Produced by Saint E… Read Full Bio ↴Written by Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs & Sarah Cracknell
Produced by Saint Etienne
Released December 1995 on Xmas '95
Notes The song lyrics are a - less than complimentary - tribute towards Sting. The muffled voice at the beginning belongs to band member, Pete Wiggs,
Message In A Bottle
Saint Etienne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One, two, turtles are blue,
three, four, ???,
five, six, ???,
seven, eight, you got no mates!
Break a leg, boy on the moon,
no more Tyneside's favourite son.
One, two, turtles are blue,
three, four, ???,
five, six, ???,
seven, eight, you got no mates!
Reading books by Nabokov,
schoolkids told you, "Bugger off!"
So you sung about dread and fear,
you're a legal alien, dear.
One, two, turtles are blue,
three, four, ???,
five, six, ???,
seven, eight, you got no mates!
While you were out, saving trees,
your accountant doubled his fees.
Five million down the drain;
poor old teacher's got no brain.
One, two, turtles are blue,
three, four, ???,
five, six, ???,
seven, eight, you got no mates!
So many crimes committed to wax,
Andy's hanging up his axe,
??? went on to equalise.
Sting's a bell boy in disguise.
One, two, turtles are blue,
three, four, ???,
five, six, ???,
seven, eight, you got no mates!
You got no mates!
You got no mates!
You got no mates, got no mates!
The lyrics to Saint Etienne's song Message in a Bottle are an interesting structure of scattered phrases which don't seem to connect in any way. However, if these scattered phrases are looked at more closely, they have a certain meaning that is conveyed through the lyrics. The song seems to be a criticism of the music industry and its treatment of artists. The lines “one, two, turtles are blue, three, four,??? , five, six,??? , seven, eight, you got no mates!" seem to be mocking the simplistic rhyming patterns that are often seen in pop songs. The words “treacle” and “break a leg” could represent the sweetness and success that an artist desires, but is difficult to achieve.
Further, the lyrics mention “no more Tyneside's favourite son," which might be a reference to the treatment of British musician Sting, who left his hometown to seek fame in London. Sting then became known as a “bell boy in disguise," referencing his former job in a hotel. Additionally, the lyrics mention “reading books by Nabokov,” referring to the controversial writer, which shows that the artist is not afraid to depict taboo subjects in their art. The line “poor old teacher's got no brain” could signify the exploitation of artists and intellectuals by the music industry.
Overall, Saint Etienne's song Message in a Bottle can be seen as a critique of the exploitative nature of the music industry, as well as highlighting the desire of artists in the industry to express themselves honestly and uniquely.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, turtles are blue,
Starting with a random sequence of numbers, the first line has no particular meaning.
three, four, ???,
Continuing with another random sequence of numbers, this line seems to have no particular meaning as well.
five, six, ???,
Another arbitrary sequence of numbers with no particular meaning.
seven, eight, you got no mates!
The singer is accusing someone of not having any friends or companions.
??? treacle and ???.
This line is obscure and difficult to interpret, as the words 'treacle' and '???' have no obvious meaning or context.
Break a leg, boy on the moon,
This is a reference to the phrase 'break a leg', which is often used to wish someone good luck. The 'boy on the moon' could be a reference to David Bowie's song 'Space Oddity'.
no more Tyneside's favourite son.
This line could be interpreted as a reference to Brian Johnson, the lead singer of AC/DC, who was born in Tyneside, England.
Reading books by Nabokov,
The singer is probably indicating that the subject of the song is well-read and interested in literature.
schoolkids told you, 'Bugger off!'
The subject of the song was possibly bullied or teased by other schoolchildren.
So you sung about dread and fear,
The subject of the song wrote and performed music that dealt with dark or ominous themes.
you're a legal alien, dear.
The subject of the song might be a foreigner living in the UK, or someone with a non-traditional or unconventional background.
While you were out, saving trees,
The subject of the song might be an environmental activist or someone who engages in conservation efforts.
your accountant doubled his fees.
The subject of the song might be wealthy or successful, and his financial advisor or accountant charged him exorbitant fees.
Five million down the drain;
The subject of the song possibly lost a substantial amount of money, perhaps due to investment or business failure.
poor old teacher's got no brain.
The singer is mocking someone who is supposedly not intelligent or well-educated, possibly a teacher.
So many crimes committed to wax,
The subject of the song might have recorded music in the past, and the 'wax' refers to vinyl records.
Andy's hanging up his axe,
This line could be a reference to a musician named Andy who quit or retired from playing music.
??? went on to equalise.
The identity of the person referred to as '???' is unclear, but they might have achieved some sort of balance or parity.
Sting's a bell boy in disguise.
This line could be a reference to Sting, the musician, who previously worked as a bellboy or hotel porter before becoming famous.
You got no mates!
The singer repeats the earlier accusation that the subject of the song has no friends or companions.
You got no mates!
The singer continues to taunt the subject of the song, repeating the earlier insult.
You got no mates, got no mates!
The singer repeats the earlier insult a third time, driving home the point that the subject of the song is friendless.
Contributed by Colton M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
blackmore4
Chorus
One, two, turtles are blue
Three, four, Police are a bore
Five, six, Trudi upped sticks
Seven, eight, you got no mates!
Brimstone, treacle and you
Break a leg, boy on the moon
No more Tyneside's favourite son
Jimmy Nail is number one
Repeat chorus
Reading books by Nabokov
School kids told you, "Bugger off!"
So you sung about dread and fear
You're a legal alien, dear
Repeat chorus
While you were out saving trees
Your accountant doubled his fees.
Five million down the drain
Poor old teacher's got no brain!
Repeat chorus
So many crimes committed to wax
Andy's hanging up his axe
Copeland went on to equalise
Sting’s a bell boy in disguise
Repeat chorus
You got no mates
You got no mates
You got no mates
No mates!
Foxbase Alpha
Throwback!!
Jeffrey Lyons
Wow!