Paint Work
The Fall Lyrics
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Two high ones, two low ones, yeah
Right man
Man stopped us at corner
He had a bloody nose
And then he opened his denim jacket
It was under his vest made out of tracing paper
Chest scars portrayed Aztec life in his horrible...
...formation really late. Main sequence stars were no good for making carbon in this way. Red giant stars...
...[surplayed].
Disfigured in a lady, tedious
Was over accountant's and on business
Then I woke up and I decided to recommence my diary
Then I read Paula Yates on vision cokeheads
Then I found out we were not going to Italy
Later Mam said 'Those continentals are little monkeys'
And yesterday we has liver and sausage over
And sometimes they say 'Hey Mark you're spoiling all the paintwork'
And sometimes they say 'Your thumbprints are on the paintwork'
Distractors, post-doctors behind come in
Dressed in suits, grow talons
Everyone clenched plaits horror
And sometimes they say...
And sometimes I feel like saying
This is bloody Newark
Or some drive-in slap place
In Breda and in Cologne
With the shirt [on/off]
Sun in vicinity
As if I hadn't done 10 month's service
In the USA
On media guts
[It circles is] where I start
And sometimes they say...
And I think
If I'd wanted to live in Holland
And if I'd wanted to be lived in
I'd have packed up and pissed off
When I was 16
A [Swiss good ass/as/at] this lousy business
Was the last thing I was ever imagining
Hey Mark, why can't I live in England?
[The end of shoes, all warehouse shoe/you've got
Cheap new one, the target is too yahoo
And take over all the desparate
I'll take over discussion and
....humanely regular colours over...
...engineered oxidate zeppelin
Old world style, old man only juke box caught
All power jets on....spectacular facets]
And sometimes they say....
Hey, you're fucking up the paintwork
What is this thing they're so hard-assed about?
I thought I lived in England
The Fall's song Paint Work is a stream-of-consciousness lyrical masterpiece that weaves together seemingly unrelated thoughts and images in the mind of the lyricist, Mark E. Smith. The opening lines describe going around some objects twice - two high ones and two low ones - without any clear indication of what they might be. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the imagery becomes more disjointed and surreal from there.
The next verse describes a man with a bloody nose who opens his jacket to reveal a vest made of tracing paper, with chest scars that portray Aztec life in a "horrible... formation." This bizarre image is then followed by a reference to carbon being made in red giant stars, suggesting a connection between the man and the cosmos. The next few lines jump back and forth between various disconnected ideas, including Paula Yates' drug use and Mark's own disappointment about not being able to go to Italy.
Line by Line Meaning
We go two, twice all the way round those things
We went around those things twice, both high and low.
Two high ones, two low ones, yeah
There were two distinctive levels of those things.
Right man
Expressing agreement and understanding of what was happening outside.
Man stopped us at corner
A man stopped us while we were at the corner.
He had a bloody nose
The man had blood around his nose.
And then he opened his denim jacket
He revealed what was hidden beneath his denim jacket.
It was under his vest made out of tracing paper
The garment beneath his jacket was made of tracing paper and easily accessible.
Chest scars portrayed Aztec life in his horrible...
The scars on his chest illustrated an unpleasant Aztec life.
...formation really late. Main sequence stars were no good for making carbon in this way. Red giant stars...
There was something that happened late in the formation process which was not good for producing carbon. Red giant starts were involved.
...[surplayed].
Not clear, but perhaps referring to something being exaggerated or overly expressed.
Disfigured in a lady, tedious
The lady was unpleasantly disfigured and the experience was tiresome.
Was over accountant's and on business
It was occurring in the area of accountancy and business.
Then I woke up and I decided to recommence my diary
He woke up and started writing in his diary again.
Then I read Paula Yates on vision cokeheads
He read about Paula Yates' thoughts on those who use vision cokeheads.
Then I found out we were not going to Italy
He discovered that they would not be going to Italy.
Later Mam said 'Those continentals are little monkeys'
Later his mother made a derogatory comment about he continentals.
And yesterday we has liver and sausage over
They had liver and sausage yesterday.
And sometimes they say 'Hey Mark you're spoiling all the paintwork'
Sometimes people tell Mark that he is damaging the paintwork.
And sometimes they say 'Your thumbprints are on the paintwork'
Other times people tell Mark that he has left thumbprints on the paintwork.
Distractors, post-doctors behind come in
There were distractors and post-doctors coming from behind.
Dressed in suits, grow talons
They were dressed in suits and had talon-like features.
Everyone clenched plaits horror
Everyone was horrified and had tightened braids.
And sometimes they say...
Repeating the occurrence of people telling Mark things.
And sometimes I feel like saying
Mark has feelings and opinions that he wishes to express.
This is bloody Newark
Mark makes a sarcastic comment about being in Newark.
Or some drive-in slap place
He could be in a cheap drive-in establishment.
In Breda and in Cologne
Alternatively, he could be in Breda or Cologne.
With the shirt [on/off]
Not clear, a shirt can be on or off.
Sun in vicinity
The sun is nearby.
As if I hadn't done 10 months service in the USA on media guts
Mark is reflecting back as if he had not served 10 months in the USA, working in media and being exposed to certain things.
[It circles is] where I start
Not quite clear, perhaps he is saying he starts within certain limits.
And sometimes they say...
Repeating once again the occurrence of people telling Mark things.
And I think
Mark has more thoughts to express.
If I'd wanted to live in Holland
Mark is reflecting back and thinking about living somewhere else.
And if I'd wanted to be lived in
Continuing on this train of thought, if he wanted to be somewhere where people live.
I'd have packed up and pissed off
He would have left and gone somewhere else.
When I was 16
This way of thinking goes back a long while, perhaps to when he was 16.
A [Swiss good ass/as/at] this lousy business
Not sure of the meaning here, as these words used do not have any obvious contraction of a common phrase.
Was the last thing I was ever imagining
The idea of being involved in that kind of business was not something he had imagined.
Hey Mark, why can't I live in England?
Someone asks Mark why they cannot live in England.
[The end of shoes, all warehouse shoe/you've got
The meaning of these words is not obvious or clear.
Cheap new one, the target is too yahoo
Perhaps cheap new shoes are what's being talked about, with the target audience being 'yahoo'.
And take over all the desperate
He wants to take control of desperate situations.
I'll take over discussion and...humanely regular colours over...
Mark plans to take over discussions and bring everything back to regular, humane colors.
...engineered oxidate zeppelin
These words do not have an immediately apparent meaning.
Old world style, old man only juke box caught
Maybe referring to a classic, old-fashioned jukebox.
All power jets on....spectacular facets
Not clear, but perhaps referencing something powerful and impressive.
And sometimes they say....
Repeating one more time the occurrence of people telling Mark things.
Hey, you're fucking up the paintwork
People are upset with Mark over damage he is causing to the paintwork.
What is this thing they're so hard-assed about?
Mark questions what everyone is so fixated on regarding the paintwork.
Contributed by Lincoln J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.