Le Bon is singled out by critics for her "beautiful, haunting voice". She described writing and performing music as "important to me, it's just an expression and sometimes it's not necessary to moralise it". Le Bon claimed that "early experiences with a string of pet deaths had a profound lasting effect on me" and informed her initial self-admitted "abnormal fixation with death". She describes her lyric writing as "foraging for [the right] words and then everything falls into place".
Duke
Cate le Bon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were carried away
We studied entire empires
When you were Duke
We landscaped our legacies
And fought about wars
I don′t know how we have come to function so far away
It′s our best work
I'll see you here
Here
Here
Where the weather licked your face dry
The weather licked your face dry
I am half hidden
You are half hidden
Until the arms close
Scheduling the tides
Pitching up in our parks
Will never grow old to me
I don't know how we have come to function so far away
Drifting at our atlas with the compass we′ve made you know
It′s our best work
I'll see you here
Here
Here
Where the weather licked your face dry
The weather licked your face dry
The weather licked your face dry
Where the weather licked your face dry
Ah ooooh ah ah ah ah
Ah oooh ah ah ah ah
Ah ooooh ah ah ah ah
Ah oooh ah ah ah ah
I don′t know how we have come to function so far away
Drifting at our atlas with the compass we've made you know
It′s our best work
I'll see you here
Here
Here
Here
Here
Here
In "Duke," Cate Le Bon sings about an experience in Market Square where she and someone else "studied entire empires" and "landscaped our legacies." The person she is singing to is referred to as the Duke, and they appear to have shared a deep connection. However, they are now "half hidden" from each other, and the "arms close" only occasionally. Despite this distance, Cate Le Bon maintains that the time they spent together was their "best work" and she hopes to see him again in the same place where "the weather licked your face dry."
The lyrics of "Duke" are somewhat enigmatic, but it's clear that they are about a past relationship that was formative for the singer. There is a sense of nostalgia and longing for the connection she once shared with the Duke. The use of weather imagery is particularly interesting, as it suggests a transience or impermanence to their time together. However, despite the distance and the passage of time, there is a sense of hopefulness that they will reunite in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
On Market Square
At Market Square
We were carried away
We got lost in the moment
We studied entire empires
We learned about entire civilizations
When you were Duke
During the time you were Duke
We landscaped our legacies
We crafted our own lasting impact
And fought about wars
And argued over past battles
I don't know how we have come to function so far away
I'm not sure how we've ended up so distant
Drifting at our atlas with the compass we've made, you know
Navigating our personal journey with our own tools
It's our best work
This is the pinnacle of our efforts
I'll see you here
I'll meet you at this spot
Here
At this location
Here
In this place
Where the weather licked your face dry
In a climate where it felt like nature was against us
The weather licked your face dry
The weather felt harsh and unforgiving
I am half hidden
I am partially concealed
You are half hidden
You are partially concealed
Until the arms close
Until we embrace
Scheduling the tides
Trying to control the uncontrollable
Pitching up in our parks
Meeting up in our usual spot
Will never grow old to me
This will always have sentimental value
Here
In this particular location
Here
At this specific place
Here
In this exact spot
Where the weather licked your face dry
In that harsh and unforgiving climate
The weather licked your face dry
The weather was unrelenting
The weather licked your face dry
The climate was harsh and unyielding
Where the weather licked your face dry
In that harsh weather condition
Ah ooooh ah ah ah ah
Vocalization
Ah oooh ah ah ah ah
Vocalization
Ah ooooh ah ah ah ah
Vocalization
Ah oooh ah ah ah ah
Vocalization
I don't know how we have come to function so far away
I'm unsure of how we've ended up so estranged
Drifting at our atlas with the compass we've made you know
Navigating our own path with our own tools
It's our best work
This is the peak of our accomplishments
I'll see you here
I'll meet you at this exact location
Here
In this place
Here
In this specific spot
Here
At this particular location
Here
At this exact place
Writer(s): Cate Le Bon
Contributed by Samantha L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@orikol2896
this is one of the most underrated music videos of the decade (And with a quality song at that)
@thismessismine
If you ask me, this song is a masterpiece. It's like nothing else and... just so great.
@chuckamok12
this song is nuts. so much weird, fun personality
@ashleyohohoh
I love listening to this on my way to work in the morning. Oh.. and Hawkline is beyond cute in this.
@TonyLing
I hear Pavement all over this. I love it
@augopen
Cate hits the high notes- tidy darts, ta!
@buddude420
Perfect pop song.
@ph.d.r3334
❤
God
That voice
@marieokay
This was better than anything I could have imagined!! Wonderful!
@ednash3343
Genius.