The band has released four records, Folk the World Tour; a self-titled album, Flight of the Conchords; an EP, The Distant Future, which won a 2007 Grammy for Best Comedy Album, and a sophomore effort for Sub Pop, I Told You I was Freaky released October 20, 2009.
In 2002 they performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the first time. Returning in 2003, with a new show, they were nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award. They also performed there in 2004.
In 2005, BBC Radio 2 broadcast their first radio series. Largely improvised, it features Rob Brydon as their narrator, Rhys Darby as their manager and Jimmy Carr as a devoted fan called Kipper. Also in 2005, HBO gave the group a special on their Friday night half-hour stand-up comedy series One Night Stand.
Jemaine Clement has appeared in 2006 television commercials for Outback Steakhouse in the U.S. This advertising campaign was launched during Superbowl XL. He also narrates the world famous in New Zealand television commercials for L&P.
The duo currently stars in their award winning television series, also entitled "Flight of the Conchords", which began on the American television channel HBO in June 2007. Its first season had 12 episodes and the second and final season - which began in January 2009 had ten episodes. The show features Rhys Darby as their manager Murray, Kristen Schaal as obsessive fan Mel, Arj Barker as their friend Dave and Eugene Mirman as their landlord.
Petrov Yelyena and Me
Flight of the Conchords Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lost, but happy, at sea
Petrov and Yelyena said to me
"Shouldn't we have something to eat?"
Well, I say
"There are plenty of fish in the sea"
But all they can see, is me
They say, "Any last requests?"
Biding my time, I say "Yes
I want to party, just we three
Lost, but happy at sea"
So we drank all night from the keg
I passed out, then awoke with one leg
I said, "Petrov, have you seen my leg?"
He said "No" and he went back to bed
But he looked suspiciously well fed
Three days later they were hungry again
They said, "Any last requests, again, my friend?"
I said, "Do you know any Rolling Stones?
You know, like you're at a rock concert going "More, more!"
"Ah, it was a hilarious hilarious moment in a very bleak bleak time of my life"
So we danced all night to the Rolling Stones
When I awoke they were chewing on bones
Yelena was supping blood from a cup
That's when I knew something was up
"Hey Petrov?"
"What?"
"What is that you're eating?"
"Nothing"
"It looks like a meat"
"Oh, this? It's um, one of those, um, fish"
"How come it looks so much like my arm?"
"It's an arm fish"
"What about the fingers?"
"Fish fingers"
"Well, you see, the thing is, my arm seems to haveabeen
Hacked off at the elbow last night
I was just wondering if you might have seen it"
"Oh, yeah, look at that, no arm over there
Oh, don't you hate it when that happens?
I don't know, um, you were very drunk last night
Perhaps you lost it? In a fair game of chance"
"Oh, you're probably right"
"Yeah, you know how it is when we're drunk"
"Yeah"
"'You say 'I'll bet my arm'"
"Oh"
"Just relax. Enjoy the sea, and have some more, fish"
Four months now lost at sea
My friends have almost finished me
Now they are using recipes
Tonight, we are having some "me goering"
"But wait, this 'You Goering' is absolutely delicious
You should come over here right away and try some
You really would be proud of yourself"
"How can I? You have eaten all of my leg"
"Ooh, someone obviously isn't getting any"
Late that night, while they were asleep
I swallowed some arsenic to poison my meat
I was very ill, but revenge is so sweet
Unlike the last meal my comrades would eat
"Yes, eat it all up
Not so sweet all of a sudden, hm?"
When I awoke, they were already dead
All that was left of me was my head
No, not dead, just a head
Lost, but happy, at sea
Lost, but lonely, at sea
Lost, but so lonely
At sea
The lyrics to Flight of the Conchords' "Petrov Yelyena and Me" follow the story of three lost friends at sea. Petrov and Yelena become increasingly hungry and begin to eat their friend, who tries to distract them by suggesting they party and dance to the Rolling Stones. As the hunger grows stronger, the two friends resort to cannibalism and begin to eat the main character's limbs. In an act of revenge, the character poisons himself, causing his friends to die and leaving him as the only survivor, albeit just a head.
The song is a dark and humorous commentary on the limits of human nature and the inherent savagery in desperate situations. The character tries to mask his fear of being eaten by suggesting they party, all while knowing that his friends are resorting to cannibalism. The use of absurdity and gallows humor create an uncomfortable but entertaining image of how low people will go to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
Petrov, Yelyena, and me
We are three people who are together on a boat in the sea - Petrov, Yelyena, and myself.
Lost, but happy, at sea
We are lost at sea but still manage to feel happy about our situation.
Petrov and Yelyena said to me
"Shouldn't we have something to eat?"
My two companions asked me if we should look for food.
Well, I say
"There are plenty of fish in the sea"
But all they can see, is me
I suggest that we should look for fish to eat, but Petrov and Yelyena are only seeing me as a potential source of food.
