The band gained recognition in the United Kingdom and United States during 2006 and 2007 due to the success of their single "Young Folks", whilst staying virtually unknown in their homeland, Sweden.
Do-Si-Do
Peter Bjorn and John Lyrics
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We walked 'round the shops and cafes
And I tried to work, ignoring my hands
Didn't follow the leads in my brain
Cause all of those footsteps kept follow me 'round
And all of those voices made noise without sound
And we danced like you do when on holiday
On your marks, do-si-do, facing your partner
Bottoms up and refill, I'm still hungover
And that look on your face made me feel like a crook
From an Albert Camus book
A stranger in a strange land
A stranger to myself and scary as hell
That look on your face as if nothing had changed
Like in Eleanor Rigby, no one was saved
And we danced like you do when on holiday
And we drank like you do when you have nothing much to say
On your marks, do-si-do, facing your partner
Bottoms up and refill
And we danced to war and we danced to peace
And we danced to everything that's in between
And we drank to love and we drank to hate
And we drank to everything, before it was too late
And we danced like you do when on holiday
And we drank like you do when you have nothing much to say
And we danced like you do when on holiday
And we drank like you do when you have nothing much to say
On your marks, do-si-do, facing your partner
Bottoms up and refill, I'm still hungover, I'm still hungover
The song "Do-Si-Do" by Peter Bjorn and John tells the story of a visit to New York City where the singer tries to focus on work but ends up getting caught up in the energy of the city. The constant footsteps and voices around them distract them from their work and they give in to the holiday spirit by drinking and dancing. The singer becomes introspective, feeling like a stranger in a strange land and scared by their own thoughts. The look on someone else's face makes them feel like a character from a book by Albert Camus, somebody who can't connect to the people around them. The song concludes with the idea that these moments of abandon and joy are universal, as the group dances and drinks to everything in between love and hate, and to everything before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
We went to New York, the air was still warm
We visited New York when the weather was pleasant
We walked 'round the shops and cafes
We roamed around the city and explored different places
And I tried to work, ignoring my hands
I attempted to focus on work, although my mind was elsewhere
Didn't follow the leads in my brain
I didn't pursue the ideas that crossed my mind
Cause all of those footsteps kept follow me 'round
The sounds of footsteps surrounded me everywhere I went
And all of those voices made noise without sound
The voices in my head were audible, yet they were not actually audible
And we danced like you do when on holiday
We danced with a carefree attitude, like when on vacation
And we drank like you do when you have nothing much to say
We indulged in drinking without a specific reason
On your marks, do-si-do, facing your partner
We were in a group dance and followed the instructions to do the do-si-do step with our partners
Bottoms up and refill, I'm still hungover
We drank to the extent of getting too drunk and still feel the after-effects the next day
And that look on your face made me feel like a crook
Your expression conveyed disapproval or guilt, which made me feel bad
From an Albert Camus book
The situation was reminiscent of a scene from an Albert Camus novel, known for their sense of alienation and moral absurdity
A stranger in a strange land
I felt out of place in this unfamiliar situation
A stranger to myself and scary as hell
I found it unsettling to face my innermost emotions
That look on your face as if nothing had changed
You had an expression of indifference, as if nothing significant happened
Like in Eleanor Rigby, no one was saved
This is like the song Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles, where people lead empty lives and cannot be saved
And we danced to war and we danced to peace
We danced to songs with varying themes
And we danced to everything that's in between
We danced to songs that didn't have any particular theme or meaning
And we drank to love and we drank to hate
We drank to celebrate both love and hate
And we drank to everything, before it was too late
We drank impulsively, without taking into account the consequences of our actions
And we danced like you do when on holiday
We danced with a carefree attitude, like when on vacation
And we drank like you do when you have nothing much to say
We indulged in drinking without a specific reason
And we danced like you do when on holiday
We danced with a carefree attitude, like when on vacation
And we drank like you do when you have nothing much to say
We indulged in drinking without a specific reason
On your marks, do-si-do, facing your partner
We were in a group dance and followed the instructions to do the do-si-do step with our partners
Bottoms up and refill, I'm still hungover, I'm still hungover
We drank so much that we still felt the after-effects the next day
Contributed by Jasmine R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MRSHYYETI
An absolutely fantastic song!!
Pablo Zúñiga Carvajal
I love this song!
Amy Ashcat
Need more kids hearing these kind of songs instead of awful stuff you hear a lot. Love your band! ♥️
eve gray
Beautiful song
Stephanie J
The bits between 2:06 and 2:55 make my heart soar.
This song will stick with me, as a salve to the soul....
Basically, I'll always associate this song with the Bastille Day bombings in Nice, France; but this is a song of hope and survival/just getting on with normal life.
J E
Hooks for days and days and days. These guys are terrific.
Will Robertson
So damn good.
Amy Ashcat
Lucky my parents have good taste or I never would have heard your band!
Total darkness
First time listener and i love this
Izabelle Chritnne Correia Xavier Correia Xavier
Amazing! Come to Brazil!