The band first experienced chart success when their second single "Take Me Out" reached #3 in the UK Charts, followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand which entered the UK album chart at #3. The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and two BRIT Awards in 2005 for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. NME named Franz Ferdinand as their Album of the Year. From the album, three top-ten singles were released, "Take Me Out", "The Dark of the Matinée" and "This Fire". The band has also received several Grammy Award nominations.
The band is named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination was one of the main reasons for the start of the First World War. The band decided on the name after seeing a racehorse named Archduke Ferdinand win the Northumberland Plate in 2001, eventually coming to the decision as the alliteration and sound of the name appealed to them.
- Discography
Franz Ferdinand (2004)
You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)
Blood; Franz Ferdinand (2009)
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013)
FFS (2015) (Collaborative album with the band Sparks)
Always Ascending (2018)
Hits to the Head (2022)
Bite Hard
Franz Ferdinand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sing these songs
About you
You don't know the pseudonyms
I assume
You don't know the pseudonyms
I assume
For you
Are you happier now?
That the Gods are dying
Or do you dream of
Heston with an omniscient beard
You should be happier now
With no one to pray to
Or would you love to
Break your knees from begging and praying?
Bite hard
Well its a broken smile
Breaking their hearts and breaking their minds
Bite hard
Well it's a five on five
Your engine's alive, and we ride together
Bite hard
(Bite hard)
I may be lonelier now
But I'm happy alone, honest
Ain't lonely alone (oh)
What would we talk about anyway
No, I'd never resort to kissing your photo
Honest
I just had to see
How the chemicals taste there, honey
Bite hard
Well its a broken smile
Breaking their hearts and breaking their minds
Bite hard
Well it's a five on five
Your engine's alive, and we ride together
We ride together
We die together
(Ah)
Bite hard
(Ah)
Bite hard
(Ah)
Bite hard
Well I never
No, I never
No, I never
No, I never
I just had to
I just had to
I just had to see now, honey
Bite hard
Well its a broken smile
Breaking their hearts and breaking their minds
Bite hard
Well it's a five on five
Your engine's alive, and we ride together
We ride together
We die together
The lyrics of "Bite Hard" by Franz Ferdinand speaks about someone who sings songs about someone who doesn't know that they are the inspiration for the songs. The person being sung about doesn't know the pseudonyms assumed by the singer for them. The chorus focuses on biting hard, which means to be aggressive and to show no mercy. The lyrics could be interpreted as the singer feeling anger towards the person they sing about, possibly due to some kind of hurt or betrayal. The lines, "Are you happy now? That the Gods are dying," suggest a sense of bitterness or resentment towards the other person.
The second verse shows a shift in tone as the singer claims to be happy on their own, but the line, "Ain't only alone but what would we talk about anyway," implies that they're still thinking about the other person. The lines, "I just had to see how the chemicals taste their honey," could be interpreted as the singer seeking out distractions or indulging in vices to forget about the other person.
Overall, the song appears to be about the complex feelings of bitterness and longing after a relationship ends.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't know
I hide my true feelings from you
I sing these songs
These songs are about you
About you
My feelings for you
You don't know the the Pseudonyms
You don't know the fake names I use
I assume
I don't know your true feelings for me
You don't know the the Pseudonyms
You don't know the fake names I use
I assume
I don't know your true feelings for me
For you
I do all of this for you
Are you happy now?
How do you feel with the changes happening?
That the Gods are dying
Religion is fading away
Or do you dream of
What do you want to replace religion with?
(don't know this line)
Unknown
You should be happier now
Without religion, you should find more freedom
With no one to pray to
There is no higher power to worship
Or would I love to break your knees from begging and praying?
Do you miss the certainty that religion brings?
Bite hard
Fight fiercely
Well its a broken smile
It's a smile masking pain
Breaking their hearts and breaking their minds.
Hurting other people
Bite hard
Fight fiercely
It's a 5.05
It's time to take action
Edges and lines your engines alive
Ready to start fighting
Bite hard
Fight fiercely
May be lonelier now but im happy oh no honest
Maybe I'm alone, but I'm glad to be honest
Ain't only alone but what would we talk about anyway
Even if we were together, we'd have nothing to say
I'd never resort to kissing your photo
I wouldn't become obsessed with you
Honest
Truly
I just had to see
I needed to know
How the chemicals taste their honey
How it feels to indulge in lust
Bite hard
Fight fiercely
A survival guide
We have to look out for each other to survive
Edges and lines and we ride together
Ready to fight together
We ride together
We are united in our fight
We die together
We will stand by each other until the end
Bite hard
Fight fiercely
Bite hard
Fight fiercely
Bite hard
Fight fiercely
Whoa
An expression of excitement or surprise
Well I never
I never thought
Well I never
I never thought
Well I never know
I never knew
Well I never
I never thought
I just had to
I needed to know
I just had to taste their honey
I needed to experience lust
A survival guide
We have to look out for each other to survive
Edges and lines and we ride together
Ready to fight together
We ride together
We are united in our fight
We die together
We will stand by each other until the end
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley, Nicholas John McCarthy, Paul Robert Thompson, Robert Hardy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind