There Goes a Tenner
Kate Bush Lyrics
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Okay, remember
That we have just allowed
Half an hour
To get in, do it, and get out
The sense of adventure
Is changing to danger
The signal has been given
I go in
The crime begins
My excitement
Turns into fright
All my words fade
What am I gonna say?
Mustn't give the game away
We're waiting
We're waiting
We're waiting
We got the job sussed
This shop's shut for business
The lookout has parked the car
But kept the engine running
Three beeps means trouble's coming
I hope you remember
To treat the gelignite tenderly for me
I'm having dreams about things
Not going right
Let's leave in plenty of time tonight
Both my partners
Act like actors
You are Bogart
He is George Raft
That leaves Cagney and me
(What about Edward G.?)
We're waiting
We're waiting
We're waiting
You blow the safe up
Then all I know is I wake up
Covered in rubble
One of the rabble needs mummy
(What's all this then?)
The government will never find the money
(What's all this then?)
I've been here all day
A star in strange ways
Apart from a photograph
They'll get nothing from me
Not until they let me see my solicitor
Oh, I remember
That rich, windy weather
When you would carry me
Pockets floating
In the breeze
Oh, there goes a tenner
Hey look! There's a fiver
There's a ten-shilling note
Remember them?
That's when we used to vote for him
Kate Bush's song "There Goes a Tenner" tells a story of a bank heist in vivid detail. The lyrics paint a picture of a heist about to take place as the criminals wait for their signal to start the robbery. The sense of excitement and danger fill the air as the singer prepares to enter the scene of the crime. However, as the activities unfold, the lyrics change and capture the tension and fear as the singer becomes aware of the risk involved in the heist's execution. The lyrics show how the character's feeling changes, and the excitement turns into fright. Her partner's behavior and the general turn of events can make her anxious.
The song provides a vivid imagery of the robbery as it progresses in stages; the lookout has parked the car, and the partners have acted out their roles clearly. The singer is aware that their actions could lead to a grave danger hence, the importance of preferring caution over the excitement that comes with crime. The song does not offer what transpires in the end, but the government is unlikely to find any money.
Line by Line Meaning
Okay, remember
Let's focus and not forget what we're doing
That we have just allowed
We've only given ourselves a limited amount of time
Half an hour
We only have 30 minutes to complete the task
To get in, do it, and get out
We need to enter, complete the task, and leave quickly
The sense of adventure
Initially, there was an excitement of doing the task
Is changing to danger
Now, the situation is becoming risky
The signal has been given
It's time to start
I go in
I'm entering the place we need to be
The crime begins
We're starting to commit the crime
My excitement
Initially, I was excited about doing the task
Turns into fright
Now, I'm afraid of the consequences of getting caught
All my words fade
I can't find the right words to say in this situation
What am I gonna say?
I'm unsure of what to say
Mustn't give the game away
I can't reveal what we're doing
We're waiting
We're waiting for something to happen
We got the job sussed
We've figured out how to complete the task
This shop's shut for business
The store is closed
The lookout has parked the car
The person keeping watch has parked the car
But kept the engine running
The car is still running in case we need to make a quick escape
Three beeps means trouble's coming
A signal of three beeps indicates that there's danger ahead
I hope you remember
I'm hoping you remember something important
To treat the gelignite tenderly for me
Handle the explosives with care
I'm having dreams about things
I'm having nightmares about things going wrong
Not going right
Things aren't going as planned
Let's leave in plenty of time tonight
We need to give ourselves enough time to escape tonight
Both my partners
The other people working with me
Act like actors
They're pretending to be someone else
You are Bogart
One of my partners is acting like Humphrey Bogart
He is George Raft
The other person is acting like George Raft
That leaves Cagney and me
The remaining person and I have to work together
We're waiting
We're still waiting
You blow the safe up
The task is completed when the safe is blown up
Then all I know is I wake up
The next thing I know, I wake up
Covered in rubble
There's debris all around me
One of the rabble needs mummy
Someone else involved in the crime is injured and needs help
The government will never find the money
We've gotten away with the crime, and the government won't find the stolen money
I've been here all day
I've been waiting around for a long time
A star in strange ways
I'm a celebrity in unusual circumstances
Apart from a photograph
There's no evidence of my involvement in the crime
They'll get nothing from me
I won't confess or reveal any information
Not until they let me see my solicitor
I won't say anything until I speak to my lawyer
Oh, I remember
I have a memory of something
That rich, windy weather
A memory of a specific type of weather
When you would carry me
When someone used to carry me
Pockets floating
The sensation of having pockets that feel like they're floating
In the breeze
Due to the wind outside
Oh, there goes a tenner
Referring to a £10 note that someone just spent or lost
Hey look! There's a fiver
Someone sees a £5 note
There's a ten-shilling note
Referring to a former currency denomination that is no longer in use
Remember them?
