Sidi Ifni
Cracker Lyrics
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a long promenade
Down a winding stair,
wide as boulevards
Vines and shrubs
grew between the steps
From the Spanish town
to the African sea
We drank wine
and toasted to the day
When she was the queen,
before the long decay
We drank wine,
slept off hangovers
Lethargy, decay
and forgotten loves
We’d awake
to the BBC
An old English queen
on the balcony
Wander ’round
abandoned consulates
An old broken chair
on the marble stair
And from the roof,
see Canary seas
The discarded runway
of Sidi Ifni
We drank wine
lying on our backs
On the warm tarmac,
in a bowl of stars
Well, I went down,
mostly on my own
Till I was alone
in that shipwrecked house
Through the porthole sea
an epiphany
I would never leave this place alive
I drink gin
with the old ex-pats
We are broken things,
from a broken past
And it comes near;
but just out of grasp
The alchemist words
that would bring her back
The lyrics to Cracker's song Sidi Ifni paint a vivid picture of a once prosperous town that has been abandoned and left to decay. The singer and his companion walk down a long promenade and a winding staircase that is as wide as boulevards. They see vines and shrubs growing between the steps as they make their way from the Spanish town to the African sea. They drink wine and toast to the days when the town was vibrant, and the singer refers to a time when "she was the queen" before the long decay.
As the song progresses the singer describes the lethargy and forgotten loves that they experience as they continue to drink wine and explore the town. They listen to the BBC and hear an old English queen on the balcony. They wander around abandoned consulates and see an old broken chair on the marble stair. They even take in the view of the Canary seas from the roof and observe the discarded runway of Sidi Ifni.
Towards the end of the song, the tone becomes more reflective and melancholic, as the singer describes a surreal experience in a shipwrecked house. The lyrics convey a sense of loss and longing as the singer drinks gin with old ex-pats, describing himself and others as broken things from a broken past. The song ends by acknowledging that the words to bring back what has been lost are just out of reach like an elusive alchemist's formula.
Line by Line Meaning
We walked down a long promenade
We strolled along a lengthy path
Down a winding stair, wide as boulevards
We descended through a meandering staircase resembling vast streets
Vines and shrubs grew between the steps
Flora thrived amidst the stairs
From the Spanish town to the African sea
We traversed from a Spanish city to the coastline of Africa
We drank wine and toasted to the day
We consumed fermented grapes and commemorated the past
When she was the queen, before the long decay
We acknowledged the time when everything was pristine
We drank wine, slept off hangovers
We intoxicated ourselves, recuperated from the aftermath
Lethargy, decay and forgotten loves
We experienced sluggishness, disrepair, and neglected passions
We’d awake to the BBC
We revived ourselves to the British Broadcasting Corporation
An old English queen on the balcony
We glimpsed a former monarch of the United Kingdom on a portico
Wander ’round abandoned consulates
We roamed around deserted diplomatic offices
An old broken chair on the marble stair
We noticed an obsolete, damaged seat on the staircase made of stone
And from the roof, see Canary seas
We looked down from the rooftop, sighting the waters surrounding the Canary Islands
The discarded runway of Sidi Ifni
We observed the disregarded landing strip of Sidi Ifni
We drank wine lying on our backs
We imbibed wine while lying on the ground
On the warm tarmac, in a bowl of stars
We rested on the heated pavement, enclosed by celestial objects
Well, I went down, mostly on my own
I descended mainly unaccompanied
Till I was alone in that shipwrecked house
I ended up abandoned in that ruined residence
Through the porthole sea, an epiphany
I gained a sudden realization through a small opening in the water
I would never leave this place alive
I accepted the fact that I would never exit this region conscious
I drink gin with the old ex-pats
I consume juniper-flavored alcoholic drink with the elderly emigrants
We are broken things, from a broken past
We are fragmented beings, emerging from a shattered history
And it comes near; but just out of grasp
We experience proximity to something yet can't quite attain it
The alchemist words that would bring her back
We search for words that possess magical powers to retrieve something lost
Contributed by Muhammad D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.