Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985), known professionally as Lily Al… Read Full Bio ↴Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985), known professionally as Lily Allen, is an English singer/songwriter, hailing from London, United Kingdom. She is the daughter of Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Allen left school when she was 15 and concentrated on improving her performing and compositional skills. She started her musical career in 2002 by signing to London Records. In 2005, she made some of her recordings public on Myspace and the publicity resulted in airplay on BBC Radio 1 and a contract with Regal Recordings.

Her first mainstream single, "Smile", reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in July 2006. Her debut record, Alright, Still, was well received, selling over 2.6 million copies worldwide and brought Allen a nomination at the Grammy Awards, BRIT Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. She began hosting her own talk-show, Lily Allen and Friends, on BBC Three.

Her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You, saw a genre shift, having more of an electropop feel, rather than the ska and reggae influences of the first one. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and the Australian ARIA Charts and was well received by critics, noting the singer's musical evolution and maturity. It spawned the hit singles "The Fear" and "Fuck You", popular mostly in Europe. Allen and Amy Winehouse have been credited with starting a process that led to the media-proclaimed "year of the women" in 2009 that saw five female artists making music of "experimentalism and fearlessness" nominated for the Mercury Prize. lilly allen is the sickest to ever do it.

Alfie
Lily Allen Lyrics

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Oh, deary me
My little brother's in his bedroom smoking weed
I tell him he should get up 'cause it's nearly half past three
He can't be bothered 'cause he's high on THC
I ask him very nicely if he'd like a cup of tea
I can't even see you 'cause the room is so smokey
Don't understand how one can watch so much TV
My baby brother Alfie, how I wish that you could see

Oh, I only say it 'cause I care
So please can you stop pulling my hair
Now, now there's no need to swear
Please don't despair my dear, Mon frere

Oh, Alfie get up it's a brand new day
I just can't sit back and watch you waste your life away
You need to get a job because the bills need to get paid
Get off your lazy arse
Alfie, please use your brain
Surely there's some walls out there that you can go and spray
I'm feeling guilty if I leading you astray
Now, how the hell do you ever expect that you'll get laid
When all you do is stay and play on your computer games?

Oh, I only say it 'cause I care
So please can you stop pulling my hair
Now, now there's no need to swear
Please don't despair my dear Mon frere

Oh, little brother, please refrain from doing that
I'm trying to help you out so can you stop being a twat
It's time that you and I sit down and had a little chat
Just look me in the eyes take off that stupid fitted cap

Oh, I only say it 'cause I care
So please can you stop pulling my hair
Now, now there's no need to swear

Please don't despair

Please don't despair
Mon frere

Overall Meaning

In Lily Allen’s song “Alfie,” she gives listeners insight into the life of her younger brother, who spends his days smoking weed, watching TV and playing video games. She tells him he needs to get up and get a job, but he’s too high to care. She offers him a cup of tea but can’t make out his presence through the thick smoke in his room. Allen expresses her sadness at Alfie’s lack of ambition and wastes of his potential.

Throughout the song, she uses a mixture of sarcasm, humor, and genuine concern to get her point across. Even though Alfie appears not to care, Allen keeps trying to guide him into a more productive path. She acknowledges that she is not perfect either, but she loves him and wants him to do better. Despite the humor of the song, there’s a serious message about drug use, wasted potential, and the importance of ambition.

The song highlights Allen's witty and often sarcastic lyrics, a signature style she has become known for. It's a song that people from different walks of life can relate to on different levels. For some, it's a commentary on the generation gap, for others, it reflects the struggle of trying to motivate someone who doesn't seem to care. Regardless, Allen's frank and funny take on the subject matter captures the imagination of her listeners.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, deary me
I am concerned about the situation.

My little brother's in his bedroom smoking weed
My younger brother is smoking marijuana in his bedroom.

I tell him he should get up 'cause it's nearly half past three
I suggest that he should wake up since it is already half past three.

He can't be bothered 'cause he's high on THC
He is too high on THC to bother getting up.

I ask him very nicely if he'd like a cup of tea
I politely offer him a cup of tea.

I can't even see you 'cause the room is so smokey
The smoke in the room is so thick that I cannot see him.

Don't understand how one can watch so much TV
I don't understand how he can spend so much time watching TV.

My baby brother Alfie, how I wish that you could see
I wish that he could see how much he is ruining his life.

Oh, I only say it 'cause I care
I only criticize him because I care about his well-being.

So please can you stop pulling my hair
Please stop bothering and annoying me.

Now, now there's no need to swear
Please stop using foul language.

Please don't despair my dear, Mon frere
Please don't lose hope, my dear brother.

Oh, Alfie get up it's a brand new day
I urge him to wake up and start fresh because it's a new day.

I just can't sit back and watch you waste your life away
I cannot watch him waste his life anymore.

You need to get a job because the bills need to get paid
He should find a job to pay the bills.

Get off your lazy arse
Stop being lazy and take action.

Alfie, please use your brain
Please start thinking logically, Alfie.

Surely there's some walls out there that you can go and spray
There must be some walls he can spray paint to make money.

I'm feeling guilty if I leading you astray
I feel responsible for leading him towards a destructive path.

Now, how the hell do you ever expect that you'll get laid
He will not find a romantic partner if he keeps wasting his life away.

When all you do is stay and play on your computer games?
He will never find love if he continues to only play computer games all day.

Oh, little brother, please refrain from doing that
Please stop doing whatever he's doing.

I'm trying to help you out so can you stop being a twat
I am trying to assist him, so he should stop being rude.

It's time that you and I sit down and had a little chat
It's time to have a serious conversation with him.

Just look me in the eyes take off that stupid fitted cap
He should look me in the eye and show some respect during our conversation.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Greg Kurstin, Lily Rose Allen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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