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.
When We Were Boys at School
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All he ever wanted to be was cruel
At 12 years old, fate marked his brow
And he said, "I have a mission now"
But we laughed at his clothes
And the blackheads 'round his nose
When we were boys at school
Teachers spoke of Hannibal and Hector
Nimrod and Nietzsche were more his fuel
Swastikas and pentagrams
Flourished from his tender hands
But we watched in the rain
As the bully beat him up again
When we were boys at school
And he said, "My camouflage will hide me
I'll be gray as the world is gray
Turn a thousand government corridors
Behind which of a thousand doors
Will I delegate and rule, oh, little boys at school"
All he ever wanted to do was harm
All he ever wanted to be was cruel
And sometimes when the night is still
I can feel the gatherin' of his will
I can feel him flex the strings of power
And grope to his appointed hour
But we laughed at the dirt
And the frayed cuffs on his shirt
When we were boys at school
Richard Thompson's When We Were Boys at School is a dark and poignant reflection on the bullying and subsequent radicalization of a schoolmate. The songwriter heartbreakingly captures the anxiety and despair of a boy whose life takes a dark turn. The song can be seen as a commentary on the horrors of extremist ideologies and how they may stem from a place of rejection and abuse.
The singer of the song is a boy who, at 12 years old, declares himself on a mission of harm and cruelty. He is ostracized by his peers and bullied by a schoolyard bully. The lyrics depict the boy's descent into extremism, as he gravitates towards historical figures like Hannibal and Nietzsche, and even draws swastikas and pentagrams.
The song also touches on the apathy and aversion of the singer's classmates who ridicule him for his clothes and appearance, but fail to acknowledge his spiraling mental state. The lyrics evoke a sense of guilt and regret, as the songwriter remembers laughing at the "dirt and frayed cuffs on his shirt" and doing nothing to intervene in his downward spiral.
Line by Line Meaning
All he ever wanted to do was harm
He had a desire to hurt people throughout his life
All he ever wanted to be was cruel
Being evil was his ultimate goal and he was passionate about it
At 12 years old, fate marked his brow
At twelve, his destiny was predetermined and marked with some ill-omened signs
And he said, "I have a mission now"
At that moment he realized he had a specific task to accomplish
But we laughed at his clothes
We found his attire amusing and made fun of him
And the blackheads 'round his nose
We laughed at his physical imperfections and shortcomings
When we were boys at school
These kinds of behaviors were exhibited during our childhood days in school
Teachers spoke of Hannibal and Hector
The teachers talked about great leaders and commanders from history
Nimrod and Nietzsche were more his fuel
He was driven more by the ideologies of Nimrod and Nietzsche
Swastikas and pentagrams
He indulged himself in diabolic themes and symbols
Flourished from his tender hands
He demonstrated great proficiency in drawing, painting and creating these signs
But we watched in the rain
We witnessed everything while being wet in the rain
As the bully beat him up again
As usual, the bully picked on him and beat him up
And he said, "My camouflage will hide me
He claimed that he'll camouflage himself and be invisible to everyone
I'll be gray as the world is gray
He'll be unremarkable like the rest of the world
Turn a thousand government corridors
He said he'll navigate through many government bureaucracies
Behind which of a thousand doors
He'll find the one door that leads to the ultimate power
Will I delegate and rule, oh, little boys at school"
He promised to rule and delegate for those who bullied him in the past
And sometimes when the night is still
Occasionally, when everything is silent and calm
I can feel the gatherin' of his will
I can sense that he's mustering his might and strength
I can feel him flex the strings of power
I can sense him manipulating and controlling powerful forces
And grope to his appointed hour
He's striving towards the destined hour of reckoning
But we laughed at the dirt
We made fun of his dirty clothes and poor hygiene
And the frayed cuffs on his shirt
We ridiculed his frayed sleeves and untidy appearance
When we were boys at school
These events happened during our childhood in school
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: RICHARD THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jacob Marley
This is a remarkably succinct, acute and euphonious analysis and explication of the wretched psychology that engenders political powermongering.
It could be subtitled 'The Ballad Of Honest John Howard", the insidious Australian stooge of the egregiously catastrophic good ole boy George Bush the (even) lesser.
John Bosquet-Morra
So true..I like to play it and sing it, but I find it difficult to do, as its darkness is all too true.
Mark Glassman
Hauntingly movingly magnificent.