They say, "Any last requests?"
Biding my time, I say "Yes
I want to party, just we three
Lost, but happy at sea"
My companions ask me if I have any final wishes, and I request that we party together and enjoy our time at sea, despite our uncertain predicament.
So we drank all night from the keg
I passed out, then awoke with one leg
I said, "Petrov, have you seen my leg?"
He said "No" and he went back to bed
But he looked suspiciously well fed
We drank all night, and when I woke up, I realized one of my legs was missing. Although Petrov denied knowing anything about it, I suspected him to be well-fed because of it.
Three days later they were hungry again
They said, "Any last requests, again, my friend?"
I said, "Do you know any Rolling Stones?
You know, like you're at a rock concert going "More, more!"
Three days later, Petrov and Yelyena were hungry again and asked if I had any final wishes. I requested that we listen to music from the Rolling Stones and have a good time.
"Ah, it was a hilarious hilarious moment in a very bleak bleak time of my life"
I reflect on the irony of having a funny moment in what is otherwise a very bleak time of my life.
So we danced all night to the Rolling Stones
When I awoke they were chewing on bones
Yelena was supping blood from a cup
That's when I knew something was up
We danced all night, and when I woke up, I found Petrov and Yelyena eating bones and drinking blood. This was when I realized that they were up to something sinister.
"Hey Petrov?"
"What?"
"What is that you're eating?"
"Nothing"
"It looks like a meat"
"Oh, this? It's um, one of those, um, fish"
"How come it looks so much like my arm?"
"It's an arm fish"
"What about the fingers?"
"Fish fingers"
"Well, you see, the thing is, my arm seems to haveabeen
Hacked off at the elbow last night
I was just wondering if you might have seen it"
"Oh, yeah, look at that, no arm over there
Oh, don't you hate it when that happens?
I don't know, um, you were very drunk last night
Perhaps you lost it? In a fair game of chance"
"Oh, you're probably right"
"Yeah, you know how it is when we're drunk"
"Yeah"
"'You say 'I'll bet my arm'"
"Oh"
"Just relax. Enjoy the sea, and have some more, fish"
I confront Petrov about his arm-looking fish, suspecting it to be my own arm which had been hacked off. Petrov first denies any wrongdoing, but then creates a story about me losing it in a drunk and accidental bet. Petrov encourages me to relax, forget my suspicions, and enjoy the supposed fish meal.
Four months now lost at sea
My friends have almost finished me
Now they are using recipes
Tonight, we are having some "me goering"
After being lost at sea for four months, my companions have resorted to cannibalizing me, with tonight's meal being called "me goering."
"But wait, this 'You Goering' is absolutely delicious
You should come over here right away and try some
You really would be proud of yourself"
"How can I? You have eaten all of my leg"
"Ooh, someone obviously isn't getting any"
Petrov and Yelyena taunt me by saying how delicious the cannibal dish is, and that I should try it. However, I remind them that they have already eaten my leg and that they should stop mocking me.
Late that night, while they were asleep
I swallowed some arsenic to poison my meat
I was very ill, but revenge is so sweet
Unlike the last meal my comrades would eat
I take revenge on Petrov and Yelyena by poisoning the meat they planned to eat, and while I was very sick, I relished their unwitting cannibalism.
"Yes, eat it all up
Not so sweet all of a sudden, hm?"
I taunt my companions and relish my revenge over them by reminding them that they just ate poisoned meat.
When I awoke, they were already dead
All that was left of me was my head
No, not dead, just a head
Lost, but happy, at sea
Lost, but lonely, at sea
Lost, but so lonely
At sea
I woke up only to find that Petrov and Yelyena had already died from the poisoned meat. All that is left of my companions is my severed head. While still lost and lonely at sea, I can finally find peace knowing that I avenged myself.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mrnnhnz
clearly at the end he's '...lost and so lonely at sea' because he has no-body ;-)
@holyunderwear92
the first time i heard this one, i was like.. " its good, but not one of the flights best songs.. " and then i found myself singing it all day at school... and laughing at the words.. now im addicted to it :) flight of the conchords are so randomly creative :)
@Haigen-MI
A classic tale of gaslighting
@BrunnerJamFilms
I'm saddened this song doesn't get much love. It may not be the best (especially shortened) but still damn catchy. "No, not dead. Just a head, lost by so lonleeey at sea."
@happentodie8776
Beautiful song ...
@lune78
So dark but funny at the same time. Didn't really like it as first but now I love it. I love the way Bret's voice sounds.
@dkrusekontrol
Great to see this song make it! A true classic.
@jayhead000
Suspiciously well fed.
@poptartjen
You can find an earlier version of this song on their live CD from a few years ago called "Folk The World".
@akjcbm
I so gald they did one of their old song for the last episode! I love this song