Gomez completed an inaugural U.S. tour opening for Eagle-Eye Cherry in October 1998, while the press still offered praise (Spin magazine called Bring It On "a damn beautiful album," giving it an eight out of ten rating). Liquid Skin followed one year later and went platinum in England, and the rarities/B-sides compilation Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline appeared in 2000. A third studio album, In Our Gun, was released in spring 2002. Another hiatus saw Ian Ball relocating to Los Angeles while still working with the band at its new studio in Portslade, England. The dozens of tracks recorded during this time were whittled down and fashioned into Split the Difference, released in May of 2004. By that time, Hut, the group's original label, had gone under, leaving Gomez signed to Virgin (Hut's distributor). Despite all the critical acclaim, the band's album sales never seemed to match Virgin's expectations, and the two sides parted ways later that year.
In 2005, Gomez signed with ATO Records and released Out West, the group's first live album. How We Operate arrived in May 2006, and the band rounded out the year by assembling a retrospective collection of singles, rarities, and unreleased tracks entitled Five Men in a Hut: Singles 1998-2004. Gomez's members were spread across two continents by this point, leading to a three-year gap between How We Operate and the band's sixth studio release, A New Tide, parts of which were recorded individually by the various bandmates and then merged online. Ben Ottewell took some time after its release to launch a solo career, with 2011's Shapes & Shadows marking his first major release outside of the band. Months later, the band released another studio album, Whatever's on Your Mind, with Phantom Planet's Sam Farrar sharing production duties with the bandmates themselves.
Biography by Greg Prato
Miles End
Gomez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never gonna match up with that smile
He's wearing mostly black and gold
It's been twelve days
The longest for a while
He's been fortunate
He can't tell a lie
They all fall for his lines
He's been king now for so long
His days are numbered
Times have changed, so move along
The dream is over
Draped across Egyptian linen
Even Cleopatra casts an eye
A gossamer see-through zipped up tracksuit
Champagne bottle, ten o'clock on fire
He's been fortunate
He cannot deny
Jacuzzi baronet
With soap suds in his eyes
He's been king now for so long
His days are numbered
Times have changed, so move along
The dream is over
He's been king now for so long
His days are numbered
Times have changed, so move along
The dream is over
We've been waiting for so long
We think it's over
The lyrics of “Miles End” by Gomez seem to describe a man who is living a life of luxury, with women falling for him every time he tells a lie. The first verse starts off with the imagery of Chinese symbols on his robe not matching his smile, which gives us a sense of his deceitful nature. The line “It’s been twelve days, the longest for a while” could mean that he’s been in a slump or that he’s been with one woman for twelve days, which is a long time for him.
The second verse gives us an even more detailed picture of his lavish lifestyle, with references to Egyptian linen and a gossamer see-through tracksuit. He seems to live a life of excess, with champagne bottles on fire and soap suds in his eyes while he’s in the jacuzzi. The repeated line, “He’s been king now for so long, His days are numbered,” could mean that his reign of luxury and deception is coming to an end. The chorus repeats ominously that “the dream is over” and that we have been waiting for so long that we think it’s over.
Overall, the lyrics of “Miles End” portray a man who is living a life of luxury and deceit, with his actions catching up with him. It’s a cautionary tale and perhaps a reminder that no matter how long we’ve been at the top, things can quickly change.
Line by Line Meaning
Chinese symbols on his robe
He wears a robe with Chinese symbols
Never gonna match up with that smile
The smile on his face does not match the symbols
He's wearing mostly black and gold
The main colors of his outfit are black and gold
It's been twelve days
It has been twelve days since something happened
The longest for a while
This is the longest amount of time something like this has happened in a while
He's been fortunate
He has had good luck
He can't tell a lie
He is incapable of lying
Redheads, blondes, brunettes
Women of different hair colors
They all fall for his lines
He is able to successfully seduce all of them
He's been king now for so long
He has been the leader for a long time
His days are numbered
His time in his role is coming to an end
Times have changed, so move along
The world has changed and it is time for him to leave
The dream is over
His time as king has come to an end and it is time to move on
Draped across Egyptian linen
He is laying on Egyptian linen
Even Cleopatra casts an eye
Even a famous historical figure like Cleopatra would take notice of him
A gossamer see-through zipped up tracksuit
He is wearing a translucent tracksuit that zips up
Champagne bottle, ten o'clock on fire
He is drinking from a bottle of champagne that is on fire, which is set for 10 PM
He cannot deny
He cannot say no to a tempting offer
Jacuzzi baronet
He is wealthy and enjoys relaxing in a jacuzzi
With soap suds in his eyes
He has soap suds in his eyes, possibly from spending too much time in the jacuzzi
We've been waiting for so long
Others have been waiting for a long time
We think it's over
They believe that whatever they've been waiting for is now complete
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BEN OTTEWELL, IAN THOMAS BALL, OLIVER JAMES PEACOCK, PAUL BLACKBURN, THOMAS WILLIAM GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind