Born in Buxton, Derbyshire, Cole grew up in nearby Chapel en le Frith and went to New Mills Grammar School. After failing in law at University College London, he later attended (but did not graduate from) the University of Glasgow where he studied philosophy and English and met the other members of band that would become The Commotions. Their 1984 debut, Rattlesnakes, contained numerous literary and pop culture references to figures like Norman Mailer, Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, Truman Capote and Joan Didion. The group produced two more albums, Easy Pieces and Mainstream, before disbanding in 1989, when Cole re-located to New York to record with legendary musicians like Fred Maher and Robert Quine (as well as a then largely unknown Matthew Sweet).
This solo setting produced two acclaimed albums, Lloyd Cole in 1990 and 1991's Don't Get Weird on Me Babe. The latter was recorded in two parts: one side continued the New York rock mastered on his first solo album, while the other side featured a session orchestra, much in the style of Burt Bacharach or Scott Walker. Although some reviewers have claimed Don't Get Weird on Me Babe (the title being a quote from the American neo-realism poet Raymond Carver) to be a creative peak, it produced significantly lesser record sales, and the contract with Capitol Records ended.
Subsequently signed by Rykodisc, Cole continued redefining his sound with Bad Vibes (1993), a collaboration with producer/remixer Adam Peters using a harder, grunge and psychedelica inspired sound. Love Story (1995) established stripped-down, largely acoustic sound landscapes with the help of Stephen Street (famous for his work with Blur and The Smiths) and former Commotions Neil Clark and Blair Cowan; the album produced a minor hit with the song "Like Lovers Do".
In 2000, after years without a contract, Cole recorded a disc with the New York band The Negatives, featuring Jill Sobule and Dave Derby of the Dambuilders. He has since released solo albums on smaller independent labels. Sanctuary Records, the company responsible for the revival of Morrissey, released Music in a Foreign Language (2003) in the U.K. Recorded largely by Cole himself (including tracks recorded directly into a Mac), the songs had a stark, folk-inspired singer-songwriter style. One Little Indian, home of Björk, released Music in a Foreign Language in the U.S.; they also collected a number of outtakes (recorded from 1996 to 2000) on 2004's Etc. and released an instrumental ambient electronica album, Plastic Wood, the same year.
Cole continued to tour, playing intimate club venues in a one-man acoustic setting. In 2004, to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of Rattlesnakes, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions reformed to perform a one-off, sell-out tour in the U.K. and Ireland. An avid golfer, he is also known for playing concerts in towns suspiciously close to famous golf courses. He also shares a passion for this sport with Alice Cooper who is said to introduce the song "Only Women Bleed" claiming "not even Lloyd Cole has written a song about menstruation" when playing live.
Cole's album "Antidepressant" was released in 2006 featuring the former Commotions guitarist Neil Clark on some tracks.
The follow-up Broken Record, released in September 2010, marked a departure from his solo recordings, as it was performed by a band of longstanding friends and working partners, including Fred Maher, Joan Wasser, Rainy Orteca, Dave Derby and Blair Cowan – as well as two musicians, Matt Cullen (guitar; banjo) and Mark Schwaber (guitar; mandolin).
An album co-funded by fans, Standards, was released in June 2013.
A studio album – Guesswork – was released on July 26, 2019 by earMUSIC.
Pay For It
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't nothing down here free
Did you lose your ticket?
Hope you weren't looking for me
Now I'm still wearing the scars I got from being your fool
You messed me up pretty good, babe
I didn't mean to rule you
Remember when I first saw you, babe
Said you were looking for love
Well then why didn't you?
You just sat there taking everything you could get
Never thought one day you might have to pay for it
Well did you ever dream, baby, one day you might fall
And feel your back against the wall?
Well did you ever dream, baby, one day you might crawl?
Did you ever dream?
Now when you're putting on your face
I guess that you feel kinda low
Knowing that you passed your best, and you got nothing to show
Well, baby, you know just as well as I
Some fool is gonna fall your way
Only this time around you might have to pay for it
Well did you ever dream, baby, one day you might fall
And feel your back against the wall?
Well did you ever dream, baby, one day you might crawl?
That's what I said
Did you ever dream, baby
When you had no need, baby?
Did you ever dream
That you might have to pay for it?
I do believe that you might have to pay now
Well did you ever dream, baby, one day you might fall
Yeah, and feel your back against the wall?
Well did you ever dream, baby, one day you might crawl?
Strange to see you baby
Mmm strange, very strange
'Cause you messed me up good
Yes, you messed me up
Messed me up pretty good now didn't you, baby?
Mmm, took me a long time to get back here
But I swear I didn't mean to rule you
Yeah, I swear I didn't mean to rule you
How do you mend what you didn't mean to do?
