Big Julie
Jarvis Cocker Lyrics

She's by herself again
The girl is alone once more.

In the quiet secret night
It is nighttime, and everything is silent.

Below the neighbor's window
She is standing beneath her neighbor's window.

Hands in pockets; head on one side
She is standing with her hands in her pockets and her head tilted to one side.

And the radio plays an unknown song
The radio is playing an unfamiliar tune.

That has nothing at all to do with God
The song is not about religion.

But it's miles away from this sad town
The song feels very distant from the girl's unhappy town.

And the stupid kids who get her down
The song makes her forget about the annoying kids in town.

Just wait until Big Julie rules the world
She imagines a future where someone named Big Julie is in charge.

Big Julie rules the world
Big Julie is still in charge in this imagined future.

Well, the radio still plays:
The radio is still on.

Floating beyond time
The song feels timeless.

Like the greatest people in the world
The song makes her feel like she is among the greatest people in the world.

All springing up and feeling fine
Everyone in the song seems to be happy and full of life.

And it's far away from these sweaty lads
The song is a welcome escape from the sweaty, gross guys in town.

Who say that boys cannot be slags
The guys in town are sexist and judgmental.

And if it's not them then it's their dads
Even the older generation can be just as bad as the young guys.

Like the guy who felt her up in class
The girl has experienced sexual harassment from someone in her class.

And Sunday school teacher who said she had beautiful breasts
Even a religious leader has made inappropriate comments to her about her body.

And the local radio DJ who is so obviously obsessed
The radio DJ has an unhealthy fixation on something or someone.

Yeah, form an orderly queue when Big Julie rules the world
She sarcastically imagines people lining up to obey Big Julie in the future.

Big Julie rules the world
Big Julie is still ruling everything in this imagined future.

Yeah, go and chase your dreams
She encourages people to pursue their dreams.

But if your dreams are not your own
She cautions people to make sure they are chasing their own dreams, not someone else's.

Then wouldn't it be better
She suggests that staying home and figuring things out might be a better option if you're not sure.

Just to work things out at home?
She questions whether working on things from the comfort of home might be a better idea in some cases.

And she knows sex is just for dummies anyway
She doesn't think much of sex.

Something you do when you've run out of things to say
She thinks of sex as a last resort for when you can't think of anything else to do or say.

But this song will play until the light
The song will keep playing until morning comes.

It's the sound of her trying to find something to like
The girl is searching for something to enjoy in life, and this song might be helping her a little bit.

The sound of her walking day and night
She's constantly on the move, day and night.

And this song may lead her far away
The song might be inspiring her to leave her town and see more of the world.

But tonight it seems to light the way
For now, the song is illuminating her path forward.

And she can almost see the future shine
She's feeling optimistic about what's to come.

And everything's in tune and everything's in time
Everything feels aligned and working the way it should be.

It will play until the day Big Julie rules the world
The song will keep playing until Big Julie takes over.

Big Julie rules the world
Even in the future, Big Julie is still in charge in this girl's mind.