Deep Fried In Kelvin
Pulp Lyrics


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Oh children of the future ... conceived in the toilets at Meadowhall ...
To be raised on the cheap cold slabs of garage floors ...
Rolling empty cans down the stairway ... (don't you love that sound?) ...
Whilst the thoughts of a bad social worker ran through his head ...

Trying to remember what he learnt at training college ...
Lester said he wasn't allowed in here ... so why don't you get lost? ...
And if you grow up ... then when you grow up, maybe ... maybe you can live ...
Live on Kelvin ... yeah you can live in Kelvin...

On the promenade with the concrete walkways...
Where pigeons go to die...
(A woman on the fourteenth floor noticed that the ceiling
Was bulging as if under a great weight.

When the council investigated they discovered that the man in the flat
Above had transported a large quantity of soil into his living-room,
In which several plants he had stolen from a local park were growing.

When questioned, the man said all he wanted was a garden.
When questioned, the man said all he wanted was a garden.)...

Oh God, I think the future's been fried... deep fried in Kelvin...
And now it's rotting behind the remains of a stolen motorbike...
I haven't touched it, honest... but there isn't anything else to do...
We don't need your sad attempts at social conscience based

On taxi-rides home at night when exhibition opens ...
We just want your car radio... and those Reflux speakers...
Now... suffer the little children to come to me...

And I will tend their adventure playground splinters with cigarette burns
And feed them fizzy orange and chips...
And then they grow up straight and tall...
And then they grow up to live... on Kelvin...

Yeah... we can have ghettos too...
Only we use air-rifles instead of machine-guns...
Stitch that... and we drunk driving lights...
In the end... the question you have to ask yourself is...





Are you talking to me ... or are you chewing a brick?

Overall Meaning

The song "Deep Fried In Kelvin" by Pulp is a vivid representation of societal decay and the looming grim future of the next generation. The first verse talks about the future children who are conceived in the toilets of Meadowhall, a shopping center in Sheffield, England. The parents of these children are careless to bring them to the world, and they have to grow up on cold slabs of garage floors. The image of rolling empty cans down the stairway portrays their impoverished lives. The perspective shifts to a social worker who presumably takes care of these kids, but the lyrics suggest he has malevolent thoughts that could be harmful to the children. The line "Trying to remember what he learnt at training college" suggests his incompetence.


The second verse talks about Kelvin, an area in Glasgow, Scotland. The lyrics suggest that Kelvin is filled with people living in ghettos where even pigeons go to die. The story shifts to an old man who was growing stolen plants in his flat, which ends up causing the ceiling to bulge. He only wanted a garden, but his life led him to resort to such an activity. The line "Oh God, I think the future's been fried... deep-fried in Kelvin" portrays the impending doom merging with an image of food, portraying the apathy that people have towards the collective future.


The chorus repeats that "maybe you can live on Kelvin," suggesting that the future is bleak, and the hope for a better future is lost.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh children of the future ... conceived in the toilets at Meadowhall ...
Addressing those who will grow up in the future, who are being conceived in a place like a shopping mall washroom.


To be raised on the cheap cold slabs of garage floors ...
These children will be brought up in rough environments, like a garage or a place without any comfort.


Rolling empty cans down the stairway ... (don't you love that sound?) ...
Taking pleasure in the sound of trash cans being thrown down the stairs of a building.


Whilst the thoughts of a bad social worker ran through his head ...
In the meantime, the people or the authority responsible for these children, like social workers, are possibly not equipped to cater to their needs.


Trying to remember what he learnt at training college ...
The social worker, who is incompetent, is having a hard time recalling what he learned at training college.


Lester said he wasn't allowed in here ... so why don't you get lost? ...
Someone named Lester who might be a security guard is confirming that the social worker doesn't have permission to enter the building, telling him to go away.


And if you grow up ... then when you grow up, maybe ... maybe you can live ...
If these children grow up, perhaps they can hope to live in a better place when they become adults.


Live on Kelvin ... yeah you can live in Kelvin...
Kelvin, a place where they can find a better life, a way out of their current situation.


Where pigeons go to die...
The place called Kelvin, where even pigeons can't escape death.


(A woman on the fourteenth floor noticed that the ceiling
A woman on the 14th floor notices the ceiling is bulging, as if something heavy is there.


When the council investigated they discovered that the man in the flat
The local council found out that the man living in the flat above the woman sneaked in soil and plants.


Above had transported a large quantity of soil into his living-room,
The man brought soil into his living room so he could grow plants there.


In which several plants he had stolen from a local park were growing.
He also used a plant he took from a local park to grow in his living room.


When questioned, the man said all he wanted was a garden.
The man just wants a place where he can have a garden and grow some plants.


Oh God, I think the future's been fried... deep fried in Kelvin...
The singer is lamenting that the future is already bleak, as reflected in the situation and place of Kelvin.


And now it's rotting behind the remains of a stolen motorbike...
Kelvin is now in ruins and is slowly degenerating, symbolized by a stolen motorcycle.


but there isn't anything else to do...
This represents people losing the drive to do anything or take action.


We don't need your sad attempts at social conscience based
Speaking against the people who do things for show or superficially, disdaining false social responsibility.


On taxi-rides home at night when exhibition opens...
The singer speaking of people who only talk about issues like social responsibility or morality when they're free or out on nights on taxis.


We just want your car radio... and those Reflux speakers...
The artist emphasizing their preferential focus on smaller, practical wants over larger societal issues.


Now... suffer the little children to come to me...
Criticizing people in a position of dominance or power who are inviting young children to come to them for their own needs, using biblical language.


And I will tend their adventure playground splinters with cigarette burns
Taking care of these children who are hurt, even if the person trying to help is at fault themselves, as shown by caring for the children's wounds with a cigarette burn.


And feed them fizzy orange and chips...
Trying to help, but only being able to do so with the very basic of things, like feeding them chips and fizzy drinks.


And then they grow up straight and tall...
Helping the children grow up, and offering them hope for their future.


And then they grow up to live... on Kelvin...
Despite this being a small thing, even if the children grow up, they will still have to live in a place similar to Kelvin.


Yeah... we can have ghettos too...
Accepting the fact that this type of place or behavior exists everywhere.


Only we use air-rifles instead of machine-guns...
Differences in the way things are dealt with or handled depending on the severity of the situation.


Stitch that... and we drunk driving lights...
Apathetic about the consequences of their behavior, taking their own risks and not worrying about the consequences.


In the end... the question you have to ask yourself is...
The artist is trying to pull together all these different ideas into a concluding statement.


Are you talking to me ... or are you chewing a brick?
A rhetorical question posed to either the listener or anyone who would want to comment on their behavior. It implies that the singer feels uninterested and disengaged.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CANDIDA DOYLE, JARVIS BRANSON COCKER, NICK BANKS, RUSSELL SENIOR, STEPHEN PATRICK MACKEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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