Lost Weekend
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions Lyrics

It took a lost weekend in a hotel in Amsterdam
It took a weekend filled with excessive partying and drug use in Amsterdam, for the singer to realize the error of their ways.

And double pneumonia in a single room
The singer became very ill with pneumonia while staying in a hotel room by themselves.

And the sickest joke was the price of the medicine
The expensive cost of the medicine they needed to get better was the most ironic and frustrating part of the situation.

Are you laughing at me now, may I please laugh along with you?
The artist is acknowledging the ridiculousness of their situation and is asking if their audience is also finding it humorous so they can laugh at it together.

This morning I woke up from a deep unquiet sleep
The artist awoke from a restless sleep filled with nightmares or thoughts of their past actions.

With ashtray clothes and miss lonelyheart's pen
The singer is wearing dirty, smoke-filled clothes and has a pen meant for writing love letters (from a column in a newspaper addressing lonely people).

With which I wrote for you a love song in tattoo
The singer wrote a love song on their palm, in permanent ink.

Upon my palm, 'twas stolen from me when Jesus took my hand
The love song tattoo was lost when the artist died and went to Heaven (symbolized by Jesus taking their hand).

You see, I
The artist is about to make a personal statement.

I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it
The artist is insisting that they always mean what they say.

Drop me and I'll fall to pieces so easily
The singer is very fragile emotionally and would be easily hurt or damaged if they were rejected or abandoned.

I was a king bee with a head full of attitude
The artist was cocky and self-assured, like a dominant bee in a colony.

Wore my heart on my sleeve like a stain
The singer was very emotional and openly displayed their feelings, which may have caused issues or made them vulnerable.

And my aim was to taboo, you
The singer deliberately sought out taboo or forbidden people and situations, including the one they're addressing in this song.

Could we meet in the marketplace
The singer is using the concept of a busy marketplace as a metaphor for the chaos and intensity of their relationship.

Did I ever, hey please, did you wound my knees?
The artist is asking if their partner had intentionally hurt them in some physical or emotional way.

Yeah, easy, there's nobody else to blame
The artist is accepting responsibility for their actions and not blaming anyone else.

I hang my head in a crying shame (shame)
The singer is ashamed of their past behavior and is expressing this shame through tears.

There's nobody else to blame
The singer is reiterating that they are solely responsible for their actions and the resulting consequences.

Nobody else except my sweet self, oh
The artist is being somewhat sarcastic, referring to themselves as 'sweet' despite their mistakes.

Twenty four gone years to conclude in tears
It took 24 years for the artist to fully understand and accept the consequences of their past actions, leading them to feel emotional and cry.

You wrote upon me when you took my hand
The person the artist is addressing (who took their hand when they died and went to Heaven) symbolically wrote a message on their palm, replacing the love song tattoo that had been there.

Too easily
The singer is once again emphasizing how easily they can be hurt or damaged emotionally.