"LDN" is Mobile Phone text language for London. The lyrics are of Lily describing a bicycle ride through her hometown of London. Set to a cheerful tune, the lyrics first appear to describe a lovely scene "A fella looking dapper, and he's sittin' with a slapper", but follow up revealing a less glamorous reality, "Then I see it's a pimp and his crack whore."
Several episodes from "city life" are described, suggesting that things may not be what they seem: "When you look with your eyes everything seems nice, But if you look twice you can see it's all lies." However, Lily finds these sights "priceless", and asks (possibly sarcastically), "Oh why, oh why, would I wanna be anywhere else?". The lyrics might take part of their inspiration from William Blake's poem "London," which paints the city in a similar light.
LDN
Lily Allen Lyrics
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'Cause the filth took away my license
It doesn't get me down and I feel okay
'Cause the sights that I'm seeing are priceless
Everything seems to look as it should
But I wonder what goes on behind doors
A fella looking dapper, and he's sitting with a slapper
Then I see it's a pimp and his crack whore
You might laugh, you might frown
Walking 'round London town
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
There was a little old lady who was walking down the road
She was struggling with bags from Tesco
There were people from the city having lunch in the park
I believe that it's called al fresco
When a kid came along to offer a hand
But before she had time to accept it
Hits her over the head, doesn't care if she's dead
'Cause he's got all her jewelry and wallet
You might laugh, you might frown
Walking 'round London town
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
Life, yeah, that's city life (Angel, Dalston, Stockwell)
Yeah, that's city life (Clapton, Soho, Ladbroke Grove)
Yeah, that's city life
Life, yeah, that's city life (Camden, Brixton, Putney)
Yeah, that's city life (Tottenham, Chiswick, Old Kent Road)
Yeah, that's city life
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
You can see it's all lies
You can see it's all lies
Seems like all lies
Yeah, it's all lies
The lyrics of "LDN" by Lily Allen depict the city of London as both charming and gritty. The first verse talks about the singer's daily routine, riding her bike through the city, where she witnesses different things. She reflects on the fact that everything seems to look okay on the surface, but she wonders what goes on behind closed doors. In the chorus, she talks about how beautiful London is and how she wouldn't want to be anywhere else, despite the negative aspects of city life. She then goes back to talking about the dark side of London. In the second verse, she tells a story about an old lady getting robbed by a kid who hits her over the head, illustrating that even the most vulnerable people aren't safe in the city. The song concludes with the repetition of the point made in the chorus about the beauty and the lies of the city.
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the stark contrast between the beautiful, touristy parts of London and the poverty and danger that exist in other areas. Despite the negative aspects, the singer still loves the city and wants to stay there. It's a bittersweet love letter to London.
Line by Line Meaning
Riding through the city on my bike all day
I spend my entire day cycling around the city
'Cause the filth took away my licence
My driving licence was taken away for some reason
It doesn't get me down and I feel okay
This doesn't affect my mood and I'm fine with it
'Cause the sights that I'm seeing are priceless
Because the things I'm seeing while cycling are unique and valuable
Everything seems to look as it should
The world looks normal at first glance
But I wonder what goes on behind doors
I'm curious about what happens behind closed doors
A fella lookin' dapper, and he's sittin' with a slapper
There is a well-dressed man sitting with a promiscuous woman
Then I see it's a pimp and his crack whore
Upon closer inspection, I realize the man is a pimp and the woman is his drug-addicted prostitute
You might laugh, you might frown
You could react with either amusement or disapproval
Walkin' round London town
Strolling through the city of London
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
The sun shines brightly
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Why would I want to be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
At first glance
Everything seems nice
Things look good
But if you look twice
If you take a closer look
You can see it's all lies
You'll realize that it's not true
There was a little old lady, who was walkin' down the road
An elderly woman was walking down the street
She was struggling with bags from Tesco
She was having a hard time carrying grocery bags from the supermarket Tesco
There were people from the city having lunch in the park
City dwellers were having a picnic in the park
I believe that it's called al fresco
This outdoor eating is commonly known as al fresco
Then a kid came along to offer a hand
A child approached to help
But before she had time to accept it
Before she could respond
Hits her over the head, doesn't care if she's dead
The child hits her on the head and shows no regard for her life
'Cause he's got all her jewelry and wallet
Because he stole all of her valuables
Life, yeah, that's city life, yeah, that's city life, yeah, that's city life
This is what urban living is like
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
The sun is shining again
When you look with your eyes
At first glance
Everything seems nice
Things look good
But if you look twice
If you take a closer look
You can see it's all lies
You'll realize that it's not true
You can see it's all lies
It's clear that everything is not what it seems
You can see it's all lies
It's evident that things are not as they appear
Seems like all lies
It appears that everything is false
Yeah, it's all lies
Indeed, everything is not true
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Arthur Stanley Reid, Darren Emilio Lewis, Iyiola Babatunde Babalola, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen, Thomas McCook
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexromero9883
Riding through the city on my bike all day
'Cause the filth took away my licence
It doesn't get me down and I feel okay
'Cause the sights that I'm seeing are priceless
Everything seems to look as it should
But I wonder what goes on behind doors
A fella looking dapper, and he's sittin' with a slapper
Then I see it's a pimp and his crack whore
You might laugh, you might frown
Walkin' round London town
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why?
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
There was a little old lady, who was walkin' down the road
She was struggling with bags from Tesco
There were people from the city having lunch in the park
I believe that it's called al fresco
Then a kid came along to offer a hand
But before she had time to accept it
Hits her over the head, doesn't care if she's dead
'Cause he's got all her jewelry and wallet
You might laugh, you might frown
Walkin' round London town
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why?
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
Life, yeah, that's city life, yeah, that's city life, yeah, that's city life
Life, yeah, that's city life, yeah, that's city life, yeah, that's city life
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why?
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
Sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why?
Would I wanna be anywhere else?
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies
You can see it's all lies
You can see it's all lies
Seems like all lies
Yeah, it's all lies
@jackwilliams832
As a Londoner, this video perfectly captures what tourists think of London, and what it really is.
@ifb6368
I mean, tourists only visit Central London which is as 'perfect' as a city can be. I'm sure if they ventured off into Hounslow or Feltham it would be a completely different story.
@jackwilliams832
IFB yeah tourists really only visit central London but my point is when they tourists say London a lot of them will just refer to it as a nice place. When In reality they only know places such as Leicester Square, Hyde park and all of the nice tourist attractions, and then they associate the rest of London with them, when in reality that’s far from the case... they should take a trip to Catford
@armyg9404
Is that kind of ugly? I mean with all respect, i`m from México and I really want to visit London someday. Grettings!
@jackwilliams832
Army G greetings! By no means is London a bad city. London has great places which are in truth, beautiful. However like all city’s there are a lot of bad parts in London. But all I am saying is, people don’t realise there are bad parts of London, they assume the whole city is nice. When it’s not.
@jackwilliams832
VION very true!
@filipzawistowski4390
That opening monologue was the most retrospectively hipster thing ever.
@rosieiam4175
@Storm Murphy was that necessary?
@baxterboi2792
@Storm Murphy Freak
@sarcasticstartrek7719
It was proactively hipster as well - it's on purpose.