There are people going hungry far away
They've got nothing on their plates
And you're filling your fat face
With every different kind of cake

If you ever go lardy, or go lame
I will drop you straight away
Oh that's the chance you're gonna take
For every stupid thing you say

There are people going lonely, and they'll stay
Lonely far into the year
Cause you're making blinkers fashionable
And fashionably you'll say,

"All is equal in love and war"
And I'm sorry, but I've got some things to do
And you pretend to read a book
You'll never finish till the day

That the author dedicated
To a century of fakers
They took your mold and they burned it
On the fire in history today

Yeah the author dedicated
To a century of fakers
He was an anarchist
He tried his best but it wasn't good enough

La la la la la

Did I say I would see you soon? Well I'm sorry
But I just came off my bike
And my face is scarred
And chance has barred me seeing you tonight

I was over the other side of the city
And if the truth be known I'd say
That you look great from there
Before you shaved your golden hair today

Everybody's trying to make us
Another century of fakers
They took you mold and burned it
On the fire of history today

Everybody's trying to make us
Another cool decade of fakers

And everybody's trying to make us
Another century of fakers
Everybody's trying to make us
Another century of fakers

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "A Century of Fakers" by Belle and Sebastian are a commentary on modern society and the prevalence of superficiality, injustice, and inequality. The opening lines describe the contrast between those who have nothing to eat and those who indulge in all types of food without concern for others. The second verse points to the loneliness and isolation experienced by many, while others are blinded by their own narrow-mindedness and biases.

The chorus, "All is equal in love and war," is a common phrase, but here it is used ironically. The singer acknowledges that there are serious problems in the world that cannot be solved by such simplistic, superficial thinking. The lines about pretending to read a book suggest that many people engage in activities just to seem intelligent, cultured, or interesting, without really engaging with the material or the world around them.

The final verse is a wistful reflection on missed opportunities and the difficulty of connecting with others in a world that values image over substance. The repetition of the phrase "century of fakers" underscores the idea that society is not living up to its potential, and that we must aim for something better.

Line by Line Meaning

There are people going hungry far away
People are starving in other parts of the world

They've got nothing on their plates
They don't have any food to eat

And you're filling your fat face
You are indulging in eating excessively

With every different kind of cake
You are eating various types of cake

If you ever go lardy, or go lame
If you become lazy or unfit

I will drop you straight away
I will end the relationship immediately

Oh that's the chance you're gonna take
You take the risk of losing me

For every stupid thing you say
For everything foolish you say

There are people going lonely, and they'll stay
Some are experiencing loneliness and will endure it

Lonely far into the year
For a long period of time

Cause you're making blinkers fashionable
Creating obliviousness is made to appear fashionable

And fashionably you'll say,
You will say in style that,

"All is equal in love and war"
"Anything goes in love and war"

And I'm sorry, but I've got some things to do
I regret it, but I have other activities I must attend to

And you pretend to read a book
You feign reading a book

You'll never finish till the day
You will never finish reading it till the end of your day

That the author dedicated
The day when the writer dedicated

To a century of fakers
To the deceivers of the century

They took your mold and they burned it
They removed your originality and discarded it

On the fire in history today
It has been forgotten with time

Yeah the author dedicated
Certainly, the writer dedicated

To a century of fakers
To the liars of the century

He was an anarchist
He was against the government

He tried his best but it wasn't good enough
He gave it his all, but it wasn't sufficient

Did I say I would see you soon? Well I'm sorry
Did I promise to see you soon? I apologize

But I just came off my bike
I just fell off my bicycle

And my face is scarred
My face is injured

And chance has barred me seeing you tonight
I can't meet you tonight due to unforeseen circumstances

I was over the other side of the city
I was on the opposite side of the city

And if the truth be known I'd say
Honestly, I would say

That you look great from there
You appear attractive from that perspective

Before you shaved your golden hair today
Before you cut off your blond hair today

Everybody's trying to make us
Everyone is attempting to coerce us to be

Another century of fakers
More deceitful like those of the previous century

And everybody's trying to make us
Everyone is attempting to coerce us

Another cool decade of fakers
Another decade of deception, appearing appealing

And everybody's trying to make us
Everyone is attempting to coerce us

Another century of fakers
More deceitful like those of the previous century

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER GEDDES, ISOBEL CAMPBELL, MICHAEL COOKE, RICHARD COLBURN, SARAH MARTIN, STEPHEN JACKSON, STUART MURDOCH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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