The song uses a sample from Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin's "Danube Incident", from the 1967 album "More Mission: Impossible". Portishead sped up the sample to a desired tempo which took Schifrin's arrangement up nearly a semitone, giving the song a dissonant kind of "hip-hop tuning”.
Samples: Danube Incident
Spin It Jig
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
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
'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
Oh, these sour times
'Cause nobody loves me
It's true
Not like you do
After time the bitter taste
Of innocence decent or race
Scattered seeds, buried lives
Mysteries of our disguise revolve
Circumstance will decide
'Cause nobody loves me
It's true
Not like you do
'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 "Sour Times" are haunting and melancholic, filled with a sense of longing and isolation. The song explores the recurring theme of unrequited love, amplified by the singer’s self-loathing and a general sense of disillusionment.
The opening line, "To pretend no one can find," sets the tone for the song and introduces the idea of hiding from the world. The following line, "The fallacies of morning rose," suggests a false sense of hope and promise, a rose that wilts in the light of day. The idea of "forbidden fruit, hidden eyes" underscores the sense of secrecy and shame that pervades the song. The courtesies the singer despises in themselves reflect a sense of self-disgust and a desire to escape.
The chorus is a repeated confession of the singer's lack of worth, stating that nobody loves them like the object of their desire. The notion of being "covered by the blind belief" suggests a willingness to delude oneself and believe in an illusory reality, rather than face the truth. The song's bridge asks existential questions, "Who am I, what, and why?" The final verse speaks of the passage of time and the consequences of living a life of innocence or deception. The lyrics of "Sour Times" come full circle, with the final confession of being unloved, repeated three times.
Line by Line Meaning
To pretend no one can find
I'm trying to hide my flaws and weaknesses from everyone else.
The fallacies of morning rose
The deception of a perfect morning is just another illusion.
Forbidden fruit, hidden eyes
My own desires and temptations are hidden from others.
Courtesies that I despise in me
I hate being polite and courteous because it feels like I'm being fake.
Take a ride, take a shot now
I'm willing to take risks and try new things, even if they might not turn out well.
'Cause nobody loves me
It's true
Not like you do
I feel unloved by everyone else, but I know that you love me in your own way.
Covered by the blind belief
I'm relying on a false sense of security to hide from the truth.
That fantasies of sinful screens
I try to escape reality by indulging in fantasies and distractions.
Bear the facts, assume the dye
These distractions can't change the facts of my life, and I have to accept them.
End the vows no need to lie, enjoy
I don't have to make promises I can't keep, and I should enjoy life while I can.
Who am I, what and why?
I'm questioning my own identity and purpose in life.
'Cause all I have left
Is my memories of yesterday
Oh, these sour times
All I have left are my memories of happier times, and I'm stuck in a difficult present.
After time the bitter taste
Of innocence decent or race
As time passes, the loss of innocence or the differences between people can cause bitterness.
Scattered seeds, buried lives
Mysteries of our disguise revolve
We're all hiding secrets and our true selves, which complicates our lives and relationships with others.
Circumstance will decide
Ultimately, outside factors will determine the course of my life.
'Cause nobody loves me
It's true
Not like you do
Once again, I feel unloved by everyone else, but I know that you love me in your own way.
'Cause nobody loves me
It's true
Not like you
Nobody loves me
It's true
Not like you do
The repetition underscores the artist's desperation and sense of isolation, and highlights the importance of the one person who loves them.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Adrian Utley, Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow, Henry Brooks, Lalo Schifrin, Otis Turner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@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!