Cocaine Socialism Proper Version
Pulp Lyrics
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When you said "I want to see you
To discuss your contribution
To the future of our nation's heart and soul
Six o'clock, my place, Whitehall"
Well I arrived just after seven
But you said "It doesn't matter"
"I understand your situation
And your image, and I'm flattered
Oh and I'd just like to tell you
That I love all of your albums
Could you sign this for my daughter?
She's in hospital, her name is Miriam
Now get down to the gist: do you want a line of this?
Are you a socialist?"
"Now I'm doin' fine, yeah!
Buzzin' all the time
Just one hit and I feel great
And I support the welfare state
Oh, you must be socialist
'Cos you're always off out on the piss
In your private member's bar
Oh yes you are
Yer superstar"
"Well you sing about common people
And the mis-shapes and the misfits
So can you bring them to my party
And get them all to sniff this?
And all I'm really saying
Is come on and rock the vote for me
All I'm really saying is come on roll up that note for me
The gist of all of this is do you want hits or d'you want misses?
Are you a socialist, yeah
Socialist, yeah
Socialist, yeah
Oh yeah"
"You can be just what you want to be
Just as long as you don't try to compete with me
And we've waited such a long time
For the chance to help our own kind, so now
Please come on and tow the party line
Oh you owe it to yourself
Don't think of anybody else
And we promise we won't tell
Oh we won't tell, and we won't sell
No we won't
No we won't
No we won't"
The lyrics of Pulp's song "Cocaine Socialism Proper Version" are an ironic take on the politics of the 80s and 90s, where politicians used to indulge in drugs and would do anything to get a celebrity endorsement. In the opening verse, the singer is invited to Whitehall to discuss their contribution to the nation's heart and soul, but it turns out to be an invitation to snort cocaine with the politician. The politician flatters the singer by telling them that they love all their albums and asks them to sign one for his daughter who is in the hospital.
The chorus of the song talks about how the singer is now doing fine, buzzing all the time, and supporting the welfare state. This is ironic as it shows how one can be a drug addict yet support the welfare state. In the second verse, the politician asks the singer if they can bring the common people to his party and get them to sniff cocaine. The politician also asks the singer to come on and "rock the vote" for him, promising not to sell the story to the press. The song ends with the politician telling the singer that they can be whatever they want to be, but they shouldn't try to compete with him.
Overall, the song is a satirical commentary on the politics of the time, where politicians used to indulge in drugs and celebrities were happy to endorse them. The song uses irony to show the hypocrisy of politicians who support the welfare state while indulging in drugs. The song is a commentary on how politicians use celebrities and popular culture to gain support, and how the people are often swayed by these endorsements.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought that you were joking
I initially thought you were not being serious
When you said "I want to see you
When you told me you wanted to meet
To discuss your contribution
To talk about how you can contribute
To the future of our nation's heart and soul
To the future of our country's essence
Six o'clock, my place, Whitehall"
You gave me a time and place to meet you
Well I arrived just after seven
I arrived later than the scheduled time
But you said "It doesn't matter"
You said it's not a big deal that I was late
"I understand your situation
You empathized with my circumstances
And your image, and I'm flattered
You liked my appearance and felt honored to meet me
Oh and I'd just like to tell you
You wanted to mention something to me
That I love all of your albums
You appreciated all of my musical works
Could you sign this for my daughter?
You requested an autograph for your sick child
She's in hospital, her name is Miriam
You informed me of her name and current situation
Now get down to the gist: do you want a line of this?
Now let's get to the point: do you want to try this drug?
Are you a socialist?"
You asked if I was a socialist
"Now I'm doin' fine, yeah!
I feel great after trying the drug
Buzzin' all the time
I feel energized constantly
Just one hit and I feel great
Only one dose made me feel amazing
And I support the welfare state
I am in favor of social welfare programs
Oh, you must be socialist
You assume I am a socialist based on my behavior
'Cos you're always off out on the piss
You believe I am always drinking
In your private member's bar
You are referring to a bar I go to
Oh yes you are
You are sure of your assumption
Yer superstar"
You consider me a superstar
"Well you sing about common people
You mentioned my song about everyday folks
And the mis-shapes and the misfits
You referred to my song about outsiders
So can you bring them to my party
Can you invite them to my event?
