Franz Ferdinand is a Scottish rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland, U… Read Full Bio ↴Franz Ferdinand is a Scottish rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, in 2002 and played an important part in the post-punk revival of the 2000s. The band was composed of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards and backing vocals) and Paul Thomson (drums, percussion and backing vocals) until 2016 when McCarthy left them. The next year Julian Corrie (keyboards, synthesiser, guitar and backing vocals) and Dino Bardot (guitar and backing vocals) joined the band. As of October 2021, Audrey Tait (drums) has replaced Paul Thomson, after he amicably separated from the band.

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)

Treason! Animals
Franz Ferdinand Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey friends when will you get here?
Hey friends I need to hear voices
I don't care what you talk about
Hey friends I just need to hear voices
Could you bring the manual?
Bring the repair manual?
Something has really gone wrong here, here
Something has really really gone wrong

I'm the king of the animals
I'm the king of the trees and animals
Self-crowned king of the trees and the animals
I'm a king so give me a crown
I am an animal
Give me an animal crown

Hey friends when will you get here?
Hey friends this is my kingdom
This is a tree
This is an animal
Ask any one of them
And they daren't deny it
Ask any one of them
And they daren't deny it
No don't you dare deny it
This is my tree
This is my animal
But something has really gone wrong

I'm the king of the animals
I'm the king of the trees and animals
Self-crowned king of the trees and the animals
I'm a king so give me a crown
I am an animal
Give me an animal crown

I am an animal, oh give me an animal crown...

I'm in love with a narcissist
And I know for the mirror told me
I'm in love with my nemesis
And I know for the mirror told me
I'm in love with a narcissist
And I know for the mirror told me
I'm in love with my pharmacist
And I know for the mirror told me
I'm in love with a narcissist
And I know for the mirror told me
I'm in love with my analyst
And I know for the mirror told me
I'm in love with my nemesis
And I know for the mirror told me
I'm in love with a narcissist
And I know for the mirror told me

Hey friends when will you get here?
Hey friends I need to hear voices
I don't care what you talk about

Hey friends I just need to hear voices
Something has really really gone wrong

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Treason! Animals" by Franz Ferdinand are quite open to interpretation, as the song appears to be a stream of consciousness with a touch of absurdity. The lyrics seem to describe a situation where something has gone wrong and the singer desperately needs the help of his friends to fix it. But instead of asking for practical help, he just needs to hear their voices. It seems like he is trying to assert control over his surroundings by declaring himself as the king of the animals and the trees. The repetition of the line "something has really gone wrong here" emphasizes the feeling of chaos and confusion.

The second half of the song takes a surprising turn as the singer starts listing a series of romantic partners, including a narcissist, nemesis, pharmacist, and analyst, all of which have apparently been revealed to him through his mirror. This could be interpreted as a commentary on the self-absorbed nature of modern society, where people are more concerned with their own image and relationships than with larger societal problems.

The lyrics to "Treason! Animals" are characterized by their surreal, dreamlike quality, making it difficult to pin down a concrete meaning. Overall, the song seems to be a reflection on the feeling of being lost, disconnected, and searching for something to hold onto.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey friends when will you get here?
I need someone to talk to and I'm eagerly waiting for your arrival.

Hey friends I need to hear voices
I need to hear some human voices to calm myself down.

I don't care what you talk about
I'm not picky about the topic of conversation.

Could you bring the manual?
Can you bring me the repair manual for whatever is not working properly?

Bring the repair manual?
I really need the manual to fix what's broken.

Something has really gone wrong here, here
I know there's something fundamentally wrong and I need to fix it.

I'm the king of the animals
I consider myself the ruler of all creatures.

I'm the king of the trees and animals
I have self-appointed myself as the king of both flora and fauna.

Self-crowned king of the trees and the animals
I have crowned myself as the ruler of the plant and animal kingdoms.

I'm a king so give me a crown
I'm already a king but I want a crown to show it.

I am an animal
I consider myself just like any other creature.

Give me an animal crown
I want a crown that represents my status as an animal king.

Ask any one of them
You can ask any animal, they will confirm my status as their king.

And they daren't deny it
Because they're afraid of me, they won't dispute my claim as their ruler.

No don't you dare deny it
I won't tolerate anyone who challenges my claim to the animal and tree kingdoms.

This is my tree
I see each tree as my own property.

This is my animal
I feel entitled to any animal that exists in the world.

But something has really gone wrong
Even though I consider myself the ruler of animals and trees, I know there's something not right in my life.

I'm in love with a narcissist
I'm in love with someone who is excessively self-centered and egotistical.

And I know for the mirror told me
I know they're a narcissist because the mirror (a metaphor for introspection or self-reflection) has revealed it to me.

I'm in love with my nemesis
I'm in love with someone who is my rival, enemy or opposite.

I'm in love with my pharmacist
I'm in love with the person who dispenses my medication.

I'm in love with my analyst
I have romantic feelings towards my therapist, who helps me with my mental health.

Hey friends this is my kingdom
I see the world as my own kingdom.

Hey friends I just need to hear voices
I'm overwhelmed and feeling lonely, and I need some human interaction.

Something has really really gone wrong
I'm troubled and I know there's something seriously wrong that needs to be fixed.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEXANDER PAUL KAPRANOS HUNTLEY, NICHOLAS JOHN MCCARTHY, PAUL ROBERT THOMPSON, ROBERT HARDY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS