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From the Ritz to the Rubble
Arctic Monkeys Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, last night these two bouncers
And one of 'em's alright, the other one's the scary one
His way or no way, totalitarian
He's got no time for your looking or breathing
How he don't want you to, so step out the queue
He makes examples of you and there's nowt you can say
Behind they go through to the bit where you pay
And you realize then that it's finally the time
To walk back past ten-thousand eyes in the line
And you can swap jumpers and make another move
Instilled in your brain, you've got something to prove
To all the smirking faces and the boys in black
Why can't they be pleasant? Why can't they have a laugh?
He's got his hand in your chest, he wants to give you a duff
Well, secretly I think they want you all to kick off
They want arms flying everywhere and bottles as well
It's just something to talk about, a story to tell, yeah

Well, I'm so glad they turned us all away
We'll put it down to fate
I said a thousand million things
That I could never say this morning
Got too deep, but how deep is too deep?

Well, this town's a different town today
Said, this town's a different town to what it was last night
You couldn't have done that on a Sunday
And that girl's a different girl today
Said, that girl's a different girl to her you kissed last night
You couldn't have done that on a Sunday
Of course not

Well, I'm so glad they turned us all away
We'll put it down to fate
I thought a thousand million things
That I could never think this morning
Got too deep, but how deep is too deep?

Last night, what we talked about
It made so much sense
But now the haze has ascended
It don't make no sense anymore
Said, last night, what we talked about
It made so much sense
But now the haze has ascended
It don't make no sense anymore, oh

Da-da, da-da-da
Da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da-da
Da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da

Overall Meaning

The song "From the Ritz to the Rubble" by Arctic Monkeys is a commentary on the clubbing culture in the UK. The opening lines describe two bouncers at a club, one tough and the other lenient. The tough bouncer is portrayed as a totalitarian who wants things done his way or no way, and he doesn't want people to even look or breathe without his approval. He makes an example of people who don't follow his rules, and they have no defense. The lines that follow speak about the atmosphere inside the club. The club goers have to pay to get through the doors, and they know that they will be walking by ten-thousand eyes in the line outside as they leave the club later that night. The song describes the pressure that people feel to prove something to the "boys in black" and the "smirking faces."


The chorus talks about the aftermath of the night in the club, with the singer glad that they were turned away. The lyrics imply that something bad might have happened to them if they had been allowed to enter the club. The singer reflects on the events of the night and says that they thought of a thousand million things that they could never say or think again. The last verse talks about how the events of the night no longer make sense in the morning.


The song seems to be a commentary on the toxic and violent clubbing culture in the UK during the mid-2000s. The lyrics describe the paranoia and fear that people experience inside clubs, as well as the pressure to perform in front of others. The song suggests that the clubbing culture is dangerous and isolating, and that people might not remember or understand what happened after they leave.


Line by Line Meaning

Well, last night these two bouncers
The singer recounts his experience with two bouncers he encountered last night.


And one of 'em's alright, the other one's the scary one
One bouncer is bearable while the other is intimidating.


His way or no way, totalitarian
The menacing bouncer is adamant on doing things his way.


He's got no time for your looking or breathing
The bouncer doesn't tolerate loitering and staring in his establishment.


How he don't want you to, so step out the queue
The bouncer is picky about who he lets in, so the singer is instructed to leave the queue.


He makes examples of you and there's nowt you can say
The bouncer punishes those who defy him, and the singer is powerless to do anything about it.


Behind they go through to the bit where you pay
After passing through the bouncers, customers pay to enter the venue.


And you realize then that it's finally the time
At this point, the singer comes to the realization of the gravity of the situation.


To walk back past ten-thousand eyes in the line
The singer must face the judging gazes of the people in the lengthy queue as he goes back on his steps.


And you can swap jumpers and make another move
The singer is desperate to change his appearance in order to succeed in getting inside the venue.


Instilled in your brain, you've got something to prove
The experience has made the singer feel like he needs to prove himself to the bouncers and the people in the queue.


To all the smirking faces and the boys in black
The singer is disgusted by the unhelpful and grim-faced bouncers and staff.


Why can't they be pleasant? Why can't they have a laugh?
The singer is disappointed that the bouncers and staff are so serious and humorless.


He's got his hand in your chest, he wants to give you a duff
The intimidating bouncer is using physical force to prevent the singer from entering the venue.


Well, secretly I think they want you all to kick off
The singer believes that the bouncers want a confrontation with the patrons.


They want arms flying everywhere and bottles as well
The singer speculates that the bouncers are hoping for a physical altercation.


It's just something to talk about, a story to tell, yeah
In the end, the bouncer's intention may be just to create a spectacle to entertain the people in the venue.


Well, I'm so glad they turned us all away
The singer claims to be relieved that the bouncers prevented him from entering the venue.


We'll put it down to fate
The singer attributes his rejection to fate or destiny.


I said a thousand million things
The singer had a lot of things to say to the people inside the venue.


That I could never say this morning
He realizes now that it was better he didn't say what he had in mind.


Got too deep, but how deep is too deep?
The singer reflects on how much he was willing to risk and how far he was willing to go.


Well, this town's a different town today
The singer observes that the town is now seemingly different from last night.


Said, this town's a different town to what it was last night
He emphasizes that the change he noticed is profound.


You couldn't have done that on a Sunday
The singer implies that the events of last night wouldn't have happened on any other day of the week.


And that girl's a different girl today
The singer observes that even the girl he was with last night seems different now.


Said, that girl's a different girl to her you kissed last night
The change in the girl's demeanor is significant enough that the singer feels the need to point it out.


You couldn't have done that on a Sunday
The singer notes that it was unlikely that the girl's behavior towards him would have changed so drastically on a different day.


Well, I'm so glad they turned us all away
The singer reiterates that he's satisfied with how things turned out despite his initial frustration.


We'll put it down to fate
He still attributes his misfortune to fate or destiny.


I thought a thousand million things
The singer had a lot of thoughts running through his mind last night.


That I could never think this morning
He realizes now that those thoughts aren't as clearheaded in retrospect.


Got too deep, but how deep is too deep?
The singer wonders about the extent of his recklessness the night before.


Last night, what we talked about
The singer is starting to reminisce about the conversation he had with someone the night before.


It made so much sense
The discussion seemed to make perfect sense to him back then.


But now the haze has ascended
Now that he's sobered up, he sees things with more clarity.


It don't make no sense anymore
The singer realizes that the discussion he had doesn't make as much sense as it did the night before.


Said, last night, what we talked about
He repeats the fact that he was engrossed in the discussion yesterday.


It made so much sense
The argument seemed logical and sound to him when he was inebriated.


But now the haze has ascended
Now that the effects of the alcohol have worn off, he has a more lucid view of the matter.


It don't make no sense anymore, oh
The argument has lost all its coherence in the singer's clear-headed mind


Da-da, da-da-da
The song ends with an instrumental refrain.


Da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da-da
The instrumental refrain continues.


Da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
The instrumental refrain concludes.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alex Turner

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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pax


on 505

yo this is sick

robin


on When the Sun Goes Down

DAMNNN THEY ARE GOOD GOOD

robin


on Old Yellow Bricks

damn looking at these comments remind me that there is so many things to understand about the lyrics

Birgit Eierhoff


on Do I Wanna Know

The sound goes into the blood. :)

Jeannie Smith


on Do I Wanna Know

I like it.

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