Mr Hudson & The Library, now named Mr Hudson, are a band from London. Thei… Read Full Bio ↴Mr Hudson & The Library, now named Mr Hudson, are a band from London. Their debut album, A Tale of Two Cities was released, March 2007. They featured on Later with Jools Holland on 8th December 2006.

* Ben Hudson (vocals & guitar)
* Joy Joseph (vocals & steel drum)
* Torville Jones (piano)
* Raphael Mann (Bass guitar)
* Wilkie Wilkinson (electric drums)

Too Late Too Late
Mr Hudson & The Library Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Why must I always play the clown?
Why must I always play the clown?
Why must I always play the clown?

It makes it too easy for them to put you down
It's too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
To wash my face and hands
Am too late to get too high to get, too late

To wash my face and hands

Fall out the bath, fall in the car
Throw up just pull that window down
Let's have the beer, another beer
It's a fine idea my man

It's too late, too late, too late, always
To wash your face and hands
Too late to get too high to get
To wash my face and hands

Shes looking good, am in the mood
Step up and try to make her smile
Try to make her smile
I need a line this time, a chat up kind
To steal the deal in time

Why must I always play the clown?
Why must I always play the clown?
Why must I always play the clown?

It makes it too easy for them to put you down
It's too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
To wash my face and hands
Am too late to get too high to get, too late
To wash my face and hands

I fall up the stairs, fall into bed
Throw up and pull the window down
Pull the window down
Let's have a line another line
Now there's a fine idea my man

It's too late, too late, too late, always
To wash your face and hands
Too late to get too high to get
To wash my face and hands

Why must I always play the clown?
Why must I always play the clown?
Why must I always play the clown?

It makes it too easy for them to put you down
Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, ooh

Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late

Why must I always play the clown?
Always play the clown
Why must I always play the clown?
Why must I always play the clown?

See I always play the clown
Why must I always play the clown?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Mr Hudson & The Library's song "Too Late Too Late" depict the singer's frustration with always being the one to entertain others and make them laugh, even at the expense of their own dignity. The repetition of the question "Why must I always play the clown?" emphasizes the singer's exasperation with being expected to act a certain way, and the consequences that follow if they don't. The line "It makes it too easy for them to put you down" suggests that the singer is viewed as a joke or a lesser person because of their comedic role, and that they have become trapped in this identity.

The repeated refrain of "It's too late, too late, too late" implies that the singer has reached a breaking point and is resigned to their fate. They feel as though they have missed their chance to change their circumstances and wash away the facade that they've created. The lines "Too late to get too high to get" suggest that the singer has turned to drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with their situation but even that has now become ineffective.

Overall, the lyrics of "Too Late Too Late" divulge the internal struggles of someone who feels stuck in a role that they did not choose and is unable to break free from it. The singer expresses frustration at their inability to change their circumstances and is resigned to the fact that it may be too late to do so.

Line by Line Meaning

Why must I always play the clown?
I'm tired of constantly being the funny one and not being taken seriously.

It makes it too easy for them to put you down
When you act like a clown, people don't take you seriously and it's easier for them to criticize and belittle you.

It's too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
I've messed up too many times and there's no going back, it's too late to change.

To wash my face and hands
To clean up my act and change my ways.

Am too late to get too high to get, too late
I can't escape my problems by getting high, it's already too late to try.

Fall out the bath, fall in the car
I'm rushing and not taking the time to properly take care of myself.

Throw up just pull that window down
I'm not taking care of myself when I drink and I'm not considerate of others around me.

Let's have the beer, another beer
Drinking is a way to distract myself from my problems.

It's a fine idea my man
Drinking seems like a good idea at the time, but it's not a healthy coping mechanism.

Shes looking good, am in the mood
I'm looking for a distraction from my problems through a woman.

Step up and try to make her smile
I'm using humor and charm to impress and distract her from the real me.

I need a line this time, a chat up kind
I'm relying on pick-up lines and shallow conversations to impress her instead of being genuine.

To steal the deal in time
I'm trying to rush into a relationship as a way to escape my problems, but it won't work.

I fall up the stairs, fall into bed
My self-destructive behavior is catching up with me physically and emotionally.

Let's have a line another line
I'm relying on drugs or alcohol as a way to cope instead of addressing my problems directly.

Now there's a fine idea my man
Using drugs or alcohol may feel appealing at the moment, but it's not a healthy solution.

Too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late, too late
Repeatedly making the same mistakes has led me to a point where it's too late to fix them.

Always play the clown
Behaving like a clown has become a pattern for me, it's something I do all the time.

See I always play the clown
I acknowledge that I have a tendency to act like a clown and I want to change that.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BENJAMIN HUDSON-MCILDOWIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS