Take The Skinheads Bowling
Manic Street Preachers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Every day I get up and pray to Jah
And he increases the number of clocks by exactly one
Everybody's coming home for lunch these days
Last night there were skinheads on my lawn

Take the skinheads bowling
Take them bowling
Take the skinheads bowling
Take them bowling

Some people say that bowling alleys got big lanes
[Got big lanes, got big lanes]
Some people say that bowling alleys all look the same
[Look the same, look the same]
There's not a line here that goes here that rhymes with anything
[Anything, anything]
I had a dream last night, but I forget what it was
[What it was, what it was]

Take the skinheads bowling
Take them bowling
Take the skinheads bowling
Take them bowling

I had a dream last night about you my friend
I had a dream, I wanted to sleep next to plastic
I had a dream, I wanted to lick your knees
I had a dream, it was about nothing

Take the skinheads bowling
Take them bowling
Take the skinheads bowling
Take them bowling

Take the skinheads bowling
Take them bowling




Take the skinheads bowling
Take them bowling

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Manic Street Preachers' "Take The Skinheads Bowling" are a bit abstract and nonsensical at first glance. However, upon further examination, the song seems to be a commentary on the absurdity of life and societal expectations. The first verse mentions praying to Jah (a reference to the Rastafarian god) and the increasing number of clocks, which could be interpreted as a commentary on the passage of time and the inevitability of death. The line about skinheads on the lawn could be seen as a metaphor for the encroachment of societal norms and expectations on our personal lives.


The chorus of the song, "Take the skinheads bowling," could be interpreted in a few different ways. Some have suggested that it is a call to embrace the strange and unconventional aspects of life, while others see it as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the idea of finding common ground with people who seem different from us. The mentions of bowling alleys could be seen as an example of a seemingly mundane activity that can still hold a strange and fascinating appeal.


The second verse continues the theme of absurdity and confusion, with references to dreams and a lack of coherence. The repetition of the chorus at the end of the song emphasizes the idea of finding common ground and connection with others, even if they seem different or strange.


Line by Line Meaning

Every day I get up and pray to Jah
Every day I wake up and give thanks to Jah (God)


And he increases the number of clocks by exactly one
As a form of divine intervention, a new clock is added to the world every time I pray


Everybody's coming home for lunch these days
It seems that more people are taking lunch breaks at home recently


Last night there were skinheads on my lawn
Last night, a group of skinheads were on my property


Some people say that bowling alleys got big lanes
According to some individuals, bowling alleys have wider lanes than usual


[Got big lanes, got big lanes]
Repeating that some bowling alleys have big lanes


Some people say that bowling alleys all look the same
Some people believe that all bowling alleys have a striking resemblance in appearance


[Look the same, look the same]
Repeating that some people think all bowling alleys look identical


There's not a line here that goes here that rhymes with anything
This statement implies that there is no suitable rhyme to match the lyric


[Anything, anything]
Repeating that there is no word to match the previous line's meaning to create a rhyme


I had a dream last night, but I forget what it was
I had a dream last night, but unfortunately, I cannot remember it


[What it was, what it was]
Repeating that I cannot recall what my dream was about


I had a dream last night about you my friend
I had a dream last night about you, my friend


I had a dream, I wanted to sleep next to plastic
In my dream, I desired to sleep beside plastic


I had a dream, I wanted to lick your knees
In my dream, I had the urge to lick your knees


I had a dream, it was about nothing
My dream was absurd and had no significant meaning


Take the skinheads bowling
Let's invite the skinheads to go bowling


Take them bowling
Let's make arrangements for the skinheads to join us in a game of bowling


Take the skinheads bowling
Again, let's invite the skinheads to go bowling


Take them bowling
Again, let's make arrangements for the skinheads to join us in a game of bowling


Take the skinheads bowling
Once more, let's invite the skinheads to go bowling


Take them bowling
Once more, let's make arrangements for the skinheads to join us in a game of bowling




Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Victor Krummenacher, DAVID LOWERY, CHRIS MOLLA, JONATHAN SEGEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Jeff E

I'm digging this! I was a fan of CVB back in the early 80s

Buck

I imagine praying to John was referencing an "in joke" so no harm there! Manics were the original fraggle rock from the late 1980's and Camper Van Beethoven were more underground than the Jubilee Line. So good to hear this version of one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands. International Hulabaloo!

Leah Box

Brilliant

Joe Ritchie

Roman Bellic: Take my cousin bowling , take him bowling

treatmentbound

Had a dream last night, but I forget what it was.

AgentAlmost

It's supposed to be "I get up and pray to Ja," not "I get up and pray to John."

Joe Ritchie

I always thought it was I get up and play with John

Julian Cwalinski

It's fine to change the lyrics when you cover someone else's song. In fact it's obligatory. I'm fond of this version.

Axle Suave

Religious freedom.... pray to whatever you want.

jl45000019

@modern tart except the original version is about ten times better than the re-recorded version, nobody listens to the “shit” version is right since the shit version is the re-recorded lipstick traces version.

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