Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It
Belle and Sebastian Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

In the board room the quiet man
Takes a second to think what to do
He's out of his seat and he's starting to speak
And he hears his own voice

For years and years he's done nothing but bow down
And put up with all their demands
She sits like a viper and offers the clock
Without giving a damn
He takes it

Honor forbids me, but honor be damned
You have whined till you got what you want
I did the working when things were going badly
You left us to rot

He locked the door of the boardroom
And turned like the scene from the old country song
Towering over the table he's lost
He is drunk with it all

You only came back to us when we'd turned it around
When we'd rescued your arse from the fire
Your contribution to all that we did
Was to say it was dire

Night after day after night I've been working
Despite of you fucking us all
Now I'm gonna die, I don't care if you cry
Just please leave me alone

And spare your tears for yourself
We've had those till we're sick
You should leave while you still have the chance

The others were shocked at this shameful disgrace
At the end of an honored career




He paused in the silence to pull down his tie
And observe the mele

Overall Meaning

The song "Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It" by Belle and Sebastian tells the story of a long-term employee who has had enough of his job and the mistreatment he has faced by management. The song describes the employee standing up to his boss and rejecting a retirement gift - a carriage clock - that was offered without any regard for his feelings or value to the company. Instead, he denounces his boss and colleagues for taking credit for the company's success without recognizing the hard work of those who were truly responsible. The employee's anger and frustration are palpable as he criticizes his boss for only returning to the company when things were already on the mend and for neglecting his duties when times were tough.


The song presents a strong message about the importance of recognizing and respecting the efforts of all employees within an organization. The quiet man in the boardroom finally speaks up and challenges the power structures that have kept him silent for so long. The song highlights the sense of injustice and frustration that can arise when hard work goes unnoticed, and power and wealth are concentrated in the hands of a select few.


Line by Line Meaning

In the board room the quiet man
The scene takes place in a boardroom, where a reserved man is present.


Takes a second to think what to do
The man pauses to reflect on his course of action.


He's out of his seat and he's starting to speak
The man stands up and begins to address the situation.


And he hears his own voice
The man is surprised to hear himself speaking up after years of subservience.


For years and years he's done nothing but bow down
The man has been obedient and submissive for a long time.


And put up with all their demands
He has accepted all their demands without objection.


She sits like a viper and offers the clock
One of the colleagues of the quiet man, who is cold and calculating, offers him a carriage clock.


Without giving a damn
She cares little for the man or his accomplishments.


He takes it
The man accepts the carriage clock.


Honor forbids me, but honor be damned
The man is conflicted between his sense of honor and his current situation.


You have whined till you got what you want
The quiet man accuses his colleagues of complaining until they got their way.


I did the working when things were going badly
The man claims responsibility for doing hard work in difficult times.


You left us to rot
The man blames his colleagues for abandoning him and others in their time of need.


He locked the door of the boardroom
The man physically secures himself in the room.


And turned like the scene from the old country song
The man's behavior parallels a romanticized representation of rural life.


Towering over the table he's lost
The man looms over the table, uncertain of his next move.


He is drunk with it all
The man is overwhelmed by his emotions and situation.


You only came back to us when we'd turned it around
The man accuses his colleagues of only returning when the situation was no longer dire.


When we'd rescued your arse from the fire
The quiet man helped his colleagues during a crisis, but is not receiving due recognition for his efforts.


Your contribution to all that we did
The man is questioning the true value of his colleagues' contributions.


Was to say it was dire
The man implies that his colleagues were not helpful and only expressed negativity.


Night after day after night I've been working
The man recalls working tirelessly for an extended period of time.


Despite of you fucking us all
The man blames his colleagues for causing difficulties while he was trying to work.


Now I'm gonna die, I don't care if you cry
The man is willing to face death without consideration for his colleagues' feelings.


Just please leave me alone
The man wants to be left in peace as he faces his situation.


And spare your tears for yourself
The man suggests his colleagues have already cried enough and are in no position to feel sympathy.


We've had those till we're sick
The man implies his colleagues' expressions of emotion are insincere or unhelpful.


You should leave while you still have the chance
The man advises his colleagues to leave the room while they have the opportunity to do so.


The others were shocked at this shameful disgrace
The quiet man's behavior is seen as inappropriate and unexpected by his colleagues.


At the end of an honored career
The quiet man has reached the end of his career, which was previously highly respected.


He paused in the silence to pull down his tie
The man takes a moment to collect himself and remove his tie.


And observe the melee
The man watches as his colleagues frantically react to his outburst.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAMPBE, COLBURN, COOKE, GEDDES, JACKSON, MARTIN, MURDOCH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found