Left To My Own Devices

This song makes me thing of a rich millionaire playboy who doesn’t really have a job or does much with his life. He gets up late, doesn’t have much to do, idle phones his friends, hangs out, shops. Also, he doesn’t seem to have many skills, and has always had other people and employees doing everything for him. He doesn’t drive because he has always had a chauffer and the line about reading means that he was also not outstanding in school. And because of his money and privileged life he doesn’t feel the need to be like other people, to have a job and to do all of these things. He also feels like he can be himself and not have to act cool, I think that the line ‘But I don't like to compete, or talk street, street, street’ means exactly that. The chorus is slightly different. I think that the entire song is addressed to his girlfriend, who he is emotionally distant from, and it’s an attempt to justify his lifestyle. In the chorus he is telling her that like all else in his life, she is also somewhat indifferent to him. He then goes on describing his lifestyle further, reading the gossip tabloids, about not fitting in even at a young age (maybe this is a reference to homosexuality). I think that the expression ‘round head general’ is a reference to Napoleon Bonaparte. He next talks about his teenage years and fantasies of becoming a writer or actor and philosophers, personalities and music that influenced him. The next line: ‘It's not a crime when you look the way you do The way I like to picture you’ makes me think that his girl friend is good looking and that is the only reason why he is with her. Then he describes a little more of his day. I think that it is a very interesting detail he uses the word ‘look’ in stead or ‘read’ when he is using a book. In the last part of the song he reveals that in fact he wishes his girlfriend to take charge and to help him give some direction to his meaningless life.

this is the pet shop boys we're talking about. It is also a guy who likes shopping. Therefore, I think that girlfriend would probably more likely be "boyfriend", right? Still, good analysis. I wouldn't have thought so hard myself

The song is at least semi-biographical, in fact Tennant I believe admitted as such. Whether it was about him at the time, or when he was a much younger man (late teens/early twenties) I'm not sure. He wasn't sure about studying further, and he hadn't learnt to drive (I don't know whether he has now - he hadn't in his mid thirties) The roundhead general actually refers to the English Civil War, and Tennant loved History and used to play soldiers - but in fact he liked to play a cavalier (round head general sounding and rhyming a lot better I guess!) Neil also read somewhere, that Che Guevara was an extremely artistic man and loved music and acting. Neil later on realised he loved writing, and he also loved acting (he had been in a few school plays, including playing a woman in HMS Pinafore - all boys school!). However, deep down he wanted to write music.
Is he 'talking' to Lowe/old boyfriend/old girlfriend (ye never know) or a fling he had once? Or just something to give it that sense of mystery but ultimately not pertaining to him? Whatever, its still a great track.

I think the chorus fits in with the song in the way that just as he could choose what to do today or in life, he could even choose how to feel about "you", "i could leave you -- i could love you" and parallel to the idea of the line "but in the back of my head...", he realizes that "left to (his) own devices he probably would" not sure what this means though... that he's still dependent on something, perhaps his own freedom to do whatever he wants? if he didn't have - wasn't bound to having - all these options, he would love him/her?

I think this is about a man who grew up in a world of make believe and never felt apart of something. He is disconnected from humanity.

Now that he has grown he is divided by this feeling of ambivalence. He see's everybody around him engrossed in their little world whereas he has no real opinion on anything and is just going through the motions.

He can make himself believe whatever he wants but ultimately he doesn't.

it seems to be about the writer of these words may just dream of really living a ilfe of pure and innocent love & being part of a connection that isnt mundane and KNowinG the other half of the equation sums up to really trying to make it work the way others work at whatever makes them happy as well

to me this song has always been about a boy who leads an idle lifestyle, who does nothing but party and do not want anything in life. he probably has a rich boyfriend who pays for all that, and feels indifferent towards him. he can leave him or love him if he wants to or if he would left to his own devices. the lines following “It’s not a crime…” tell me that his boyfriend might feel just the same about him.

Its a song about someone stuck in their comfort zone, basically unhappy but thinks its two difficult to change. A lazy drifter type person. If they dont work. They dont seem to do much just sit up all day and night

They want to read, drive and act on stage and think about it a lot, but they dont like the idea of competing with others...are they afraid of failure?

They are a loner who seem to struggle in social situations which started in childhood which they like to dream

"Look at a book" maybe they cant be bothered reading just look at it for a short while. Is reading too much effort?

They are with someone and unsure if they really love them or not, worried about loving or leaving could be the wrong decision.

If they had more control everything would be better but they are worried about competing with others so they choose the easy option