English Boys
Blondie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It had those English boys who had long hair.
When I was on my own they moved into my town,
And I just called 'em up and they'd be there.
In 1969 I had a lousy time.
I listened to the songs, read letters sent from Nam.
Now peace and love were gone, the tired soldiers home.
Ideal society gunned down the seventies.
Does it feel the same to you?
Why do you act the way you do?
Pack it up or pack it in.
There's no excuse.
Could the hands of time reverse?
Would we wake or take the ride
And again speak with one voice?
We knew each other well although we never met.
Messages passed to tell equal respect.
Coincidence recurred.
I had to laugh a lot.
One week hung up superb, said maybe not.
Blondie’s song English Boys talks about Debbie Harry's love for the British rock stars and her admiration for the long hair styles that they donned. The song talks about the influence of these boys in her life and how she felt connected to them despite not meeting them in real life. The lyrics take us through her experience of being a teenager in the late 60s and how she sought refuge in the music and the ideals of the time. As the world moved into the 70s, Debbie Harry saw the end of an era, of the ideas of peace and love that the 60s stood for.
The song is also a call to action for people to move away from their apathy and take a stand. The lyrics urge people to either take action or give up on their ideals altogether. The song asks the listeners if they feel the same as they did about the ideals they once held so dear. Through the lines, "Would we wake or take the ride? And again speak with one voice?", Debbie Harry provokes people to come together and speak out as one collective force.
The song also touches upon chance occurrences and coincidences that have led to certain events in life. Through her own experiences, Debbie Harry shows us the power of connections made without actually meeting the other person, and how these connections can sometimes have a profound impact on us.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was seventeen I saw a magazine.
At age seventeen, I came across a magazine containing pictures of English boys who had long hair.
It had those English boys who had long hair.
The magazine featured English boys with lengthy locks of hair.
When I was on my own they moved into my town,
When I became independent, these English boys relocated to my town.
And I just called 'em up and they'd be there.
All I had to do was call them and they would show up.
In 1969 I had a lousy time.
My experiences in 1969 were terrible.
I listened to the songs, read letters sent from Nam.
I spent time listening to music and reading letters sent from those serving in the Vietnam War.
Now peace and love were gone, the tired soldiers home.
The peace and love of the past was gone, and the battle-weary soldiers had returned home.
Ideal society gunned down the seventies.
The ideals of society were responsible for destroying the 70s.
Does it feel the same to you?
Do you feel that way as well?
Why do you act the way you do?
What is the reason behind your behavior?
Pack it up or pack it in.
Get it together or get out.
There's no excuse.
There are no justifications.
Could the hands of time reverse?
Is it possible to go back in time?
Would we wake or take the ride
If we could go back in time, would we choose to live our lives differently?
And again speak with one voice?
Would we be in harmony and speak with a united voice?
We knew each other well although we never met.
We were familiar with each other despite never meeting in person.
Messages passed to tell equal respect.
We conveyed messages that demonstrated mutual respect for one another.
Coincidence recurred.
Coincidences kept happening.
I had to laugh a lot.
I found myself chuckling continuously.
One week hung up superb, said maybe not.
One week was an excellent experience, but the next week was not as great.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS STEIN, DEBORAH HARRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rozz Rinreichon Shaiza
When I was seventeen I saw a magazine.
It had those English boys who had long hair.
When I was on my own they moved into my town,
And I just called 'em up and they'd be there.
In 1969 I had a lousy time.
I listened to the songs, read letters sent from Nam.
Now peace and love were gone, the tired soldiers home.
Ideal society gunned down the seventies.
Does it feel the same to you?
Why do you act the way you do?
Pack it up or pack it in.
There's no excuse.
Could the hands of time reverse?
Would we wake or take the ride
And again speak with one voice?
We knew each other well although we never met.
Messages passed to tell equal respect.
Coincidence recurred.
I had to laugh a lot.
One week hung up superb, said maybe not.
NotATube
As jas22 says, there are two sides to every story, and I wouldn't trust the remaining band members' side to be anything other than partisan.
I say this having seen a documentary on Blondie around the time of their reformation that essentially whitewashed Nigel Harrison and Frank Infante out of their history. As in, IIRC, they weren't even mentioned at all- not even in passing- the only clue to their existence being inevitable (and unacknowledged) brief appearances in the background of archive clips.
I remember this because it became increasingly jarring as I watched. I wasn't even aware of the bad blood between them at the time, and even then it was obvious they were attempting to rewrite things to suit themselves in an officially-sanctioned documentary and that there was only one explanation for a would-be Stalinist purge.
Regardless of who was in the right or wrong, I lost way more respect for Harry et al than I'd even have done if they'd mentioned them in disrespectful passing, a simple acknowledgement that they were former members they were (or had been) in dispute with.
FWIW, Debbie Harry doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would be particularly tolerant of anyone who got on the wrong side of her. Don't know whether that applies to the other band members as I don't know enough about them.
NotATube
First impressions; this is terrible. (#) Debbie Harry comes across as if she's barely even pretending (or able) to go through the motions here. Not the "too cool for school" or "ice queen" detachment she sometimes projected earlier on, but someone who genuinely doesn't want to be there standing in front of a karaoke video set on the first (and only) take.
The fact that three quarters of this ridiculously cheap and limited video (even by 1982 standards) is a static closeup that won't let her out of its glare doesn't exactly help hide that. Not that its one other shot (##) of the band adds anything at all to it.
Kind of ironic when a lot of their earlier videos were anything but static, cheap and lifeless that around the time everyone else was improving theirs, they were reduced to this.
(#) I'm judging the video here, but I'm not impressed by the song either. I'm more inclined to at least entertain the possibility that it might grow on me, though.
(##) Did they film it at the same time or move the karaoke camera back a bit so they could fit the band in then do a second take? We may never care...
cocteautwinned
There were a few songs by Blondie that pushed even their own boundaries. I think this is one. They were so much more than 'just another rock band'. They completely shaped and molded a generation. Their ripple will be felt in the music world forever. Legend.
TheSomberJester
This song has a VERY SPECIAL place in my heart.... When I was 21, I drove my Daddy and my Mama, along with my oldest sister to Duke University in North Carolina. Daddy was going to have treatment for his cancer, and I was listening to "The Hunter". This was the song I listened to before going out the door and making that journey.... I still remember as if it was yesterday, instead of being 15 years ago.
Bill Tedesco
I admire their professionalism. Everything was falling apart. And yet they managed an under-rated last album, and personal, troubling times. I will always be impressed and awed by their ability to "Blondiesize" different styles of music. Of course I'm in my 50's and now understand things I couldn't before. They were/are ahead of their time. This is just this old man's opinion. much love.
Tim Daniel
Well said!
Roy R
How this band never received a Grammy is one of the music mysteries of our time. Legends, well said
Ahasverus92
Last album? Their last(est) album is two months old, and kicks all kinds of as tbh.
A_Wise_Young_Man
The album wasn't underrated, it was shit.
stu wilks
"We knew each other well, although we never met, messages passed to tell, equal respect" One of Debbie's great lines!
Jamie Robe
Her voice is so pure here. I loved Blondie for a long time, but never really listened to this one before now. Well done. What a band.
stu wilks
This song contains one of Debbie's best quotes!
"We knew each other well although we never met,
messages passed to tell, equal respect."