And get them all to sniff this?
Can you get them all to try this drug?
And all I'm really saying
All I'm trying to say is
Is come on and rock the vote for me
Please vote for me
All I'm really saying is come on roll up that note for me
All I'm really asking is for you to try this drug
The gist of all of this is do you want hits or d'you want misses?
The main idea is whether you want success or failure
Are you a socialist, yeah
Are you a socialist?
Socialist, yeah
Are you a socialist?
Socialist, yeah
Are you a socialist?
Oh yeah"
You are affirming your belief
"You can be just what you want to be
You are encouraging me to be who I want to be
Just as long as you don't try to compete with me
But you're also warning me not to compete with you
And we've waited such a long time
We've been waiting for so long
For the chance to help our own kind, so now
For the opportunity to assist our own people
Please come on and tow the party line
Please follow our political beliefs
Oh you owe it to yourself
You owe it to yourself
Don't think of anybody else
Don't think of anyone else
And we promise we won't tell
We promise not to reveal any secrets
Oh we won't tell, and we won't sell
We won't tell or sell anything
No we won't
We definitely won't tell or sell anything
No we won't
We won't do it
No we won't"
We promise not to tell or sell anything
Contributed by Juliana C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
GeoNeilUK
This sounds like the time Jarvis went to the Cool Britannia party that Tony Blair held at his gaff when he got voted in.
...the lyrics of this song is what Tony said to Jarvis.
Allegedly.
Can you believe that back in 1997, Blair was seen as a great hope and a new start?
This is what happens when a generation spent their entire youth under one party and finally get the chance to vote. ANY alternative looks worth a gamble.
nestor celis celis rivera
I thought that you were joking / When you said "I want to see you
To discuss your contribution / To the future of our nation's heart and soul
Six o'clock, my place, Whitehall" / Well I arrived just after seven
But you said "It doesn't matter" / "I understand your situation
And your image, and I'm flattered / Oh and I'd just like to tell you
That I love all of your albums / Could you sign this for my daughter?
She's in hospital, her name is Miriam / Now get down to the gist:
Do you want a line of this? / Are you a (sniff) / socialist?"
"Doin' fine, yeah! / Buzzin' all the time / Just one hit / And I feel great
And I support / The welfare state / Oh, you must be socialist
'Cos you're always off out on the piss / In your private member's bar
Oh yes you are / Yer superstar / Well you sing about common people
And the mis-shapes and the misfits / So can you bring them to my party
And get them all to sniff this? / And all I'm really saying
Is come on and rock the vote for me / All I'm really saying
Is come on roll up that note for me / The gist of all of this is
Do you want hits or d'you want misses? / Are you a socialist, yeah
Socialist, yeah / Socialist, yeah / Oh yeah"
"Yeah, you can be just what you want to be
Just as long as you don't try to compete with me
And we've waited such a long time
For the chance to help our own kind, so now
Please come on and tow the party line / Oh you owe it to yourself
Don't think of anybody else / And we promise we won't tell
Oh we won't tell, and we won't sell" / No we won't / No we won't
No we won't
w0mbles
Love this song, and Glory Days. An utterly devastating critique of British Labour politics of the last decade. Great, great tune.
Robbie Gee
Fuck New Labour.
K84
May the uploader live to be a thousand years old.
dixon pinfold
He is!
ectoplasmLunatic
bruh thats a curse
The Mercury 13
More like a curse 😂 Let me get back home..
The Folklore of Being
That's way too long on this Earth.
Kristofferson Silverfox
aight nigga
Afzal Shaikh
Jarvis Cocker brilliantly cottoned onto the hollowness of Blair and New Labour before most!
G Yorkshire
@Barbara Hren Yeah, it would have been a disaster, look at Spain and Italy, they were destroyed by the crisis. Luckily Blair had no interest in it and we stayed out.