The elbow above isn’t mine. (courtesy of google images)
I love Elbow.
No not my elbows, I don’t really take much notice of them, (Well, that’s a fib, I do.)
I’m referring to Elbow the group with Guy Garvey as the lead singer. He’s got a lovely gruff, tuneful voice. Check them out, they have some great songs.
The reason I’m mentioning their songs is I’ve noticed how they put some ‘different’ lyrics to most bands in their records. (Well ‘records’ isn’t the word I meant because who has records nowadays? However, I’d already put the word ‘songs’ in that sentence and I didn’t want to repeat myself.)
I expect by now you’ve either stopped reading or are saying to yourself, ‘get on with it!’
OK, OK hold your horses!
So shall I give you a few examples?
OK I will then. Oh, and please don’t just agree with me to keep me happy, if you think the lyrics are ‘run of the mill’ normal, tell me so.
(The night will always win)
I miss your stupid face
I miss your bad advice
I tried to clothe your bones with scratches
Super 8s, exaggerated stories and old tunes
But never by the moon
But not the state I’m in
The night will always win
Lyrics to Lippy Kids :
Lippy kids on the corner begin
Settling like crows
Though I never perfected the simian stroll
The cigarettes and it was everything then
Whoah
Polishing a compass that I hold in my sleeve
Whoah
Down comes him on sticks but then he kicks like a horse
Whoah
There’s a tiny cigarette case
And the rest you can keep
And the rest you can keep
And the rest you can keepThere’s a hole in my neighbourhood down which of late I cannot help but fall
There’s a hole in my neighbourhood down which of late I cannot help but fall
She has the sweetest, darkest eyes
And when it comes into her eyes
I know iron and steel couldn’t hold me
But god I’m easy bruised
But so often a moth to her flame
And the things that she’s asked me to do
Would see a senior saint
forgetting his nameI have an audience with the pope
And I’m saving the world at 8
But if she says she needs me, she says she needs me
Everybody’s gonna have to waitWhere could she be?
Was that a minute or an hour?
Where could she be?
She turns the hours into days.Kill me phone, cover the cage
And wait for the doorbell to ring.
Random thoughts from a random mind 
I agree that they are somewhat odd in their choice of words, but it does create some incredible imagery. One of my personal favourites is Station Approach where Garvey describes his return home after a long time away, which is obviously a song I can relate to. Anyway, what I wanted to say is how Grounds for Divorce is about a kid the band new in Manchester who killed himself. He was known as the seldom seen kid due to being one of those people you don’t really notice and the hole is his grave. I can’t recall the relevance of the rest of it, but doing a song lyric meaning Google search should fill in those gaps. Great band though, hope to see them live myself one day
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OK Thanks for that Carl. x
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Just did a bit of research and the Seldom Seen Kid is Brian Glancy, a musician who died suddenly in 2006 (the song Friend of Ours is also about him). The song is about the moment of realisation people have when dealing with the death of a close friend. The compass is suggestive of the direction of life and the watch being about the time we have. The whole song takes place at a wake, Grounds for Divorce being the moment when something becomes final (in this case death – grounds possibly being a double meaning as in the ground itself). The cocktail is the situation. The band are reminiscing about their friend, accepting his death and having a drink to his memory. OK, I may have read into it a bit much (further than any site has gone), but I think it’s one of the most powerful and beautiful songs in recent years. May have to do a search for other song lyrics at some point… Hope that helps
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