Cordoba
Eno / 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 to Eno/Cale's song "Cordoba" tell a cryptic but intriguing story of two individuals trying to navigate their way through a city and towards each other. The lyrics begin with the singer receiving a letter from someone who is sleeping under a tree in Cordoba. After the theatre, the singer visits this person's home, but the Cordoban is not there, reportedly due to illness. The singer leaves without paying for something, holding a suitcase, and promising to see the other person on Sunday.
The lyrics then become a series of instructions on how to meet up with each other, with the two individuals seemingly trying to avoid being seen by anyone else. They agree to meet at the shoeshop near the bakery, by a two-storey house that is "very pretty, like a villa." However, when they reach the lift, it stops between two floors, causing them to have to take different routes towards the station. They both repeat the instructions to walk towards the opposite mode of transportation (one towards the bus, the other towards the station) and leave a parcel on the top deck. The final lines of the song repeat this back-and-forth pattern, as they both walk towards different destinations, each promising to walk in the opposite direction.
The lyrics of "Cordoba" are purposefully vague, leaving the listener to piece together their own interpretations of what is happening. Some have suggested that it is a love story between two people in a clandestine relationship, while others see it as a commentary on the politics of Spain (Cordoba is a city in the southern region of Spain). The song was originally released in 1990 as part of the album "Wrong Way Up", a collaboration between Brian Eno and John Cale, both of whom are known for their experimental and unconventional approaches to music.
Line by Line Meaning
A man was sleeping under a tree.
There was a person who was resting under a tree.
He wrote to me from Cordoba.
He sent me a letter from the city of Cordoba.
After the theatre, we went to his house.
Following the theater, we accompanied him to his place of residence.
He's a very generous Cordoban.
He is a highly benevolent resident of Cordoba.
We waited at the door, but he didn't come.
We remained at the entrance, however, he did not arrive.
According to his father, he's very ill.
As attested by his father, he is severely unwell.
There was a long line of cars in front of me.
I was impeded by a lengthy queue of automobiles ahead of me.
I came as soon as I could.
I hastened my arrival as soon as possible.
I left without paying, a suitcase under my arm.
I departed surreptitiously with a valise nestled in my arms.
I won't see you until Sunday.
I will not have the pleasure of seeing you until the day of worship.
I'll come as soon as I can.
I will arrive expeditiously when feasible.
I'll meet you alone in the shoeshop near the bakery.
I shall rendezvous with you unaccompanied at the footwear store located in proximity to the bread maker.
By the two-storey house/very pretty/like a villa.
Adjacent to the lovely, villa-esque edifice comprising of two floors.
The lift stops between two floors.
The elevator halts midway between two levels.
You start to walk towards the station.
You commence your perambulation in the direction of the depot.
I walk towards the bus.
I proceed towards the omnibus.
We'll have to wait at the station.
It will be necessary for us to loiter at the terminal.
Leave the parcel on the top deck.
Take your leave of the package on the uppermost floor.
You start to walk towards the station.
You begin to trek towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will journey in the direction of the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You amble in the direction of the depot.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will traipse towards the omnibus.
You walk towards the station.
You saunter in the direction of the terminal.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will promenade towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You move in the direction of the depot.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will stride in the direction of the omnibus.
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.