If You Were There Beware
Arctic Monkeys Lyrics

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If you were there, beware the serpent soul pinchers
Three-hundred and fifty "No, thank you"s and nobody flinches
Go on, girl, go on, give us something gruesome
We require your grief, the thugs help the thieves
As they're trying to rob the words from her gob and
Take the source of the innocence

If you were there, beware the serpent soul pinchers

Can't you sense she was never meant to fill column inches
Ain't you had enough? What you're trying to dig up
Isn't there to be dug, the thieves help the thugs
As they're trying to beat the good grace of a sweetheart
Out to the point she'll comply

And why leave her on her own?
If I'd have known then I wouldn't have said it
I wouldn't have said it if I would have known
Why leave her on her own?
If I predicted tears then I wouldn't have said it
I wouldn't have said it if I would have known

There's a circle of witches, ambitiously vicious they are
Our attempts to remind them of reason won't get us that far
But I don't know what it is that they want
I don't know what it is that they want

But I haven't got it to give
And she hasn't got it to give

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "If You Were There, Beware" by Arctic Monkeys can be interpreted as a commentary on the media's treatment of celebrities and how people's fascination with gossip and scandal can lead to the exploitation of those in the public eye. The "serpent soul pinchers" mentioned in the opening lines seem to refer to the media and paparazzi who are depicted as ruthless and unfeeling, seeking out scandalous stories and profiting from the pain of others. The lines "Go on, girl, go on, give us something gruesome / We require your grief" suggest that the media and those who consume their output are almost addicted to tragedy and drama.

The song also seems to criticize the way that women are often objectified and used for entertainment value, as seen in the lines "The thugs help the thieves / As they're trying to rob the words from her gob and / Take the source of the innocence". The singer of the song is pleading for empathy and understanding, asking why she is being left alone and begging for people to see her as a human being rather than a commodity to be exploited.

The closing lines of the song offer a bleak perspective on the situation, with the circle of witches representing the media and those who profit from scandal being described as "ambitiously vicious". The singer doesn't know what these people want and feels powerless to give it to them, and the final lines spoken by the singer and the singer suggest a feeling of hopelessness and dissatisfaction with the state of the world.

Line by Line Meaning

If you were there, beware the serpent soul pinchers
Be cautious of those who twist your soul with malicious intent

Three-hundred and fifty 'No, thank you's and nobody flinches
Repeated rejections go unnoticed in a place where people are used to it

Go on, girl, go on, give us something gruesome
Society craves negative news and traumatic events to feel alive

We require your grief, the thugs help the thieves
Shady characters work together to extract information from innocent victims

As they're trying to rob the words from her gob and
As they attempt to take away her voice and silence her

Take the source of the innocence
Strip away the purity and goodness from those who hold it

Can't you sense she was never meant to fill column inches
Some people are not meant to be in the spotlight or face scrutiny

Ain't you had enough? What you're trying to dig up
Stop prying into things that should remain hidden or buried

Isn't there to be dug, the thieves help the thugs
Criminals assist each other in their nefarious activities

As they're trying to beat the good grace of a sweetheart
Attempting to destroy the positive qualities of a kind-hearted person

Out to the point she'll comply
Pushing someone to the brink until they give in and do what is asked of them

And why leave her on her own?
Why leave someone to face a difficult situation alone?

If I'd have known then I wouldn't have said it
If only I had known how things would turn out, I wouldn't have spoken or acted in that way

Why leave her on her own?
Why abandon someone in their time of need?

If I predicted tears then I wouldn't have said it
If I had known that my words or actions would cause pain, I wouldn't have done them

There's a circle of witches, ambitiously vicious they are
A group of powerful and malicious individuals who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals

Our attempts to remind them of reason won't get us that far
Trying to reason with these individuals is futile and pointless

But I don't know what it is that they want
Their motivations and desires are unknown

But I haven't got it to give
I don't possess what they want or need

And she hasn't got it to give
The person they are targeting does not have what these individuals are seeking

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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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