Well, first, these lyrics exhibit Nick Lowe's love of wordplay for its own sake. (This is the guy who named his first EP "Bowi" after David Bowie had released one titled "Low".) So you see that Nick is playing with different meanings for the word "ruler" and for the phrase "never got over". In the last stanza, he says he was a ruler, which would mean a king or president, in the context of what came before in the song, but then switches to using the word to mean a measuring device that is 12 inches long.
Overall, though, I think the song is about playing roles given to us by society, especially roles that give us power over others. And he ends by humorously suggesting that these sorts of roles don't really amount to much.
Well, first, these lyrics exhibit Nick Lowe's love of wordplay for its own sake. (This is the guy who named his first EP "Bowi" after David Bowie had released one titled "Low".) So you see that Nick is playing with different meanings for the word "ruler" and for the phrase "never got over". In the last stanza, he says he was a ruler, which would mean a king or president, in the context of what came before in the song, but then switches to using the word to mean a measuring device that is 12 inches long.
Overall, though, I think the song is about playing roles given to us by society, especially roles that give us power over others. And he ends by humorously suggesting that these sorts of roles don't really amount to much.
@hbowie It's not Nick's wordplay in fact, it's a cover of a song by Jim Ford - quite a bold version Nick carries off anyhow
@hbowie It's not Nick's wordplay in fact, it's a cover of a song by Jim Ford - quite a bold version Nick carries off anyhow