David & The Citizens is a band from Malmö, Sweden.

David & The Citiz… Read Full Bio ↴David & The Citizens is a band from Malmö, Sweden.

David & The Citizens were:
David Fridlund - Vocals, electric guitar
Conny Fridh - Bass, backing vocals
Magnus Bjerkert - Trumpet, organ, piano, guitar
John Bjerkert - Drums, backing vocals

They released their third full-length "Stop The Tape! Stop The Tape!" in August 2006. In February, 2007, on the cusp of a major tour and their first US appearances, all the members of the band (except Fridlund) quit.

There have been rumours that D&TC are finished. However, in his blog, David claims that these are false.

On the 17 December 2007 David & the Citizens released an EP called "I Saw My Reflection And I Didn't Recognize Myself" with four new songs. The EP is free for downloading at the web page and some pictures and the lyrics are included. The listeners have the option to pay for the EP if they are willing to and instructions are included in the EP. David also assures that the band still exists and "will be around till the day I decide to quit. And that day is yet to come."

Stop the Tape! Stop the Tape!
David & The Citizens Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've come a long way since you thought you knew me well
How could you know me when I didn't know myself?
A stranger in my own skin, a little boy just waiting
Can't grow up fast enough, can't get out fast enough

And sometimes when I crack, the animals are back
Sometimes when I speak there's someone else inside of me
And every now and then the kid comes back,

This precious friend, he won't let go
I told you so

How can I let you in? How to describe this feeling?
I've left all words behind, I've thrown them in the river
The storm is gathering. I feel it in my skin.
I saw the moon go black, I felt my heart collapse

And sometimes when I crack, the animals are back again
And sometimes when I crash, I'm seeing colours not existing
And all the time I hear this little kid's voice
There ain't no choice, he won't let go
I told you so

And I wanted to stop the tape
I wanted to freeze the frame
I saw it on TV; the bed's already made for me
So heaven, dress me in a white sheet, lay me in a rusty bed

Heaven take the ceiling off me
Help me put the pieces back

Overall Meaning

"Stop the Tape! Stop the Tape!" by David & The Citizens is a song about personal growth and change. The singer reflects on their own journey of self-discovery and how it has affected their relationships with those around them. They feel like a stranger in their own skin and recall moments when they struggled to control their own emotions and actions. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past, while also acknowledging the inevitability of change and growth.

The lines "sometimes when I crack, the animals are back" and "sometimes when I speak there's someone else inside of me" suggest that the singer has experienced moments of intense emotion or even out-of-body experiences. They feel like they are constantly changing and growing, but there is always a little piece of their past self that remains with them. The line "how can I let you in?" highlights the singer's struggle to connect with others in a meaningful way because they feel like they are constantly changing and evolving.

Line by Line Meaning

I've come a long way since you thought you knew me well
I've changed a lot since you last thought you understood me

How could you know me when I didn't know myself?
You couldn't have known me because even I didn't know myself

A stranger in my own skin, a little boy just waiting
I feel like I don't even know who I am, like a little boy who hasn't grown up yet

Can't grow up fast enough, can't get out fast enough
I want to grow up and get out of here as fast as possible, but it's not happening quickly enough for me

And sometimes when I crack, the animals are back
Sometimes when I'm struggling, my primal instincts come out

Sometimes when I speak there's someone else inside of me
Sometimes it feels like there's another person inside of me when I talk

And every now and then the kid comes back,
Occasionally, the kid version of me resurfaces

This precious friend, he won't let go
This childhood version of me is holding on tight and won't let go

I told you so
I knew this was going to happen

How can I let you in? How to describe this feeling?
I don't know how to let you into my world or explain what I'm feeling

I've left all words behind, I've thrown them in the river
I've run out of words to describe what I'm going through and given up on trying to articulate it

The storm is gathering. I feel it in my skin.
Something bad is about to happen, I can feel it in every part of me

I saw the moon go black, I felt my heart collapse
I witnessed a terrible event that felt like my heart stopped beating

And sometimes when I crack, the animals are back again
When I'm really struggling, those primal instincts come back stronger than before

And sometimes when I crash, I'm seeing colours not existing
When I'm really down, I start seeing things that aren't really there

And all the time I hear this little kid's voice
All the time, I feel like I'm hearing the voice of my childhood self

There ain't no choice, he won't let go
There's nothing I can do about it, that childhood version of me is holding on tight

I told you so
I knew this was going to happen

And I wanted to stop the tape
I wish I could pause this moment and escape it

I wanted to freeze the frame
I wanted everything to stay the same and not change

I saw it on TV; the bed's already made for me
I feel like my future is already decided and there's nothing I can do to change it

So heaven, dress me in a white sheet, lay me in a rusty bed
I feel like there's no hope for my future and I'm ready to give up

Heaven take the ceiling off me
I feel suffocated and trapped, and I want to be freed from it all