Bower attended Bedales School, a boarding school in England. He is a former member of the National Youth Music Theatre. He was the lead singer for The Darling Buds until the band split in 2015. His new band, Counterfeit, released their debut EP Come Get Some on November 27, 2015.
No Place Like London
Jamie Campbell Bower Lyrics
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I have sailed the world, beheld its wonders
From the Dardanelles
To the mountains of Peru,
But there's no place like London—!
Todd:
No, there's no place like London.
Anthony (spoken):
Mr. Todd…?
Todd:
You are young.
Life has been kind to you.
You will learn.
There's a hole in the world
Like a great black pit
And the vermin of the world
Inhabit it
And its morals aren't worth
What a pig would spit
And it goes by the name of London.
At the top of the hole
Sit the privileged few,
Making mock of the vermin
In the lower zoo,
Turning beauty into filth and greed.
I too
Have sailed the world and seen its wonders,
For the cruelty of men
Is as wondrous as Peru,
But there's no place like London!
Anthony (spoken):
Is everything alright, Mr. Todd?
Todd (spoken):
I beg your indulgence, Anthony. My mind is far
from easy. In these once-familiar streets
I feel shadows everywhere.
Todd:
There was a barber and his wife,
And she was beautiful.
A foolish barber and his wife.
She was his reason and his life,
And she was beautiful.
And she was virtuous.
And he was—
Naive.
There was another man who saw
That she was beautiful,
A pious vulture of the law,
Who with a gesture of his claw
Removed the barber from his plate.
Then there was nothing but to wait
And she would fall,
So soft,
So young,
So lost,
And so, so beautiful!
Anthony (spoken):
And the lady, sir, did she succumb?
Todd:
Oh, that was many years ago…
I doubt if anyone would know.
Todd (spoken):
I'd like to thank you, Anthony.
If you hadn't spotted me, I would be lost on
the ocean still.
Anthony (spoken):
Will I see you again?
Todd (spoken):
You might find me, if you like, around Fleet Street,
I wouldn't wonder.
Anthony (spoken):
Until then, my friend.
Todd:
There's a hole in the world
Like a great black pit
And it's filled with people
Who are filled with shit
And the vermin of the world
Inhabit it…
The lyrics of No Place Like London speak about the mesmerizing beauty of London while also acknowledging the cruel and vicious nature of the city as well. The first part of the song features Anthony, a young sailor who has been around the world and believes there is nothing more beautiful than London. But Todd, a barber who has returned to London after being falsely accused of a crime, disagrees. He points out that beneath the surface of London, there’s a hole, a great black pit filled with vermin and people who are filled with shit. Todd describes how the privileged few sit atop the hole, making fun of the poor in the lower zoo, turning beauty into filth and greed. Finally, Todd reveals that he was once a foolish barber with a beautiful wife who was taken away from him. He implies that the same fate could befall anyone who underestimates the cruelty of London.
The song No Place Like London is a part of the movie Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which is based on a stage musical of the same name.
Line by Line Meaning
I have sailed the world, beheld its wonders
I have traveled the world and have seen its many beautiful things.
From the Dardanelles To the mountains of Peru, But there's no place like London—!
I have seen many places, but none can compare to London.
No, there's no place like London.
There is truly no place like London.
You are young. Life has been kind to you. You will learn.
You are still young and have much to learn about the world.
There's a hole in the world Like a great black pit And the vermin of the world Inhabit it And its morals aren't worth What a pig would spit And it goes by the name of London.
London is a dark, immoral place inhabited by the worst people.
At the top of the hole Sit the privileged few, Making mock of the vermin In the lower zoo, Turning beauty into filth and greed. I too Have sailed the world and seen its wonders, For the cruelty of men Is as wondrous as Peru, But there's no place like London!
The rich people at the top mock and exploit the poor, turning good things into bad. Even though I have seen the world, the cruelty of men in London is unmatched.
There was a barber and his wife, And she was beautiful. A foolish barber and his wife. She was his reason and his life, And she was beautiful. And she was virtuous. And he was— Naive.
There was a barber and his beautiful wife who he loved dearly, but he was naive to the true nature of London.
There was another man who saw That she was beautiful, A pious vulture of the law, Who with a gesture of his claw Removed the barber from his plate. Then there was nothing but to wait And she would fall, So soft, So young, So lost, And so, so beautiful!
Another man saw the barber's wife and wanted her. He used his power to cause the barber's downfall and waited for her to fall into his trap.
Oh, that was many years ago… I doubt if anyone would know.
That all happened many years ago and no one knows what happened to the barber's wife.
There's a hole in the world Like a great black pit And it's filled with people Who are filled with shit And the vermin of the world Inhabit it…
London is a terrible place filled with terrible people.
Contributed by Amelia T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.