'Cause I swear I didn't mean it
I swear I didn't mean it
And I swear I didn't
Swear I didn't mean to
Swear I didn't mean to rule you
I swear, but you messed me up
You know that you messed me up good, do you now
You messed me up good; yes, you did
Yes you did now, now, baby
'Cause I'm looking at you now
And you're paying now, yes; you are now
I swear, and you never dreamed that
And you never dreamed that
No, you never dreamed that
But you're paying now
Mmm, you never dreamed that
Mmm, I'm looking right at you now
And you're paying now; yes, you are
In "Pay For It," Lloyd Cole sings about a past relationship that did not end well, with the person he is addressing ultimately paying for the wrongs they committed. From the opening line, "Strange to see you, babe," it is clear that it has been a while since they last saw each other. The second line, "Ain't nothing down here free," could be interpreted as the idea that actions have consequences, and there is a cost to everything. Cole then asks if the other person lost their ticket, perhaps meaning that they lost their chance or opportunity to be with him. He then continues by referencing the scars that he still wears from being hurt by the other person, despite not meaning to rule them. This theme continues throughout, with Cole suggesting that the other person may have taken advantage of him when they were first together, and now it is their turn to pay for their actions.
The chorus speaks to the idea that everyone will face struggles at some point in their life, including the person whom Cole is addressing. The lines, "Well did you ever dream, baby, one day you might fall and feel your back against the wall? Well did you ever dream, baby, one day you might crawl?" suggest that there may have been a time when the other person felt invincible, but life has a way of humbling people. Cole also notes that the other person may not have anything to show for their life, despite once having looked their best. He warns that "some fool is gonna fall your way," implying that the person may continue to hurt others in future relationships.
In the final verse, Cole states that he did not mean to rule the other person, and he did not mean to hurt them as he did. He is aware that he may have played a part in their downfall, but he did not intend for that to happen. Despite this, the other person is paying for their actions, and Cole appears to take some satisfaction in that fact. The song ends with Cole repeating the lines "You never dreamed that / And you're paying now," underscoring the idea that actions have consequences, and nothing is free in this world.
Line by Line Meaning
Strange to see you, babe
I find it weird to see you again
Ain't nothing down here free
Everything has a price, there's no such thing as a free ride
Did you lose your ticket?
Did you lose your chance?
Hope you weren't looking for me
I hope you weren't expecting me to come back to you
Now I'm still wearing the scars I got from being your fool
I am still dealing with the emotional pain from being with you
You messed me up pretty good, babe
You hurt me deeply
I didn't mean to rule you
I didn't intend to control you
Remember when I first saw you, babe
You were looking pretty good
Said you were looking for love
Well then why didn't you?
I remember when we met and you were looking for love. If you really wanted love, why didn't you give me a chance?
You just sat there taking everything you could get
Never thought one day you might have to pay for it
You took advantage of me and never thought you'd have to face the consequences
Well did you ever dream, baby, one day you might fall
And feel your back against the wall?
Did you ever dream?
Did you ever imagine that one day you would be in trouble and have no way out?
Now when you're putting on your face
I guess that you feel kinda low
Knowing that you passed your best, and you got nothing to show
You're putting on a front, but deep down you know you're not the same as you used to be and you have nothing to prove for it
Well, baby, you know just as well as I
Some fool is gonna fall your way
Only this time around you might have to pay for it
You know as well as I do that someone else will fall for your tricks, but this time, you might have to face the consequences and pay for it
That's what I said
Did you ever dream, baby
When you had no need, baby?
Did you ever dream
That you might have to pay for it?
Did you ever think that even when you didn't need to pay for something, you'd eventually have to pay for your actions?
I do believe that you might have to pay now
Mmm strange, very strange
I think it's time for you to pay the price for what you did
'Cause you messed me up good
Yes, you messed me up
Messed me up pretty good now didn't you, baby?
You really hurt me and messed me up badly, didn't you?
Mmm, took me a long time to get back here
But I swear I didn't mean to rule you
Yeah, I swear I didn't mean to rule you
It took me a long time to move on, but I want you to know that I didn't have any intention of controlling you
How do you mend what you didn't mean to do?
'Cause I swear I didn't mean it
I swear I didn't mean it
And I swear I didn't
Swear I didn't mean to
Swear I didn't mean to rule you
How do you fix something you didn't mean to break? I swear I didn't mean to control you
I'm looking at you now
And you're paying now, yes; you are now
I swear, and you never dreamed that
And you're paying now
Mmm, you never dreamed that
Mmm, I'm looking right at you now
And you're paying now; yes, you are
I see you now and you're facing the consequences of your actions. You never imagined that this day would come, but you're paying for what you did
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind