The song "Evidently Chickentown" became known to a wide audience through its use in the final season of the TV show "The Sopranos" and in the 2007 film "Control".
limbo
John Cooper Clarke Lyrics
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They make it their career
In the single files of history
Fall and disappear
Swearing they'll get even
With all those other creeps
Philistines and Heathens
They violently sleep
Just for the change
To get back to where they've been
A doorway in the rain
Back in the confession box
Back in the slums
Desire burns like chicken pox
Underneath the thumbs
A refugee from purgatory
Wears a crown of thorns
Turns out she's a gringo
Of hard circumstance
Limbo Baby Limbo
They want to see you dance
Take the tradesman's entrance
Take it out on a tramp
Every fucking sentence
Complains about the damp
The only girl is a faint cry
In the garden of cement
Wait until the paint dries
It's a big event
Look through heaven's window
With their opalescent panes
Limbo Baby Limbo
Down the Boulevard of shame
Saint Margaret dies intact
Hardly seems alert
Her stone gaze denies the fact
Her face hurts
The extra legal image
The cold cream skin
The regal gimicks
Did you in
Look through heaven's window
You see the powder blue veil
The cover girl of limbo
The sweetheart of the jail
Gypsy babies hop-scotch
Outside the silver gates
The witch doctor's wristwatch
Is stuck at five-to-eight
A bad break, a slight ache
Is every ones compaint
Flesh flakes like angel cake
From mug-shots of the saints
Who fell from a window
Was never seen again
'Til he turns up in limbo
In a doorway in the rain
A hero rides to heaven
The public only rots
For a fraction of forever
In a designated spot
Eternally paralysed
A morbid orbit shift
Halfway to paradise
Stuck in the lifts
Some smart crackin' bimbo
Say's you can't be employed
Sends you off to limbo
On the stairway to a void
The song "Limbo" by John Cooper Clarke is a powerful social commentary that condemns the injustices of modern society towards the marginalized and the suffering. The lyrics describe a grim world inhabited by people whose lives are shrouded in mystery, people who struggle to get by on a daily basis, people who are beaten down by the weight of their circumstances. The opening lines reveal that these people have made a career out of their suffering by becoming a permanent fixture in the pages of history, even though they fall and disappear like nobody ever cared. They are bitter and resentful, vowing to get even with the "creeps," "philistines" and "heathens" who have wronged them. They sleep violently and steal from cigarette machines to get back to the doorway in the rain where they belong, a world of darkness and desperation that is their only refuge.
The chorus of the song, "Limbo baby Limbo," is a refrain that calls attention to the fact that these people are perpetually stuck in a state of limbo, never moving forward or reaching their destination. They are trapped in a cycle of poverty, desperation and despair, unable to break free from the chains that bind them. The lyrics are rife with images of suffering and hopelessness, the gypsy babies hopping outside the silver gates, the witch doctor's wristwatch that is stuck at five-to-eight, the flesh flaking like angel cake from mug-shots of the saints who fell from the window and were never seen again. It's a world that is both surreal and painfully real, a reflection of the dark side of modernity where the poor are left behind and forgotten.
Overall, "Limbo" is an astute and incisive work of poetry that uses the power of words to shame the powerful, to speak truth to power, and to give voice to the voiceless. It's a song that demands attention and recognition for the struggles of those who are left behind, those who live and die in a world that has forgotten them.
Line by Line Meaning
Their lives are a mystery
These people’s lives are puzzling and unknown.
They make it their career
They have chosen to live this way as a profession.
In the single files of history
They live ordinary lives and go unnoticed.
Fall and disappear
They come and go without anyone else noticing.
Swearing they'll get even
They vow to take revenge.
With all those other creeps
Against all those who do them wrong.
Philistines and Heathens
The uneducated and the irreligious.
They violently sleep
They sleep aggressively with their dreams of revenge.
Or steal from cigarette machines
They steal small amounts of change from vending machines.
Just for the change
Only for the small amount of money.
To get back to where they've been
To return to their previous state of living.
A doorway in the rain
The only place that they call home.
Back in the confession box
They confess their sins again and again.
Back in the slums
In their poverty-stricken hometowns.
Desire burns like chicken pox
Their longing for revenge is excruciating.
Underneath the thumbs
Under the oppression of others.
A refugee from purgatory
Someone who was stuck in a state of in-between.
Wears a crown of thorns
They suffer many hardships.
Turns out she's a gringo
They realize they are outsiders.
Of hard circumstance
Their lives are difficult.
Limbo Baby Limbo
Their only identity is their state of living.
They want to see you dance
They want to see you suffer and struggle.
Take the tradesman's entrance
Take the less preferred route of life.
Take it out on a tramp
Take their anger out on a homeless person.
Every fucking sentence
Every word is a curse or insult.
Complains about the damp
They complain about everything, even small things.
The only girl is a faint cry
The only woman around is weak and fragile.
In the garden of cement
In their lifelong prison of the city and its buildings.
Wait until the paint dries
Wait until something mundane, like paint, becomes exciting.
It's a big event
Any new thing that happens is a big deal.
Look through heaven's window
This is a lofty dream.
With their opalescent panes
The dream is seen through multifaceted, iridescent windows.
Down the Boulevard of shame
The main road out of their destitute living.
Saint Margaret dies intact
Even the most sacred things die and crumble.
Hardly seems alert
Even the sacred things don't seem to care.
Her stone gaze denies the fact
The church looks the other way on issues of poverty and suffering.
Her face hurts
The thing that we thought to be sacred and good gives us pain.
The extra legal image
An image that has become used to being above the law.
The cold cream skin
The ideal image of beauty that we worship.
The regal gimmicks
The false façade of royalty.
Did you in
It fooled you.
You see the powder blue veil
The dream image of something heavenly and pure.
The cover girl of limbo
This beauty is also caught in the cycle of poverty and depression.
The sweetheart of the jail
Someone who is cherished but imprisoned.
Gypsy babies hop-scotch
Even the youngest of those caught in poverty cannot escape suffering.
Outside the silver gates
Outside of the few people who live in luxury and privilege.
The witch doctor's wristwatch
Seeing the irony in the symbols we trust and believe in.
Is stuck at five-to-eight
Even the magic of sorcery cannot keep time moving forward.
A bad break, a slight ache
Even small misfortunes can cause immense suffering.
Is every ones complaint
Everyone has problems.
Flesh flakes like angel cake
All people are frail and mortal.
From mug-shots of the saints
Even the holiest people have a past and point of weakness.
Who fell from a window
People who suffer sudden accidents.
Was never seen again
They are believed to have died.
In a doorway in the rain
Their only true, final destination.
A hero rides to heaven
A brave, selfless person ascends to eternal peace.
The public only rots
The world is unkind, and no one is truly good.
For a fraction of forever
Even the smallest pleasure is temporary.
In a designated spot
Anywhere but the 'doorway in the rain.'
Eternally paralyzed
Their tormented souls have become trapped, continuous and infinite.
A morbid orbit shift
The change in the direction of the earth's circulation, signalling a new era of darkness.
Halfway to paradise
The halfway point between heaven and hell.
Stuck in the lifts
Trapped and bound by the machinery of their own society.
Some smart crackin' bimbo
Someone who is cheerful but doesn't really understand.
Say's you can't be employed
Depression and poverty keep all kinds of people from getting a job.
Sends you off to limbo
You are trapped in this cycle forever on your quest to reach the end of your woes and find peace.
On the stairway to a void
You are descending to nothingness.
Contributed by Natalie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.