Carol Brown
Flight of the Conchords Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Loretta broke my heart in a letter
She told me she was leaving and her life would be better
Joan broke it off over the phone
After the tone she left me alone
Jen said she'd never ever see me again
When I saw her again, she said it again

Jan met another man
Liza got amnesia, just forgot who I am
Felicity said there was no electricity
Emily, no chemistry

Fran, ran, Bruce turned out to be a man
Flo had to go, I couldn't go with the flow
Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
But I'm hoping that you'll stick around

He doesn't cook or clean
He's not good boyfriend material
Ooh, we can eat cereal
You'll lose interest fast,, his relationships never last
Shut up girlfriends from the past
He says he'll do one thing and then he goes and does another thing
Ooh

Who organized all my ex-girlfriends into a choir
And got them to sing?
(Ah) ooh ooh ooh, mm shut up
(Ah) shut up girlfriends from the past

Mimi will no longer see me
Brittany, Brittany hit me
Paula, Persephone, Stella, and Stephanie
There must be fifty ways that lovers have left me

Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
Love is a delicate thing, it can just float away on the breeze
He said the same thing to me
How can we ever know if I'm the right person in this world
He means he looks at other girls
Love is a mystery, it does not follow a rule
This guy is a fool

He'll always be a boy, he's a man who never grew up
I thought I told you to shut up
(Ah) Mona, you told me you were in a coma
(Ah) Tiffany, you said that you had an epiphany
(Ah) Mm

Would you like a little cereal?
Who organized this choir of ex-girlfriends?
Was it you Carol Brown?
Was it you Carol Brown?
Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
But I'm hoping that you'll stick around
Stick around
Stick around




Stick around
Stick around

Overall Meaning

The Flight of the Conchords' song Carol Brown appears to be a comical recollection of a series of failed relationships. The lyrics detail the different ways that lovers have left the singer, such as Loretta leaving him through a letter, Joan breaking it off over the phone, and Jen refusing to see him again. The song continues with the introduction of new characters named Jan, Fran, Bruce, and Flo, with each having their reasons for ending their respective relationships. Additionally, the singer's ex-girlfriends' chorus and the point of the song appear to be his unlikelihood of having a successful relationship.


The song's chorus repeatedly refers to Carol Brown, who left via bus presumably, adding to the song's humor. The overarching theme seems to be love's fickleness and the different reasons lovers might break up with their partners, making it challenging to find the "right person" in the world. The final lines of the song, "He'll always be a boy, he's a man who never grew up, I thought I told you to shut up," are an indication that despite the difficulties in relationships, the singer's humor and attitude towards finding love remain unshaken.


Line by Line Meaning

Loretta broke my heart in a letter
Loretta ended their relationship through a letter, causing heartbreak.


She told me she was leaving and her life would be better
Loretta told the singer that she was leaving and implied that her life would be better without him.


Joan broke it off over the phone
Joan broke up with the singer over the phone, which is a cold way to end a relationship.


After the tone she left me alone
Joan broke up with the artist through a voicemail, leaving him feeling abandoned.


Jen said she'd never ever see me again
Jen told the artist she never wanted to see him again, but ended up breaking her promise.


When I saw her again, she said it again
When the singer saw Jen again, she repeated that she never wanted to see him again.


Jan met another man
Jan met someone else and left the singer for him.


Liza got amnesia, just forgot who I am
Liza forgot her memories of the artist due to amnesia, making it impossible for them to continue their relationship.


Felicity said there was no electricity
Felicity told the artist there was no chemistry between them.


Emily, no chemistry
Another example of a girl telling the artist that there is no chemistry between them.


Fran, ran, Bruce turned out to be a man
Fran left the singer, while Bruce turned out to be male instead of the expected female.


Flo had to go, I couldn't go with the flow
Flo had to leave, and the artist was unable to adapt to that change in the relationship.


Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
Carol left the singer by taking a bus out of town.


But I'm hoping that you'll stick around
The singer is hoping that Carol will not leave him like his previous girlfriends.


He doesn't cook or clean
One of the singer's flaws is his inability to cook or clean.


He's not good boyfriend material
The artist is not perceived as good boyfriend material by his ex-girlfriends.


Ooh, we can eat cereal
The artist offers cereal as a meal option, which is not very impressive.


You'll lose interest fast, his relationships never last
The singer's relationships tend to be short-lived, causing his partners to quickly lose interest in him.


Shut up girlfriends from the past
The singer tells his ex-girlfriends to stop talking about him and their past relationships.


He says he'll do one thing and then he goes and does another thing
The artist often makes promises he can't keep or breaks them once made.


Who organized all my ex-girlfriends into a choir
The artist is surprised and curious about who organized the choir of his ex-girlfriends.


And got them to sing?
The artist is also surprised that his ex-girlfriends agreed to participate in the choir.


(Ah) ooh ooh ooh, mm shut up
The ex-girlfriends are told to shut up when they start singing.


