Cordoba
Brian Eno & John Cale Lyrics
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He wrote to me from Cordoba.
After the theatre, we went to his house.
He's a very generous Cordoban.
We waited at the door, but he didn't come.
According to his father, he's very ill.
There was a long line of cars
in front of me.
I left without paying, a suitcase under my arm.
I won't see you until Sunday.
I'll come as soon as I can.
I'll meet you alone in the shoeshop near the bakery.
By the two-storey house/very pretty/like a villa.
The lift stops between two floors.
You start to walk towards the station.
I walk towards the bus.
We'll have to wait at the station.
Leave the parcel on the top deck.
You start to walk towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
The lyrics of "Cordoba" by Brian Eno and John Cale depict a series of disconnected events and conversations that seem to be fragments of a larger story. The song starts with a man sleeping under a tree and writing a letter to the singer from Cordoba. Later, they go to this man's house, who is described as a generous Cordoban but doesn't show up at the door, as he is reportedly very ill according to his father. Then, the song describes a scene where the singer and someone else (presumably the person being addressed in the lyrics) split directions and end up walking towards different modes of transportation.
The song's disjointed lyrics capture the sense of being lost, disconnected, and isolated in a strange foreign city. The line of cars in front of the singer suggests that he's stuck in traffic, unable to move forward, and emphasizing the feeling of being trapped. The repeated phrases "you walk towards the station, I'll walk towards the bus" creates a sense of parallelism, reinforcing the idea that the two people mentioned in the song are physically close but emotionally distant.
Overall, "Cordoba" is a song that creates a sense of uneasiness and fragmented narrative, capturing themes of disconnection and loneliness, particularly in unfamiliar settings.
Line by Line Meaning
A man was sleeping under a tree.
A person was found lying unconscious under a tree.
He wrote to me from Cordoba.
He communicated with me through a letter from Cordoba.
After the theatre, we went to his house.
Following the theatre experience, we visited his residence.
He's a very generous Cordoban.
He is a magnanimous person hailing from Cordoba.
We waited at the door, but he didn't come.
We stood by the entrance, but he did not show up.
According to his father, he's very ill.
As per his father's statement, he is severely unwell.
There was a long line of cars in front of me.
I observed an extensive queue of vehicles ahead of me.
I came as soon as I could.
I arrived promptly.
I left without paying, a suitcase under my arm.
With a suitcase in my hand, I absconded before paying.
I won't see you until Sunday.
I will be unable to meet you until Sunday.
I'll come as soon as I can.
I will arrive as expeditiously as possible.
I'll meet you alone in the shoeshop near the bakery.
I will rendezvous with you singularly at the footwear store close to the bakery.
By the two-storey house/very pretty/like a villa.
Further to the elegant villa-like two-storeyed building.
The lift stops between two floors.
The elevator halts amid two storeys.
You start to walk towards the station.
You start to make your way towards the railway station.
I walk towards the bus.
I head towards the bus.
We'll have to wait at the station.
We shall have to remain at the station until further notice.
Leave the parcel on the top deck.
Please abandon the package on the peak floor.
You start to walk towards the station.
You set off on foot towards the railway station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will advance towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You make your way towards the railway station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will head towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You proceed towards the railway station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will walk in the direction of the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You walk in the direction of the railway station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will travel towards the bus on foot.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO, JOHN DAVIES CALE, John Cale
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@timoconnor2866
".....you walk towards the station
.....I walk toward the bus...."
Isn't this where the credits roll up and a voice booms:
"Tune in next week to see Ernest Zemblist Junior ...dot...dot...dot..."
This was always my favourite song on the album. It was in 1990 and it is now.
Suspense-by-numbers though as Eno said.
@riceuteneuer2678
@@3C3D3S3 It was on an Eno website. http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/wwulyric.html
Brian Eno: I'm sure everything I do is riddled with paying attention to chance, so... OK, here's a good example. I've been learning Spanish for about 36 years [laughter] And I'm still not very good at it, but...[music]... When I was reading my Spanish book, I was reading this set of lines, exercises, and I thought, boy, these read like a poem. These lines from the Spanish book are the text [lyric]:
Endless sleeping
Under the tree.
You wrote to me from Cordoba.
Drift of the fusion.
We went to his house.
He's a very generous Cordoban.
Waited at the door.
But he didn't come.
According to his father
He's very ill.
@splorn
Come back to this again and again over the years
@tedlewis24
Gorgeous. Hypnotic. My favorite on the album.
@Paradroid7360
Ted Lewis mine too 😊
@jimihendrix9071
Mine too :)
@cafeneckbeard
This might be the best song of the 20th Century.
@Abraxas_90
A perfect song for a perfect album
@creatornat
I adore this song, and this album!
@ledorzejean-etienne3747
One of my fav from Eno, hypnotic and melancholic
Violin and synth harmony is 20 sec of great intensity
@frozennostril
I love this song
@davidp2287
I used to drive a Cordoba.