Asks the listener if they recall the former currency denomination
That's when we used to vote for him
Referring to a former political leader, and acknowledging a past political era
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KATE BUSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeroenfigee
I always play this album on my speakers.
Put SatInYourLap on, on my 'cans' and immediately identify that she used a whip
in the rhythm.
That reminded me that in an interview in a magazine I have
she told she wanted no hi-hats and no cymbals in this record. So they
really tried everything to replace them with samples and household stuff. :-)
The stereo image is great !
Love the acoustic bass in PullOutThePin.
Heavily use of stereo chorussen on her vocals :-)
The dreaming has that same: 'lets have fun with the stereo imaging'
same as the openings track.
'All the love' is a track that could have come straight of NeverForEver.
Loved listing to this on headphones. Great tip. :-)
ps - if I may. . . , I always enjoyed the stero image and mixes of Nik Kershaws;
The Riddle & Human Racing. Those are in the same league.
@McLarenMercedes
Well, time is perhaps the only fair way to judge a piece of work and The Dreaming has aged really well. Fact is it has been re-evaluated as one of Kate Bush's best work and it's included in the "1001 Albums You Have to Hear Before You Die" book I have and ranks 2nd behind Hounds of Love on BestEverAlbums - sort of an Imdb for artists and their albums.
Artists like Björk and Big Boi of Outkast include it in their list of favorite albums and I recall reading that other artists either used it as an inspiration or spent a lot of time listening to it back then.
Apparently EMI - who up until that point had let Kate had her way and pretty much granted her creative freedom - heard the finished album and refused to release it, urging her to rework it, include more "hit singles" and leave out some songs. Fortunately for us she refused to compromise her work which she had put a lot of effort in. Since she didn't have her own recording studio back then she needed a lot of time and money producing it and I can imagine her disappointment when they nearly vetoe'd it. You probably know all this.
Personally I think The Dreaming is her first truly good album and the one that established her as a serious artist, rather than just another pop princess that was popular. Too many people confuse quantity for quality. While Never For Ever was innovative in its use of the Fairlight Sampler its an uneven album which does sound dated in places, even for its time. Some songs sound more 1975 than 1980 - which is understandable since Kate was more inspired by musicians she listened to growing up rather than her contemporaries.
While most prefer Hounds of Love, I consider The Dreaming her best album. Why? Well, I love the B-side, i.e. "The Ninth Wave" but the A-side is a bit too overproduced and polished in my ears.
The Dreaming is edgy, raw, avantgarde, unfiltered and genuine. If it's done well I love such things. It touches your soul. It was a risky album for her but I believe it was a pivotal point or at least a crossroad in her career.
Since it was a clear departure to what she had released up until that point I can totally imagine that people thought she had lost her mind back then. It was not the Kate Bush they were used to.
Kate herself admits to having listened to The Dreaming in its entirity many years after it had been released and her older self found it an "angry album". I'd say "Yes, goddamit. You were an angry young woman and I love that. Anger is a very genuine and honest emotion. It's sincere. The ability to transform that into a great album is a rare gift."
While I love her later work I wish she had released a "The Dreaming 2" (whatever it would have been called) either a year after or during that time she had her 12 year hiatus. I understand this was what she had in mind had The Dreaming been a commercial and critical (they were polarized in 1982) success. Unfortunately it wasn't and she scratched that plan. That being said I believe some of that ended up in "The Ninth Wave" on Hounds of Love.
