Cordoba
Eno \\ Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 Eno & Cale are relatively cryptic, but they seem to describe a journey that the singer is taking to meet someone. The singer receives a letter from a man who is sleeping under a tree in the city of Cordoba. When the singer arrives in Cordoba, they go to the man's house, but he is not there because he is ill. The singer then arranges to meet someone near a shoe shop by a pretty two-storey house, but they will have to wait at the station. The singer tells the other person to leave a parcel on the top deck and then instructs them to walk towards the station while the singer walks towards the bus.
The song's lyrics have a dream-like quality to them and suggest a sense of confusion and disorientation. The scattered imagery of a man sleeping under a tree, a long line of cars, waiting for someone who is ill, and the singer's journey to meet someone by a shoe shop and a two-storey house, all add to the surreal atmosphere of the song. The repetition of the phrase "You walk towards the station. I'll walk towards the bus" also contributes to this sense of repetition and routine, as if the characters are trapped in a never-ending cycle.
Line by Line Meaning
A man was sleeping under a tree.
A man was taking a nap beneath a tree.
He wrote to me from Cordoba.
He sent me a written message from Cordoba.
After the theatre, we went to his house.
Following the theatre, we proceeded to his dwelling.
He's a very generous Cordoban.
He's an exceedingly charitable resident of Cordoba.
We waited at the door, but he didn't come.
We lingered at the entrance, but he did not arrive.
According to his father, he's very ill.
Based on his father's account, he's significantly unwell.
There was a long line of cars in front of me.
A lengthy queue of vehicles was ahead of me.
I came as soon as I could.
I arrived as promptly as possible.
I left without paying, a suitcase under my arm.
I departed without remunerating, grasping a travel bag in my possession.
I won't see you until Sunday.
I will not meet you until Sunday.
I'll come as soon as I can.
I will arrive as expeditiously as feasible.
I'll meet you alone in the shoeshop near the bakery.
I will encounter you unaccompanied at the footwear store adjacent to the bakery.
By the two-storey house/very pretty/like a villa.
Adjacent to the attractive, two-story villa-like residence.
The lift stops between two floors.
The elevator halts amid two levels.
You start to walk towards the station.
You commence walking in the direction of the station.
I walk towards the bus.
I amble towards the bus.
We'll have to wait at the station.
We will need to linger at the station.
Leave the parcel on the top deck.
Deposit the package on the highest level.
You start to walk towards the station.
You commence walking in the direction of the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will amble towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You proceed walking towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will amble towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You continue walking towards the station.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will amble towards the bus.
You walk towards the station.
You advance towards the station on foot.
I'll walk towards the bus.
I will proceed to stroll towards the bus.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO, JOHN DAVIES CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind