- Julian Cope
Pristeen
Julian Cope Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How much can you take?
Pristeen. Pristeen
How much can you take?
'Cause your lying to me was you first mistake,
Your trusting in me was your major mistake,
Pristeen. Pristeen
How much can you take?
Trusting in me was your major mistake,
Pristeen. Pristeen
How much can you take?
I went down on Pristeen,
Now, how much does it take
To go down on someone - someone that you hate?
'Cause her lying to me was her first mistake,
Trusting in me was her major mistake,
Pristeen. Pristeen, tell me how much can you take?
The song Pristeen by Julian Cope is a powerful and confrontational piece that delves into themes of trust and betrayal within a relationship. The repeated lines of "Pristeen. Pristeen. How much can you take?" seem to be directed at a woman who has wronged the singer in some way. The lyrics suggest that she has lied to him and made a major mistake by placing her trust in him. The line "I went down on Pristeen, now how much does it take to go down on someone - someone that you hate?" is particularly chilling, suggesting that the singer has engaged in a sexual act with this woman even though he despises her.
Overall, the song is a raw and emotionally charged exploration of the darker aspects of human relationships. It is a sharp commentary on the power dynamics at play between men and women, and the often damaging consequences that can result from misguided trust and betrayal.
Line by Line Meaning
Pristeen. Pristeen
The word 'Pristeen' repeated twice, perhaps meaning that the subject of the song is pure and innocent.
How much can you take?
Asking the subject of the song how much they can bear or endure.
'Cause your lying to me was your first mistake,
The subject's deception towards the singer was their initial error.
Your trusting in me was your major mistake,
The subject's misplaced faith in the singer was their biggest blunder.
Pristeen. Pristeen
Repeating the word 'Pristeen' to reiterate the song's theme.
How much can you take?
Further asking how much the subject can endure.
'Cause your lying to me was your first mistake,
Repeating that the subject's first mistake was deceiving the singer.
Trusting in me was your major mistake,
Repeating that the subject's biggest mistake was putting trust in the singer.
Pristeen. Pristeen
Reiterating the song's title.
How much can you take?
Once again, asking how much the subject can bear.
I went down on Pristeen,
The singer may have had sexual intercourse with the subject, named 'Pristeen'.
Now, how much does it take
Asking how much it took to perform a sexual act on someone the singer hates.
To go down on someone - someone that you hate?
Rhetorical question about the difficulty of performing sexual acts on someone you loathe.
'Cause your lying to me was your first mistake,
Repeating the subject's act of deception towards the singer.
Trusting in me was your major mistake,
Reiterating that the subject's biggest mistake was trusting the singer.
Pristeen. Pristeen, tell me how much can you take?
Repeating the song's title as a questioning statement, asking how much the subject can handle.
Contributed by London J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jimdennis121
The brilliant Mr Cope, and what a strong voice
@chadmoonstone7486
Such a killer version
@mrpeteroy365
Outstanding!
@angrysaints
Amazing performance
@hervedumont6226
Masterpiece
@Johnconno
The audience are grotesquely great.
@gerardpeter8761
incredible thank you mr jh cope
@scottd3103
The TV show was a channel 4 thing called the Dome. My brother and I bought peggy suicide after watching this performance and became instant copeheads. It was an interesting show I recall because they let the acts play album tracks. Inspiral Carpers performed Sleep Well Tonight. I can’t remember any other acts but I remember the quality being high. Music shows come any go: there doesn’t seem to be much info about thus show online.
@ElectricLabel
The TV show was "Friday at the Dome" which was broadcast live from the Kilburn National Ballroom in London.
@royferguson3909
2021 still as fresh