False Flags
Massive Attack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of clueless blues
Pays the views
And no-mans news
Blades will fade from blood to sport
The heroin's cut these fuses short
Smokers rode a colonial pig
Drink and frame this pain I think
You bleed your wings and then disappear
The moving scenes and pilot lights
Smithereens have got 'em scaling heights
Modern times come talk me down
And battle lines are drawn across this town
Parisian boys without your names
Ghetto stones instead of chains
Talk 'em down cause it's up in flames
And nothing's changed
Parisian boys without your names
Riot like 1968 again
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed
Well pretty flames
In school I would just bite my tongue
And now your words they strike me down
The flags are false and they contradict
They point and click which wounds to lick
On avenues this Christian breeze
Turns its heart to more needles please
Our eyes roll back and we beg for more
It frays this skin and then underscore
The case for war you spin and bleed
The sales you feel screensavers feed
The girls you breed the soaps that you write
The graceless charm of your gutter snipes
The moving scenes and suburbanites
And smithereens got 'em scaling heights
Modern times come talk me down
The battle lines are drawn across this town
English boys without your names
Ghetto stones instead of chains
Hearts and minds and U.S. planes
Nothing's changed
And English boys without your names
Riot like the 1980's again
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed
More pretty flames
The lyrics of "False Flags" by Massive Attack describe a world of violence, addiction, and political unrest. The song opens with a reference to "city shoes," suggesting a sense of urban disconnection and disillusionment. The "clueless blues" reinforce this sense of alienation, while "no-mans news" suggests a state of constant conflict and confusion. In this world, even traditionally noble objects like "blades" (weapons) and "heroin" have been tainted and corrupted, making them lethal and destructive.
The next stanza suggests a legacy of colonialism, with references to "colonial pig" and "ghetto stones instead of chains." The violence of this history is juxtaposed with a plea for peace, as the singer implores Parisian boys to "talk 'em down cause it's up in flames." However, the final line of the stanza suggests a sense of futility or weariness, as the repeated phrase "nothing's changed" implies that the cycle of violence continues unabated.
The third and final stanza of the song broadens the commentary to include England and the United States. The final lines, "hearts and minds and U.S. planes / nothing's changed," suggest a particularly damning indictment of America's military involvement in global conflicts. Ultimately, "False Flags" is a powerful critique of the ways in which violence and addiction can intersect with political power to create a world of chaos and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
In city shoes
Wearing formal shoes, in the busy city.
Of clueless blues
Feeling lost, confused, and down.
Pays the views
The city views are expensive and must be paid for.
And no-mans news
The news doesn't belong to anyone, and it's negative.
Blades will fade from blood to sport
Violent weapons will become normalized and seen as games.
The heroin's cut these fuses short
Drug addictions have made them short-tempered and volatile.
Smokers rode a colonial pig
People who smoke are being controlled by the government.
Drink and frame this pain I think
Drink alcohol to cope with the pain and suffering.
I'm melting silver poles my dear
I am losing my strength and becoming powerless.
You bleed your wings and then disappear
You harm yourself and then vanish.
The moving scenes and pilot lights
The flashing of lights and fast-moving scenes are disorienting.
Smithereens have got 'em scaling heights
The chaos and destruction are causing them to become reckless.
Modern times come talk me down
I need someone to calm me down in this modern era.
And battle lines are drawn across this town
There is conflict and tension throughout the city.
Parisian boys without your names
The rioters are nameless Parisian boys.
Ghetto stones instead of chains
They are using rocks instead of being held captive with chains.
Talk 'em down cause it's up in flames
Try to calm them down while everything is burning.
And nothing's changed
Despite the chaos, nothing has really changed.
Riot like 1968 again
The riots are reminiscent of those from 1968.
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed
Like in the past, these days of anger are not leading to any change.
Well pretty flames
Despite the destruction, the flames are still beautiful.
In school I would just bite my tongue
When I was in school, I would hold back my opinions.
And now your words they strike me down
Your words hurt me deeply nowadays.
The flags are false and they contradict
The flags are fake and go against each other.
They point and click which wounds to lick
They choose which wounds to attend to based on their personal interest.
On avenues this Christian breeze
The religious influence is in the air on these big, crowded streets.
Turns its heart to more needles please
The society is turning towards more drug use to cope.
Our eyes roll back and we beg for more
We crave more drugs despite the harm they cause us.
It frays this skin and then underscore
The drugs take a toll on our physical and mental health.
The case for war you spin and bleed
You argue for war and it ends up hurting you.
The sales you feel screensavers feed
The advertisements and screens are fueling your consumerism habits.
The girls you breed the soaps that you write
The media perpetuates false images and expectations of women.
The graceless charm of your gutter snipes
Your low-class, tasteless behavior is unattractive.
The moving scenes and suburbanites
The fast-paced lifestyle of city-dwellers and urbanites is disorienting.
And smithereens got 'em scaling heights
Despite the chaos, they are still pushing forward and reaching new heights.
English boys without your names
The rioters are nameless English boys.
Ghetto stones instead of chains
They are using rocks instead of being held captive with chains.
Hearts and minds and U.S. planes
The U.S. government is trying to win hearts and minds through military force.
More pretty flames
Despite the destruction, the flames are still beautiful.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NEIL DAVIDGE, ROBERT DEL NAJA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@phantomtroupe9643
{ Lyrics }
In city shoes
Of clueless blues
Pays the views
And no-mans news
Blades will fade from blood to sport
The heroin's cut these fuses short
Smokers rode a colonial pig
Drink and frame this pain I think
I'm melting silver poles my dear
You bleed your wings and then disappear
The moving scenes and pilot lights
Smithereens have got 'em scaling heights
Modern times come talk me down
And battle lines are drawn across this town
Parisian boys without your names
Ghetto stones instead of chains
Talk 'em down cause it's up in flames
And nothing's changed
Parisian boys without your names
Riot like 1968 again
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed
Well pretty flames
In school I would just bite my tongue
And now your words they strike me down
The flags are false and they contradict
They point and click which wounds to lick
On avenues this Christian breeze
Turns its heart to more needles please
Our eyes roll back and we beg for more
It frays this skin and then underscore
The case for war you spin and bleed
The sales you feel screensavers feed
The girls you breed the soaps that you write
The graceless charm of your gutter snipes
The moving scenes and suburbanites
And smithereens got 'em scaling heights
Modern times come talk me down
The battle lines are drawn across this town
English boys without your names
Ghetto stones instead of chains
Hearts and minds and U.S. planes
Nothing's changed
And English boys without your names
Riot like the 1980's again
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed
More pretty flames...
@lauracee5081
This song has become more and more relevant as the years go by...
@somaliagiraffe
Millions AWAKE
@waunwon9204
Now look at us ✅⚠️😂
@artofthereal
Yeah... but the whole rebellion culture is run by "them" too... there's more to it. Don't just buy the stuff the main or alt media feed you. They're ALL controlled.
@20electronic
Agreed ..I hope we finally one day we all wake up and stand up as one
@kudohlol9379
been like this for a long time. generations.
@6977NO88
The uncredited sample from Radiohead’s Bends at the end of this song was just the cherry on the top.
chills...
@elif-we4gd
i was gonna go crazy tryna make sure if it really was
@fadimetarim
I'm obsessed with this song
@StartWavesAcademy
is addict