I believe she mellowed a bit too fast and by "Sensual World" that was obvious. Most likely she realized she was at an age "angry, young woman" wasn't the image she wanted to convey. Unlike certain other artists she doesn't try to act an age she isn't. Maybe she's a bit too self-conscious too.
As for "There Goes a Tenner". I first heard it in the summer of 2014, which btw was the time I started listening to her as an artist. I'm the "wrong generation" who grew up during her abscence from all media. There Goes a Tenner was one of my favorite tracks on The Dreaming that summer and I think it was the song I played the most from that album. Only later while reading up about it I learned that i had been a flop back in 1982 and even failed to chart at all. Bit of shock that was. In hindsight it makes sense. It's not single-material and I'm amazed Kate chose to release that one as a single in the first place. Perhaps because it's fairly short compared to the other tracks on the album.
This video here hold up well too considering it was made during the time not much money and time was used shooting them. If I know my music history correct I think that only the likes of Duran Duran used expensive 35mm film (used for big budget motion pictures) and hired proper film directors to direct them back in 1982,- which sort of was smack in the middle of this much maligned "the video sells the artist" era of MTV. If they only knew what they would see 30 years later...
Long story short: The Dreaming is one of the most overlooked and underrated albums ever. An acquired taste, yes, but for the connoisseur indispensable. Hope I didn't get too carried away. :)
@AtinyElring
Okay, remember
Okay, remember
That we have just allowed
Half an hour
To get in, do it, and get out
The sense of adventure
Is changing to danger
The signal has been given
I go in
The crime begins
My excitement
Turns into fright
All my words fade
What am I gonna say?
Mustn't give the game away
We're waiting
We're waiting
We're waiting
We got the job sussed
This shop's shut for business
The lookout has parked the car
But kept the engine running
Three beeps means trouble's coming
I hope you remember
To treat the gelignite tenderly for me
I'm having dreams about things
Not going right
Let's leave in plenty of time tonight
Both my partners
Act like actors
You are Bogart
He is George Raft
That leaves Cagney and me
(What about Edward G.?)
We're waiting
We're waiting
We're waiting
You blow the safe up
Then all I know is I wake up
Covered in rubble, one of the rabble
Needs mummy (what's all this then?)
The government will never find the money (what's all this then?)
I've been here all day
A star in strange ways
Apart from a photograph
They'll get nothing from me
Not until they let me see my solicitor
Oh, I remember
That rich, windy weather
When you would carry me
Pockets floating
In the breeze
Oh, there goes a tenner
Hey, look, there's a fiver
There's a ten-shilling note
Remember them?
That's when we used to vote for him
@PJBubbles
"The Dreaming" is definitely Kate's most experimental album..a sonically stunning (headphones!), quirky cornucopia of brilliance!
@jeroenfigee
Cool tip! I own the record for 20 years now and always played it on speakers.
@PJBubbles
@@jeroenfigee Trust me, it will be an aural treat!
@jeroenfigee
@@PJBubbles :-) yeah.. definitely with my sennheiser hd-580 !
@PJBubbles
@@jeroenfigee I think your ears will be pleased!
@jeroenfigee
I always play this album on my speakers.
Put SatInYourLap on, on my 'cans' and immediately identify that she used a whip
in the rhythm.
That reminded me that in an interview in a magazine I have
she told she wanted no hi-hats and no cymbals in this record. So they
really tried everything to replace them with samples and household stuff. :-)
The stereo image is great !
Love the acoustic bass in PullOutThePin.
Heavily use of stereo chorussen on her vocals :-)
The dreaming has that same: 'lets have fun with the stereo imaging'
same as the openings track.
'All the love' is a track that could have come straight of NeverForEver.
Loved listing to this on headphones. Great tip. :-)
ps - if I may. . . , I always enjoyed the stero image and mixes of Nik Kershaws;
The Riddle & Human Racing. Those are in the same league.
@ismael3369
She is so theatrical, its like every song of her is a full act, every single song feels like she is a New character with a story of its own
@albro666
Especially army dreamers
@valegae854
@@albro666 ❤
@valegae854
♥️