Roland
Interpol (Turn On the Bright Lights 2002) Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He carries them all over the town
At least he tries oh look it stopped snowing
My best friend's from Poland and oh he has a beard
But they caught him with his case in a public place
That is what we had feared
He severed segments and secretly liked that
He severed segments and secretly liked that
He always took the time
He always took the time
C'mon now pussycat
My best friend's a butcher, he has sixteen knives
He carries them all over the town
At least he tries oh look it stopped snowing
And my best friend's from Poland and oh he has a beard
But they caught him with his case in a public place
That is what we had feared
He severed segments and secretly liked that
He always took the time to speak with me I liked him for that
He severed segments and secretly liked that
He was growing on me
He was growing on me
The song "Roland" by Interpol from their debut album Turn On the Bright Lights, features enigmatic and cryptic lyrics that have proven to be intriguing for fans and critics alike. The song opens with the line “Hey, my best friend’s a butcher, he has sixteen knives” which sets the tone for the rest of the song as a macabre and surrealistic narrative. The lyrics hint at something much darker than what is on the surface, with vivid imagery indicative of a psychological thriller. The band members have never fully explained the story behind the song, but some speculate it could be about a friend’s descent into madness or a serial killer.
The lyrics "He severed segments and secretly liked that| He always took the time to speak with me I liked him for that," are particularly striking as they suggest that the singer’s best friend has an affinity for dismemberment. The next line that follows, "He always took the time," seems to contrast the previous ones with an almost endearing quality, hinting at a twisted relationship between the two characters. Overall, the song is a fascinating enigma, with each listen revealing new elements to explore.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, my best friend's a butcher, he has sixteen knives
The singer's best friend is a butcher who carries around many knives.
He carries them all over the town
The butcher brings his knives everywhere in town.
At least he tries oh look it stopped snowing
The singer notes that it has stopped snowing, but this is an unrelated observation.
My best friend's from Poland and oh he has a beard
The butcher is from Poland and has a beard.
But they caught him with his case in a public place
The butcher was caught with his knife case in a public area.
That is what we had feared
The singer and others were worried that the butcher would get caught.
He severed segments and secretly liked that
The butcher enjoyed cutting meat into precise pieces.
He always took the time to speak with me I liked him for that
The butcher was always friendly and took time to talk to the singer.
He was growing on me
The singer had started to like the butcher more.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Carlos Dengler, Daniel Kessler, Paul Banks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind