Robyn Raymond Hitchcock (born 3rd March 1953) is an English singer-songwrit… Read Full Bio ↴Robyn Raymond Hitchcock (born 3rd March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and psych folk guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. Many of Hitchcock's album covers bear his paintings or drawings, and his albums' liner notes sometimes include a printed short story. His live concerts usually include a considerable amount of story-telling, imaginative and surreal ad-libbed monologues in his lyrical style. He is the son of novelist Raymond Hitchcock and the brother of artist Lal Hitchcock.

He regularly does solo work, and returns again and again to bands he has formed like The Soft Boys and The Egyptians. Hitchcock is an avid and able collaborator with people like director Jonathan Demme, actor Alan Rickman, country/folk duo (and longtime Hitchcock fans) Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, The Venus 3, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, Young Fresh Fellows' frontman Scott McCaughey, Andy Partridge of XTC, Nick Lowe, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, Jon Brion, and Grant-Lee Phillips, as well as Ministry's Bill Rieflin.

Hitchcock's musical and lyrical styles have been influenced by his appreciation of Bob Dylan, Gregory Corso, The Byrds, Country Joe & The Fish, and Syd Barrett.

Hitchcock's lyrics are an essential component of his work, and tend to include surrealism, comedic songs, characterisations of English eccentrics, plant roots, insects, trains, dreams, and melancholy depictions of everyday life. His themes include what many psychologists view as the roots of modern neurosis - namely, death, sex, and eating. (As if in recognition of these themes, he released an EP in 2007 called "Sex, Food, Death and Tarantulas".)

Leopard‐Skin Pill‐Box Hat
Robyn Hitchcock Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
Yes, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
Well, you must tell me, baby
How your head feels under somethin' like that
Under your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

Well, you look so pretty in it
Honey, can I jump on it sometime?

Yes, I just wanna see
If it's really that expensive kind
You know it balances on your head
Just like a mattress balances
On a bottle of wine
Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

Well, if you wanna see the sun rise
Honey, I know where
We'll go out and see it sometime
We'll both just sit there and stare
Me with my belt
Wrapped around my head
And you just sittin' there
In your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

Well, I asked the doctor if I could see you
It's bad for your health, he said
Yes, I disobeyed his orders
I came to see you
But I found him there instead
You know, I don't mind him cheatin' on me
But I sure wish he'd take that off his head
Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

Well, I see you got a new boyfriend
You know, I never seen him before
Well, I saw him
Makin' love to you
You forgot to close the garage door
You might think he loves you for your money

But I know what he really loves you for
It's your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

Overall Meaning

The song "Leopard‐Skin Pill‐Box Hat" by Robyn Hitchcock tells the story of a man trying to impress a girl who has just bought a brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat. The lyrics express a sense of envy that the man has for the girl's possession and his desire to see her wearing it. He even suggests that he might want to jump on her hat or test if it's really an expensive kind. The man is so fixated on the hat that he imagines himself and the girl sitting together to watch the sunrise, with him wearing a belt around his head and the girl donning her hat.

However, the story takes a surprising turn when the man expresses his desire to see the girl despite being warned by a doctor not to, as it's bad for his health. He finds her with her doctor, who is also wearing a leopard-skin pill-box hat. The man doesn't mind the girl cheating on him with the doctor, but he wishes the doctor would take off the hat, perhaps suggesting that the doctor is trying too hard to impress the girl.

The song's playful, eccentric, and somewhat nonsensical lyrics evoke a sense of surrealism, and the overall tone is light-hearted despite the underlying emotions of jealousy and desire. Hitchcock uses the leopard-skin pill-box hat as a symbol of status and superficiality, highlighting how material possessions can become the centerpiece of relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
I notice that you are wearing a new hat made of leopard skin in a pill-box style

Yes, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
I acknowledge once again that you are wearing a new hat made of leopard skin in a pill-box style

Well, you must tell me, baby How your head feels under somethin' like that Under your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
I am curious about how your head feels under the weight and material of the new hat you are wearing

Well, you look so pretty in it Honey, can I jump on it sometime? Yes, I just wanna see If it's really that expensive kind You know it balances on your head Just like a mattress balances On a bottle of wine Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
You look very attractive in the hat and I want to try it on to see what it feels like. I am also intrigued by its potential cost and how it sits on your head, similar to how a mattress balances on a bottle of wine

Well, if you wanna see the sun rise Honey, I know where We'll go out and see it sometime We'll both just sit there and stare Me with my belt Wrapped around my head And you just sittin' there In your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
If you ever want to watch the sunrise, I know of a place where we can sit and admire it together while you wear your hat and I improvise a makeshift headwear using my belt

Well, I asked the doctor if I could see you It's bad for your health, he said Yes, I disobeyed his orders I came to see you But I found him there instead You know, I don't mind him cheatin' on me But I sure wish he'd take that off his head Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
I asked the doctor for permission to visit you, but he warned me against it. I still went and saw someone else in the room instead. While I do not really care about him cheating on me, I do take offense to him wearing your new hat

Well, I see you got a new boyfriend You know, I never seen him before Well, I saw him Makin' love to you You forgot to close the garage door You might think he loves you for your money But I know what he really loves you for It's your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
It appears that you have a new romantic partner that I have not met before, but I did witness him engaging in intimate activity with you with the garage door left open. While you may think he is interested in you because of your wealth, I believe that he is after the hat you are wearing

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS