Totem on the Timeline
Klaxons Lyrics


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At Club 18-30, I met Julius Caesar
Lady Diana and Mother Teresa
At Club 18-30, I met Julius Caesar
Lady Diana and Mother Teresa

Signs, you know I see them all the time
Time, it's just a fraction of a sign
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline
Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find
And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline
Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find
And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive

At Club 18-30, I met Julius Caesar
Lady Diana and Mother Teresa
At Club 18-30, I met Julius Caesar
Lady Diana and Mother Teresa

Signs, you know I see them all the time
Time, it's just a fraction of a sign

Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline
Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find
And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline
Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find
And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive

Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline
Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find
And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive
Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline




Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find
And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Klaxons' song "Totem on the Timeline" are complex, and can be interpreted in a number of ways. At their core, the song seems to be about the power of symbols and the way they shape our perception of the world. The opening lines of the song, which reference figures like Julius Caesar, Lady Diana, and Mother Teresa, immediately suggest the idea of historical memory, and the way that certain people become symbols of the past. At the same time, the repetition of these names throughout the song almost suggests a kind of absurdity, as though the very act of invoking them in this context is somehow meaningless.


The refrain of the song, which repeats the lines "Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline / Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find / And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive," is perhaps the most cryptic part of the song. It's possible that "Cerebella" is a reference to a part of the brain, which could suggest that the song is exploring the way that symbols shape our thinking. The reference to "unwelcome foreign hands" could be seen as a commentary on xenophobia or nationalism, while the mention of Famagusta, a city on the island of Cyprus that was heavily involved in the conflict between the Greek and Turkish communities, suggests a connection to political violence.


Overall, "Totem on the Timeline" is a dense and challenging piece of music that invites multiple interpretations. The song seems to be exploring a number of related themes, including memory, symbolism, violence, and the power of the past to shape our perception of the present.


Line by Line Meaning

At Club 18-30, I met Julius Caesar
I have encountered famous figures throughout history at a holiday resort for young adults.


Lady Diana and Mother Teresa
I encountered Lady Diana and Mother Teresa in this same location.


Signs, you know I see them all the time
I constantly observe symbolic indications of events or messages.


Time, it's just a fraction of a sign
Time is a small piece of a bigger picture that contributes to symbolic meanings.


Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline
The cerebellum, a part of the brain important for coordination and timing, is positioned on a line of symbols representing ancestry or history.


Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find
It is difficult to identify outsiders or those who do not belong in a particular context.


And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive
Even those who are responsible for death and punishment can experience mortality and suffering in oppressive environments.


Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline
The cerebellum remains in the same symbolic location despite the passage of time.


Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find
The difficulty in identifying outsiders persists.


And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive
The inescapable afflictions of Famagusta's hive affect everyone, even those who contribute to it.


At Club 18-30, I met Julius Caesar
The holiday resort continues to provide encounters with historical figures.


Lady Diana and Mother Teresa
The same applies to Lady Diana and Mother Teresa.


Signs, you know I see them all the time
The constant observation of symbolic indications remains a central theme.


Time, it's just a fraction of a sign
Time's status as a small piece of a larger symbolic picture persists.


Cerebella sitting on the totem timeline
The cerebellum's symbolic position remains constant.


Unwelcome foreign hands are very hard to find
The difficulty of identifying outsiders continues to be emphasized.


And hangmen also die in Famagusta's hive
The song ends on the same note of the inevitability of mortality and suffering under oppressive conditions.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES NICHOLAS RIGHTON, JAMIE OLIVER JACK REYNOLDS, SIMON LEE CAMPBELL TAYLOR-DAVIES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@tamahmed5058

What a classic. This takes me back to being 13!

@gabrielwillames

the time when android phones didn't exist XD

@Nice-hd4my

gabrielwillames actually they did....

@sebastian_ghoxt

This song is fantastic

@marcastos

I just feel like moving!!! Great song

@eatyourbrain7

me faz sentir falta da minha pré-adolescência

@rr-vv7tw

até a mim.
ainda curto o som em 2023😅

@shoegazer303

In May 2019 still a Masterpiece.. ❤

@cabrerabaez1519

Klaxons é foda

@gabrielwillames

d+

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