I'm not sure what "loving London" would mean...maybe ONE expectedly thing among all the rest.
    JulioCMMSon May 31, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General CommentIt's sarcasm. The lyrics are not logical, but the song describes a particular state of mind. Perhaps she just experienced this state of mind in it London.

    You know, that feeling where you are so tired and drained that you don't have the energy to do anything, and you begin to notice little, insignificant things? It's like nothing matters and everything feels grey and pointless.
    Human-beefon October 07, 2010   Link

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