Vocalist Aidan Moffat and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Middleton met in Falkirk, bonded over their mutual love for Drag City recording artists such as Smog and Will Oldham, and began a collaboration in 1995. The band is completed by violinist Jenny Reeve and cellist Stacey Sievewright. Arab Strap's marked characteristics include frank and forthright lyrics delivered in a Scottish brogue.
Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton confirmed the rumours about the end of Arab Strap on 8th September 2006. They celebrated their Ten Years of Tears with a tour through the UK and the rest of Europe. After UK/Europe, they made a short secret tour in Japan as the last of Arab Strap. In 2016, however, they have reunited a decade after their breakup and will be touring throughout the year 2017.
Gilded
Arab Strap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
cos you're playing with a plumber,
with his own place and a car. I don't care,
I'm gonna be a pop star.
Well he can take you for a ride
and he can buy you gifts and flowers.
I'm sure he's got a nicer body then me
and maybe he can fuck go for hours and hours.
After sell-out tours and a string of hits And I'm snorting cocaine off a supermodel's tits.
My life is going my way.
I saw you in the pub today.
And you look so ugly now.
Since you turned into a shallow disco cow.
You're no longer my gilded shackle.
So I don't have to listen to your fucking cackle.
I couldn't give a toss what you do.
And by the way, have you found out I was two-timing you?
The song "Gilded" by Arab Strap is a bittersweet, revealing track about a tumultuous relationship and the singer's desire for fame and success. The lyrics center around a summer where the singer is "free again" because his partner is now spending time with a plumber who has his own place and a car. Despite this, the singer is determined to become a pop star, believing that success will finally bring him happiness and the ability to leave behind his troubled past and relationships. The lyrics reveal his jealousy towards the plumber, who can buy gifts and flowers for his partner, and his confidence that he can better satisfy his partner sexually.
The lyrics take a turn when the singer imagines where he will be when his dreams come true. He envisions himself on the cover of the NME, snorting cocaine off a supermodel's tits, reveling in his success. He then contrasts this with the present moment when he sees his former partner in the pub and realizes how much she has changed. She is no longer the "gilded shackle" he once saw her as, and he no longer has to endure her "fucking cackle". He ends the song with a final dig, letting her know that he no longer cares about her and revealing that he had been two-timing her all along.
The lyrics of "Gilded" reveal the complex emotions and desires of the singer, who sees fame and success as a way out of his current situation and relationships. The song's message is ultimately a cautionary one, warning listeners about the emptiness of fleeting pleasures and the importance of authentic connections and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I was free again that summer
I experienced freedom during that summer
cos you're playing with a plumber,
because you're involved with a man who works as a plumber
with his own place and a car. I don't care,
despite his assets, his lifestyle does not concern me
I'm gonna be a pop star.
I aim to become a popular musician
Well he can take you for a ride
He can impress you or take you out for trips
and he can buy you gifts and flowers.
He can shower you with presents and flowers
I'm sure he's got a nicer body than me
I acknowledge that his physical appearance surpasses mine
and maybe he can fuck go for hours and hours.
He may be capable of engaging in prolonged sexual acts
But I wonder where you and him might be when you see me on the cover of the NME.
I ponder on what you and he may be doing when my face is gracing the cover of the popular music magazine NME
After sell-out tours and a string of hits,
Following several successful tours and numerous hit songs,
And I'm snorting cocaine off a supermodel's tits.
I will indulge in drugs while in the company of a supermodel
My life is going my way.
Things are going according to plan in my life
I saw you in the pub today.
I noticed your presence while I was in a pub earlier
And you look so ugly now.
Observing your present looks, I find you unattractive
Since you turned into a shallow disco cow.
You've transformed into a shallow, party-loving individual
You're no longer my gilded shackle.
You're no longer my attractive but enslaving companion
So I don't have to listen to your fucking cackle.
I'm no longer obliged to tolerate your fake or irritating laughter
I couldn't give a toss what you do.
I don't care about your actions or decisions
And by the way, have you found out I was two-timing you?
By the way, have you discovered that I was dating someone else while seeing you?
Contributed by Jasmine K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.