This Town
Faith No More / Sparks Lyrics
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The mammals are your favourite type, and you want her tonight
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers
This town ain't big enough for the both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Flying, domestic flying
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You are a khaki-coloured bombardier, it's Hiroshima that you're nearing
This town ain't big enough for both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Daily, except for Sunday
You dawdle in to the cafe where you meet her each day
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
As twenty cannibals have hold of you, they need their protein just like you do
This town ain't big enough for the both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Shower, another shower
You've got to look your best for her and be clean everywhere
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
The rain is pouring on the foreign town, the bullets cannot cut you down
This town ain't big enough for the both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Census, the latest census
There'll be more girls who live in town though not enough to go round
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You know that this town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
This town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
I ain't gonna leave
The lyrics of "This town" by Faith No More / Sparks depict a man who is infatuated with a woman and will do anything to win her over, even if it means eliminating any competition in the small town they both reside in. The verse begins by setting the scene in a zoo, where the man and woman are spending time together. The man takes notice of the mammals, which happens to be the woman's favourite type. He wants her for himself and his increasing heartbeat implies he is becoming more excited at the prospect of being with her. The mention of stampeding rhinos, elephants, and tacky tigers could symbolize the man's feelings of being overwhelmed, as if a stampede is coming towards him, yet he can't tear himself away from the woman.
The man then goes on to describe various scenarios where he feels threatened by other males in the town. He describes himself as a "khaki-coloured bombardier" approaching Hiroshima, a reference to the atomic bombing of Japan during World War II. This suggests that he is prepared to make a big impact to eliminate the competition. He then goes on to dawdle in a café where he meets the woman each day, but he feels threatened by the other customers, whom he refers to as cannibals. He feels like they are consuming him, yet he is consumed by his need to win over the woman.
The chorus repeats several times throughout the song, emphasizing the titular line "This town ain't big enough for the both of us." The man is determined that he will not be the one to leave, indicating that he is willing to fight for the woman and eliminate any other competition. The song ends with the man acknowledging that there may be more girls in town, but it does not matter to him. He knows that this town is not big enough for both him and the woman he desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Zoo time, is she and you time?
Are you planning on spending time with her at the Zoo?
The mammals are your favourite type, and you want her tonight
You really crave her and the mammals at the zoo remind you of her.
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
As your adrenaline increases, so does your heartbeat.
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers
The sound of the animals in the zoo makes your heart race.
This town ain't big enough for the both of us
This small town isn't big enough to accommodate both of us.
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
I'm not planning on leaving, so one of us will have to go.
Flying, domestic flying
Travelling within the country through aircraft.
And when the stewardess is near do not show any fear
You shouldn't panic when the stewardess is around, just stay calm.
You are a khaki-coloured bombardier, it's Hiroshima that you're nearing
You are dressed in military uniform, heading towards nuclear war.
Daily, except for Sunday
Every day except Sundays.
You dawdle into the cafe where you meet her each day
You enter the cafe slowly where you meet her every day.
As twenty cannibals have hold of you, they need their protein just like you do
You are surrounded by cannibals who are after you, just like you were after her.
Shower, another shower
Bathing multiple times to make sure you're clean and presentable for her.
You've got to look your best for her and be clean everywhere
You're making sure you're presentable everywhere in case you run into her.
The rain is pouring on the foreign town, the bullets cannot cut you down
You're in a foreign strange land, and even though there's hostility around you, you're not scared.
There'll be more girls who live in town though not enough to go round
There may be more girls around the town, but there's not enough to accommodate everyone.
You know that this town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
You're aware that this town is too small to accommodate both of you.
This town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
The town is too small for both your and her presence.
I ain't gonna leave
You're not leaving the town, so she's the one who has to go.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RON MAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Xoynyay
It's amazing they sing the song together, sounds like they are fighting and singing it to eachother, love it <3
@chairmandrew2894
Perfect song for a duet 🥰
@phntmsmshr
Mike Patton's range, versatility, power and presence is unmatched by anyone in rock music today. Anyone who suggests otherwise is just deluded, or holds a grudge against him for badmouthing some shitty band that they love. He's come a very long way since that goofy kid jumping around with boxing gloves in the Epic video
@DavidB-rx3km
It's a pity the music he's put out in the past decade or so has been terrible. I saw FNM in '89 and Mr Bungle in '96, it's a shame he doesn't do anything worthy anymore.
@vegadeth
@Davers Opinion. He makes music that he enjoys making. Sometimes he's surprised some people like it. He's literally said to people "you like that piece of shit?". The point is he's not making music for us. True artists don't.
@bottlemanic
@Davers I personally really liked his album with Jean Claude vanier from 2 years back, some tetema stuff is decent too. Seems like he just enjoys seeing where his weird muse takes him
@roygalaasen
@Vegadeth exactly this. I am not a die hard fan of some of his work, but I do recognise a genius when I hear one.
@aspect57
@roygalaasen he did some fun stuff with bjork a long while back too. he's having fun with his talent for sure!
@DrSuess360
Should've sang "This song ain't big enough for the both of us". Haha lol. Great performance by Mael and Patton!!!!
@parralhu
Brutal combinación, Sparks + FnM. Mike Patton es un puto genio, el amo, por suerte este verano se juntan de nuevo para el Sonisphere y podré verle junto a FnM de nuevo.