Portishead's debut album, Dummy (1994), fused hip hop production with an atmospheric, cinematic style reminiscent of spy film soundtracks. The album was met with commercial and critical acclaim, quickly becoming a landmark album in the emerging trip hop genre. However, the band disliked being associated with the term, and would consciously step away from that sound on later releases. Two other studio albums have been issued: Portishead in 1997 and Third in 2008, both of which received similar acclaim. In 1998, the band released a concert album, Roseland NYC Live.
Sour Sour Times
Portishead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The fallacies of morning rose
Forbidden fruit, hidden eyes
Courtesies that I despise in me
Take a ride, take a shot now
Cause nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you do
That fantasies of sinful screens
Bear the facts, assume the dye
End the vows no need to lie, enjoy
Take a ride, take a shot now
Cause nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you do
Who am I, what and why
Cause all I have left is my memories of yesterday
Ohh these sour times
Cause nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you do
After time, the bitter taste
Of innocence, descent or race
Scattered seeds, buried lives
Mysteries of our disguise revolve
Circumstance will decide
Cause nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you
Nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you do
The lyrics to Portishead's song Airbus Reconstruction contain enigmatic and surrealistic imagery that is open to interpretation. The song begins with the line "To pretend no one can find," which can be interpreted as a commentary on the way people pretend to hide their flaws and fallacies from the world. The reference to the fallacies of morning rose suggests a sense of disillusionment with the idealism of new beginnings. The use of the phrase "forbidden fruit" and "hidden eyes" suggests a sense of secrecy and deception.
The chorus, "Take a ride, take a shot now, Cause nobody loves me, it's true, Not like you do," suggests a sense of hopelessness and despair. It can be interpreted as an expression of the artist's desire to escape from their current situation and find love or acceptance.
The second verse, "Covered by the blind belief, That fantasies of sinful screens, Bear the facts, assume the dye, End the vows, no need to lie, enjoy," suggests a theme of disillusionment with false beliefs and the desire to live life authentically. The reference to "sinful screens" could be a reference to the way people try to escape their problems through entertainment or screens that act as distractions.
Overall, the lyrics can be interpreted as a commentary on the difficulty of finding love and acceptance in a world that is full of illusions and false beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
To pretend no one can find
It's pretending that nobody can find out about my innermost thoughts and feelings.
The fallacies of morning rose
The illusions of new beginnings like a rose that fades away after morning instead of being eternal.
Forbidden fruit, hidden eyes
Refers to Adam and Eve's story, when they eat the apple, they realize their nakedness and use the leaves to cover themselves, the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Hidden eyes imply that they see something, and it causes them to realize they are naked.
Courtesies that I despise in me
I hate the fact that I am acting politely even when it is not necessary.
Take a ride, take a shot now Cause nobody loves me, it's true Not like you do
It's an escape from reality, a way to forget about this feeling of being unloved, just trying to enjoy the momentary pleasure.
Covered by the blind belief That fantasies of sinful screens Bear the facts, assume the dye End the vows no need to lie, enjoy
It's about believing everything we see in the news and web, without double-checking the accuracy of the information, losing our principles and ending up doing what everyone else is doing instead of standing our ground.
Who am I, what and why Cause all I have left is my memories of yesterday Ohh these sour times Cause nobody loves me, it's true Not like you do
Feeling lost and alone, not knowing who they are, and what the future holds for them; looking back into the past to find comfort but only finding disappointment; feeling like there is no one out there in this world who loves them like the one they desire.
After time, the bitter taste Of innocence, descent or race Scattered seeds, buried lives Mysteries of our disguise revolve Circumstance will decide
The realization that, over time, we lose our innocence, some forcibly, while others are lost by descent or racial differences; the choices we make now will determine the type of life we end up having.
Cause nobody loves me, it's true Not like you Nobody loves me, it's true Not like you do
Repeating the phrase to emphasize the feeling of loneliness and how the one they long for is the only one who can make them feel loved.
Contributed by Dominic G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@olivierd5766
Sour Times Lyrics
[Verse 1]
To pretend no one can find
The fallacies of morning rose
Forbidden fruit, hidden eyes
Courtesies that I despise in me
Take a ride, take a shot now
[Chorus]
'Cause nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you do
[Verse 2]
Covered by the blind belief
That fantasies of sinful screens
Bear the facts, assume the dye
End the vows, no need to lie, enjoy
Take a ride, take a shot now
[Chorus]
'Cause nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you do
[Verse 3]
Who am I, what and why?
'Cause all I have left
Is my memories of yesterday
Oh, these sour times
[Chorus]
'Cause nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you do
[Verse 4]
After time, the bitter taste
Of innocence, descent, or race
Scattered seeds, buried lives
Mysteries of our disguise revolve
Circumstance will decide
[Chorus]
'Cause nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you
Nobody loves me, it's true
Not like you do
@stewpacalypse7104
God damn! I want to go back to the 90s. When you bought a physical copy of music to also see the artwork or read the lyrics. You set aside some time to just sit and listen.
Magazines still were important. We had computers but they weren't with us all the time. People read the newspaper. We got our photos developed then looked at them with friends. You memorized their phone numbers. If you couldn't find them you went looking at the usual spots. But if you wanted to be alone it was possible to disconnect.
I know it makes me the "old man" now, but I think the 90s were the peak of cool.
@SBwj1gr
Totally… I was just thinking that, these types of songs were pop songs! On the billboard 100 or whatever…
Compared to the pop music out now, this is like a freaking concerto :(
Sometimes I think the movie idiocracy was telling the future.
@alanpods2
But would you really still want East 17 and Take That in the charts - and Steve Wright and DLT presenting shows on Radio 1? The 90s weren’t all great. Some of it was horrific.
@stewpacalypse7104
@alanpods2 I'm American so we didn't get your crap boy bands here because we had our own like Backstreet Boys and Nsynch.
Except for the Spice Girls, mostly just the good UK music made it here.
@salomesandroshvili5364
love your comment
@only1hawky
I very rarely reply to YouTube comments, but yours strikes a definite chord with me. I’m only days away from my 64th birthday, and I’m a private person by nature, so do not feel comfortable with this 24/7, always on, always connected society in which we now live. Finding time to be truly alone is almost impossible these days. Magazines, newspapers and photos were once all physical, tangible things, as were vinyl albums, to be touched, shared and enjoyed with friends and family. I really do yearn for those days, and for music like this, that touches your soul and makes you feel.
@sparsecs
Absolutely euphoric. Still can’t believe music like this exists
@yatexasnycaflnvnigga
Fuck euphoria
@erickgabriellimadacosta182
Yes I feel that
@SampleTracks2224
Yeah they don't delete it from the world when you're done listening to it!