Mimi will no longer see me
Mimi ended her relationship with the artist.


Brittany, Brittany hit me
Brittany physically hit the singer during their relationship.


Paula, Persephone, Stella, and Stephanie
These are names of other ex-girlfriends that have left the singer.


There must be fifty ways that lovers have left me
The singer has been left by various lovers in different ways, indicating his poor track record in relationships.


Love is a delicate thing, it can just float away on the breeze
Love is fragile and can disappear easily, especially in the face of difficult circumstances or emotional stress.


He said the same thing to me
The artist remembers that someone else has told him the same thing Carol said to him.


How can we ever know if I'm the right person in this world
The singer is questioning whether he will ever find the right person for him in this world.


He means he looks at other girls
The singer is implying that people tend to overlook him in favor of other partners.


Love is a mystery, it does not follow a rule
Love is a complex and unpredictable emotion that cannot be fully understood or controlled by logic or rational thought.


This guy is a fool
The artist is self-aware enough to realize that his own behavior and actions have contributed to his poor relationships.


He'll always be a boy, he's a man who never grew up
The artist is characterized as an immature and irresponsible person who has not yet undergone significant personal growth.


I thought I told you to shut up
The singer is annoyed by his ex-girlfriends and is telling them to stop talking.


(Ah) Mona, you told me you were in a coma
Mona told the artist that she was in a coma, which is an obvious lie and an excuse to end the relationship.


(Ah) Tiffany, you said that you had an epiphany
Tiffany claimed to have had an epiphany, which is another flimsy excuse to end the relationship.


Would you like a little cereal?
The singer is once again offering cereal as a meal option, which is not very impressive.


Was it you Carol Brown?
The singer is accusing Carol of organizing the choir of ex-girlfriends.


But I'm hoping that you'll stick around
Despite everything, the artist is still hoping that Carol will remain in a relationship with him.


Stick around
The artist is repeating his desire for Carol to remain in a relationship with him.


Stick around
The singer is once again repeating his desire for Carol to remain in a relationship with him.


Stick around
The singer is once again repeating his desire for Carol to remain in a relationship with him.


Stick around
The artist is once again repeating his desire for Carol to remain in a relationship with him.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Hipgnosis Songs Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bret Mckenzie, Jemaine Clement

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@mickbarrow1131

A couple of small fixes to lyrics...

Loretta broke my heart in a letter
She told me she was leaving and her life would be better
Joan broke it off over the phone
After the tone, she left me alone
Jen said she'd never ever see me again
When I saw her again, she said it again
Jan met another man
Lisa got amnesia, just forgot who I am
Felicity saw there was no electricity
Emily: no chemistry
Fran ran
Bruce turned out to be a man
Flo had to go; I couldn't go with the flow
Carol Brown just took a bus out of town
But I'm hoping that you'll stick around

(He doesn't cook or clean; he's not good boyfriend material)
We can eat cereal
(You'll lose interest fast, his relationships never last)
Shut up girlfriends from the past
(He says he'll do one thing and then he goes and does another thing)
Who organized all of my ex-girlfriends into a choir
And got them to sing?

Who who
Mmmm, Shut up
Shut up, girlfriends from the past

Mimi will no longer see me
Brittany: Brittany hit me
Paula, Persephone, Stella and Stephanie
There must be fifty ways that lovers have left me
Carol Brown just took the bus out of town

Love is a delicate thing
It could just float away on the breeze
(He said the same thing to me)
How can we ever know we've found the right person in this world?
(He means he looks at other girls)
Love is a mystery, it does not follow a rule
(This guy is a fool)
(He'll always be a boy, he's a man who never grew up)
I thought I told you to shut up

Mona, you told me you were in a coma
Tiffany, you said that you had an epiphany
Mmmm, would you like a little cereal?
Who organized this choir of ex-girlfriends?
Was it you, Carol Brown?
Was it you, Carol Brown?

Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
But I'm hoping that you'll stick around
Stick around
(Do Do Do Do Do Do)
Stick around
(Do Do Do Do Do Do)
Stick around
(Do Do Do Do Do Do)
Stick around



All comments from YouTube:

@sasukecoochieha

that first "shut up" killed me lol

@AllOfThePlanets

& The other "shut up" -
"I thought I told you to .."

@user-xw3cg6cc6z

How have I not known about this band?! They are great!

@KickassUncle

Have you not being paying attention?

@shaunsmith6703

Welcome. You're in for a treat!

@user-xw3cg6cc6z

@@KickassUncle I guess I've been under a rock ha

@clovero9692

Welcome. Your YouTube experience just increased 10x. FOTC was the first YouTube video I ever watched back in 2005 or so. I’ve loved them ever since.

@CelesMaxwell

"Mmmmmmmmm shuddup" - I cackle every time. Thank you Jemaine and Bret.

@KickassUncle

'Britney hit me' gets me.

@lune78

"Who organized all my ex-girlfriends into a choir and got them to sing?" Genius lol

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