Take you to the cinema
And leave you in a Wimpy Bar
You tell me that we've gone too far
Come running up to me

Make the scene at Cousin Jack's
Leave him to put the bottles back
Mends his glasses that I cracked
Well that's one up to me

Buy a silver cloud to ride
Pack a tennis club inside
Trouser cuffs hung far too wide
Well it was up to me

Tire's down on your bicycle
Your nose feels feels like an icicle
The yellow fingered smoky girl
Is looking up to me

Well I'm a common working man
With a half of bitter, bread and jam
And if it pleases me I'll put one on you man
When the copper fades away

The rainy season comes to pass
The day-glo pirate sinks at last
And if I laughed a bit too fast
Well it was up to me

Take you to the cinema
And leave you in a Wimpy Bar
You tell me that we've gone too far
Come running up to me


Lyrics submitted by knate15

Up to Me Lyrics as written by Ian Anderson

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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Up To Me song meanings
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17 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    I think that, keeping with the overall theme of the album, this song is about blaming your mistakes and problems on God. "me" in the song i think is god. After you got wasted in a bar, punched out your cousin, you would go to god for forgiveness. It could also be about a guy who always comes running to his friend for help. And eventually the friend just gets sick of it and laughs at the guy's mistakes. Pretty good song though.

    Anomaly57on March 19, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i love this song.

    RedRavenon October 22, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Not as much as I do!

    Lukasaon June 20, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't get it.

    mbopreyon July 13, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I hadn't thought of that Anomal57, but it seems likely to me.

    Great song, great album, great band (one of only two bands to have scored a 5 star album with me, not to say that I don't like much music, just that I have high standards).

    Of course, that 5 star album is Thick as a Brick.

    inpraiseoffollyon September 20, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Well, when I heart it for the first time when it was new, it was one of the ones that spoke to me, though I couldn't make out all the things it said.

    One thing I liked was the attention grabbing flute work contrasting to the plain speaking in the lines (even when the a phrase was a biblical one like 'comes to pass').

    Been pondering Anomaly57 thoughts about how the speaker was God. Maybe, though the use of "we" at first, and the "Now Im a common working man..." stanza belies it.

    No, I think the singer is just a young man beginning to realize how, unlike when he was younger, it is virtually all up to him, even the things that aren't -- to fascinate a girl, to accidently damage his cousin's glasses in a row, to wear his pants the way he likes, and if he has had a few and doesn't like your face, to try and change it.

    He definetly likes it all being up to him.

    fatherstimeon January 10, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Actually, Anomaly57 , it's completely the opposite - Everything he does is his decision - no predestination, no invisible friend to blame things on or ask forgiveness from. It's up to ME what I do, my responsibility and my mistakes.

    AlanOldieon May 08, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't really have an exegesis for this song yet, but isn't "Cousin Jack" a reference to a person from Cornwall? A cornish miner?

    waynecullinanon September 17, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It has no connection, but I noticed that "cinema" and "Wimpy" were used in the same sentence and i thought of Selling England by Genesis.... anyways, excellent album.

    ledtheater9on September 09, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'd never heard of a "Wimpy Bar" before, not being from the UK. Luckily Wikipedia came to the rescue: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimpy_%28restaurant%29

    messydineron October 23, 2009   Link

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