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.
I Work In A Saloon
Arab Strap Lyrics
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Pulling shit pints for shit wages.
It's a busy night tonight
And the bar is full
Of all the girls I've ever shagged,
Or tampered with, or kissed,
Or even just fancied.
A pub full of conquests, knockbacks.
Through the gap between the swing doors and floor,
I see your feet.
You push open the doors and walk in and
As always all heads turn.
And the room becomes silent,
except for the sound of your DM's scuffing on the floor.
You stroll through the jealous gazes straight to the bar,
Smile, and ask me for some exotic cocktail
But I don't know how to make it.
So you just shrug, smile again, turn around and leave.
I pull another pint.
In "I work in a Saloon," Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat sings about his mundane job as a bartender. He describes the busy night, filled with all the women he's had relationships with in the past, all coming together in one pub. The bar is filled with the noise of people talking, laughing, and his name being called. Through the gaps of the swinging doors, he sees the feet of a woman he recognizes. As she walks in, the room falls silent, and everyone watches her as she approaches the bar. She orders a cocktail, which he doesn't know how to make, and she leaves without a fuss. The song, blending cynicism and humor, comments on the complexities of past relationships, and the feelings that resurface when people see each other again. The singer doesn't know how to make the woman's desired cocktail, possibly representing his inability to connect with her the way he wants.
Line by Line Meaning
I work in a saloon,
I am employed at a pub,
Pulling shit pints for shit wages.
I serve low quality beer for little pay,
It's a busy night tonight
The bar is currently crowded with customers,
And the bar is full
The pub is at capacity,
Of all the girls I've ever shagged,
The audience consists of women I've slept with,
Or tampered with, or kissed,
Or women I've attempted to court or engage with in varying capacities,
Or even just fancied.
Or women I've simply found attractive in the past,
A pub full of conquests, knockbacks.
This pub is full of both my successful and unsuccessful romantic endeavors and interactions,
Between the laughter I can hear my name and then,
Amidst the pub's general noise and revelry, I faintly detect my name being called,
Through the gap between the swing doors and floor,
I see through the narrow opening between the moving pub doors and floor,
I see your feet.
I spot your shoes or feet,
You push open the doors and walk in and
You enter the pub after pushing apart the encircling doors,
As always all heads turn.
As usual, all attention is redirected toward you,
And the room becomes silent,
The room falls to a hush,
except for the sound of your DM's scuffing on the floor.
Other than the small sound of your shoes scraping against the pub's flooring,
You stroll through the jealous gazes straight to the bar,
You confidently meander through spiteful, envious stares and approach the bar counter,
Smile, and ask me for some exotic cocktail
You grin and request an unfamiliar, unique alcoholic beverage from me,
But I don't know how to make it.
However, I am clueless regarding how to mix your desired drink,
So you just shrug, smile again, turn around and leave.
You respond to my lack of cocktail knowledge with a relaxed shoulder raise, another smile, and eventually turn away and exit the pub,
I pull another pint.
Afterwards, I simply pour another beer,
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aidan Moffat, Malcolm Middleton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind