He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.
Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.
Guns Are the Tongues
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dedicated through and through
And the chance to prove
they never squandered
And they liked to kill so clean
Save the innocent, kill the mean
But from time to time,
a bullet wandered
Carrie kept her souvenirs
Kept her scrapbook down the years
Of her brave boys, how she cried to read it
And a few fell by the way
Or lost the stomach for the fray
So young blood was always needed
Carrie noticed him right away
The way his whole body would sway
Like a trawler boy
Finding his legs ashore
They said he was just nineteen
A head case but his record was clean
Just the kind
They were looking for
Carrie watched him through the crack
As they teased him behind his back
They called him Little Joe
'Cos he scraped the ceiling
And when he was the worse for wear
She took him up the stair
And soon he fell
For her brand of healing
She said, I'll lie like a rose on your pillow
Let me twine the laurel in your hair
I want to smell my love on your fingers
If you want to be mine, Little Joe
You must harden your mind, Little Joe
We've got to fight for what is ours
Bring peace to the grave of my brother
Bring peace to the grave of my father
Dry the old eyes of my mother
Little Joe
There's a roadblock down the way
Thick with soldiers night and day
They'll hear the noise
All the way to Glengarry
If you show you've got the stuff
That you're sworn and brave enough
Then you'll stand tall
In the eyes of your Carrie
And I will lie like a rose on your pillow
And I'll twine the laurel in your hair
I want to smell revenge on your fingers
Guns are the Tongues, Little Joe
The only words we know
The only sound that'll reach their ears
Bring peace to the grave of my brother
Bring peace to the grave of my father
Dry the old eyes of my mother
Little Joe
Now Little Joe would've jumped clear
But for the awful fear
Of scraping his knees there on the gravel
The car was a rolling bomb
Blew all to Kingdom Come
They marvelled how far
His boots had travelled
Another hero snatched from my pillow
I used to twine the laurel in his hair
I want to smell sacrifice on my fingers
Guns are the Tongues, Little Joe
The only words we know
The only sound that'll reach their ears
Bring peace to the grave of my brother
Bring peace to the grave of my father
Dry the old eyes of my mother
Little Joe
The song "Guns Are the Tongues" by Richard Thompson is a story about a woman named Carrie, who leads a group of murderers. They are dedicated to proving their worth by killing people in a clean and calculated manner. Carrie keeps souvenirs of her victims and is always on the lookout for new recruits. She takes notice of a young man named Little Joe, who she sees potential in. Carrie seduces Joe and convinces him to join her group. She promises him glory and a chance to prove himself.
The lyrics are a commentary on the power of violence and how it can be used to control others. The phrase "guns are the tongues" alludes to the idea that violence is the only language that some people understand. The lyrics also touch on the idea of manipulation and how leaders can use their charisma to control and influence others. The song ends tragically with Little Joe being killed in a car bomb, showing that violence ultimately leads to destruction and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Carrie ran a murderous crew
Dedicated through and through
And the chance to prove
they never squandered
And they liked to kill so clean
Save the innocent, kill the mean
But from time to time,
a bullet wandered
Carrie led a group of killers who were completely dedicated to their cause. They never let a chance to prove themselves go to waste and they enjoyed killing their targets in a clean manner. However, sometimes they missed their targets.
Carrie kept her souvenirs
Kept her scrapbook down the years
Of her brave boys, how she cried to read it
And a few fell by the way
Or lost the stomach for the fray
So young blood was always needed
Carrie kept a scrapbook of her group's successful killings over the years. Some members left or became unwilling to continue, so she always needed to recruit new young members.
Carrie noticed him right away
The way his whole body would sway
Like a trawler boy
Finding his legs ashore
They said he was just nineteen
A head case but his record was clean
Just the kind
They were looking for
Carrie noticed a young, unstable man who seemed lost and hesitant, but that was the exact kind of person she was looking for. He was only nineteen and had a clean record.
Carrie watched him through the crack
As they teased him behind his back
They called him Little Joe
'Cos he scraped the ceiling
And when he was the worse for wear
She took him up the stair
And soon he fell
For her brand of healing
Carrie observed the young man, who was teased by others, because of his height issues. When he was vulnerable, she took him upstairs and he fell for her manipulative ways.
She said, I'll lie like a rose on your pillow
Let me twine the laurel in your hair
I want to smell my love on your fingers
If you want to be mine, Little Joe
You must harden your mind, Little Joe
We've got to fight for what is ours
Bring peace to the grave of my brother
Bring peace to the grave of my father
Dry the old eyes of my mother
Little Joe
Carrie manipulates the young man, promising to be his lover if he hardens his mind and helps to fight for her cause. She wants him to help her bring peace to her family by avenging their deaths.
There's a roadblock down the way
Thick with soldiers night and day
They'll hear the noise
All the way to Glengarry
If you show you've got the stuff
That you're sworn and brave enough
Then you'll stand tall
In the eyes of your Carrie
And I will lie like a rose on your pillow
And I'll twine the laurel in your hair
I want to smell revenge on your fingers
Guns are the Tongues, Little Joe
The only words we know
The only sound that'll reach their ears
Bring peace to the grave of my brother
Bring peace to the grave of my father
Dry the old eyes of my mother
Little Joe
Carrie urges the young man to prove his bravery by successfully crossing a roadblock and avenging her family's deaths. She once again manipulates him with promises of being her lover and helping her bring peace to her family using guns, the only words that will reach their ears.
Now Little Joe would've jumped clear
But for the awful fear
Of scraping his knees there on the gravel
The car was a rolling bomb
Blew all to Kingdom Come
They marvelled how far
His boots had travelled
Another hero snatched from my pillow
I used to twine the laurel in his hair
I want to smell sacrifice on my fingers
Guns are the Tongues, Little Joe
The only words we know
The only sound that'll reach their ears
Bring peace to the grave of my brother
Bring peace to the grave of my father
Dry the old eyes of my mother
Little Joe
The young man hesitates and gets killed by a bomb in the car, which Carrie sees as a loss of a hero who could have helped her avenge her family. She mourns his death and desires to sacrifice for her cause, once again repeating her belief that guns are the only way to bring peace to her family's graves.
Contributed by Bella I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bill Bennett
Terrifyingly brilliant lyrics, RT. Just astonishing.
Glen Broemer
how sad is it that this only has 52 likes. he's a great musician.
Patrick Fitzgerald
Magnificent song!
Gabriel David Roveda Ramírez
Great lyrics
Danny Costello
Stunning.
Robert DeBoer
If you don't read the lyrics, maybe don't listen yet. The laurel in your hair: the smell on your fingers.
Manuel Alonso
¿Hay alguien ahí?