Perfect Skin
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
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I'm up on the pavement, they're all down in the cellar
With their government grants and my I.Q.
They brought me down to size, academia blues
Louise is a girl, I know her well
She's up on the pavement, yes she's a weather girl
And I'm staying up here so I may be undone
She's inappropriate, but then she's much more fun and
When she smiles my way
My eyes go out in vain
She's got perfect skin
Shame on you, you've got no sense of grace, shame on me
Ah just in case I might come to a conclusion
Other than that which is absolutely necessary
And that's perfect skin
Louise is the girl with the perfect skin
She says turn on the light, otherwise it can't be seen
She's got cheekbones like geometry and eyes like sin
And she's sexually enlightened by cosmopolitan and
When she smiles my way
My eyes go out in vain
For her perfect skin
Yeah that's perfect skin
She takes me down to the basement to look at her slides
Of her family life, pretty weird at times
At the age of ten she looked like greta garbo
And I loved her then, but how was she to know that
When she smiles my way
My eyes go out in vain
She's got perfect skin
Up eight flights of stairs to her basement flat
Pretty confused huh, being shipped around like that
Seems we climbed so high now we're down so low
Strikes me the moral of this song must be there never has been one
In Lloyd Cole's song, "Perfect Skin", he opens by stating that he is very picky with whom he associates himself with. He is an intellectual and his friends, who are all below where he thinks they should be, are lower class and have no government grants. He feels discounted by his IQ and "academic blues" are creeping in. His attraction to Louise seems to be a rebellion. She is a 'weather girl' on TV and even though she is considered sexually provocative, he prefers her to his intellectual companions. Her perfect skin is a distant, stark contrast to the academia blues he feels.
Louise is an enigma. She requests him to turn on the light so she can be seen better. She has arch-shaped cheekbones that correspond with geometry and eyes that feel like sin. She's cosmopolitan and her comprehensive knowledge of human sexual behavior opened his eyes. She takes him down to her basement to show him slides of her bizarre family history. She resembled Greta Garbo at the age of ten and he loved her even then.
This song seems to be about a man who is bored with his current status in life and wants to find some excitement elsewhere. He does this by finding a woman outside of his intellectual circle, in Louise, who intrigues him with her perfect skin, sexual openness, and unusual family history. The song may also be understood as a warning about the dangers of conformity and the advantages of breaking out of one's comfort zone.
Line by Line Meaning
I choose my friends only far too well
I am highly selective about the people I associate myself with
I'm up on the pavement, they're all down in the cellar
My friends are not as successful as I am
With their government grants and my I.Q.
My friends are not as intelligent as I am
They brought me down to size, academia blues
My friends have a way of making me feel insecure about my intelligence
Louise is a girl, I know her well
I am familiar with a girl named Louise
She's up on the pavement, yes she's a weather girl
Louise is a successful weather girl
And I'm staying up here so I may be undone
I am staying at a distance to avoid falling for her
She's inappropriate, but then she's much more fun
She may be inappropriate, but she is more enjoyable to be around than my other friends
And when she smiles my way
When she smiles in my direction
My eyes go out in vain
I become infatuated with her looks
She's got perfect skin
Louise possesses attractive, flawless skin
Shame on you, you've got no sense of grace, shame on me
You lack grace, and I am ashamed for being attracted to you
Ah just in case I might come to a conclusion
I am not sure how I feel about her
Other than that which is absolutely necessary
I only want to think about what is necessary to avoid falling for her
And that's perfect skin
I cannot stop thinking about her attractive skin
She says turn on the light, otherwise it can't be seen
Louise asks me to turn on the light to appreciate her beauty
She's got cheekbones like geometry and eyes like sin
Louise's cheekbones are striking, and her eyes are mesmerizingly alluring
And she's sexually enlightened by cosmopolitan
She has a cosmopolitan view on sex
And when she smiles my way
When she smiles in my direction
My eyes go out in vain
I become infatuated with her looks
For her perfect skin
I cannot stop thinking about her attractive skin
She takes me down to the basement to look at her slides
Louise shows me slide photographs of her family in her basement
Of her family life, pretty weird at times
The slide photos of her family can be strange
At the age of ten she looked like greta garbo
Louise resembled Greta Garbo at age ten
And I loved her then, but how was she to know that
I was in love with Louise as a child, but she never knew
Up eight flights of stairs to her basement flat
Louise's basement flat is located eight floors above ground level
Pretty confused huh, being shipped around like that
Louise may have experienced confusion being moved around so often
Seems we climbed so high now we're down so low
It appears that we have fallen from a high place
Strikes me the moral of this song must be there never has been one
It seems that this song lacks a moral
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LLOYD COLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexanderwietstock934
I choose my friends only far too well
I'm up on the pavement
They're all down in the cellar
With their government grants and my IQ
They brought me down to size
Academia blues
Louise is a girl
I know her well
She's up on the pavement
Yes, she's a weather girl
And I'm staying up here so I may be undone
She's inappropriate but then she's much more fun and
When she smiles my wayÂ
My eyes go out in vain
She's got perfect skin
Shame on you, got no sense of grace
Shame on me
Just in case I mightÂ
Come to a conclusion other than that which is absolutely necessary
And that's perfect skin
Louise is the girl with the perfect skin
She says, "Turn on the light otherwise it can't be seen"
She's got cheekbones like geometry and eyes like sin
And she's sexually enlightened by Cosmopolitan and
When she smiles my wayÂ
My eyes go out in vain
For her perfect skin
Yeah, that's perfect skin
She takes me down to the basement
To look at her slides
Of her family life
Pretty weird at times
At the age of ten she looked like Greta Garbo and I loved her then
But how was she to know that
When she smiles my way
My eyes go out in vain
She's got perfect skin
Up eight flights of stairs to her basement flat
Pretty confused, huh?
Being shipped around like that
Seems to climb so high
Now we're down so low
Strikes me the moral of the song
Must be: there never has been one
@davidhoogendyke2774
Great song from a fantastic music era...so much creativity and diversity...we who grew up in, or lived through this time were witness to some of the best music ever written and performed.
@eddiesimpson209
It's 2018, and I'm now 70, but I still love this....Fantastic memories.
@apierge
I'm 51 but with this it's like I am 19 again.
@Global00Vintage
40, and this feels like being 21 and driving across Texas. What a feeling...
@rhayader0625
Almost 58, and I still remember exactly where I was when I first heard this song on my car radio. It was the early 90's in California, so I was a bit late to the party. Bought the album the next day. Never knew they were an 80's band.
@petermckee1061
Eddie it's 2019 and I'm 70. Everything you said!
@ciaranosullivan9352
I was 17 when this was released and it got some radio play
I bought the Rattlesnakes album soon after
@BritishRail60062
This song never gets old. I would listen to this forever ;).
@dennisprice7244
I like the DB Class 60 profile? Oh and the Perfect Skin song!
@BritishRail60062
@dennis price Thanks buddy.