The original idea for the song was that after each verse Russell would sing a movie dialogue cliché, one of which was "This town ain't big enough for the both of us". They dropped the idea of having different phrases and instead used only the one in the title.
An acoustic version of the song was recorded in 1985 for the B-side of the Change single.
In 1997, Sparks recorded two new versions of the song. The first was an orchestral reworking produced by Tony Visconti which reinstated a verse Muff Winwood had cut from the original. The other was for their album Plagiarism as a collaboration with Faith No More, which was released as a single and reached number forty in the British singles chart.
This Town Ain't Big Enough for
Sparks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The mammals are your favourite type, and you want her tonight
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers
This town ain't big enough for the both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Flying, domestic flyingAnd when the stewardess is near do not show any fear
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You are a khaki-coloured bombardier, it's Hiroshima that you're nearing
This town ain't big enough for both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Daily, except for Sunday
You dawdle in to the cafe where you meet her each day
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
As twenty cannibals have hold of you, they need their protein just like you do
This town ain't big enough for the both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Shower, another shower
You've got to look your best for her and be clean everywhere
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
The rain is pouring on the foreign town, the bullets cannot cut you down
This town ain't big enough for the both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Census, the latest census
There'll be more girls who live in town though not enough to go round
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You know that this town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
This town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
I ain't gonna leave
The lyrics of "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" by Sparks vs. Faith No More describe a man's obsession with a woman, to the point where he is willing to do whatever it takes to win her over. The opening lyrics set the scene of a "zoo time," where the man and woman are surrounded by their favorite type of mammals, leading to a romantic tension. The following lyrics describe the man's increasing heartbeat as he inches closer and closer to his desired outcome, painting vivid imagery of stampeding rhinos, elephants, and tacky tigers. The chorus asserts that there is not enough room in this town for both the singer and his love interest, and he will not be the one to leave.
The second verse describes the man's attempt to impress the woman through travel, specifically flying. He instructs himself not to show any fear as the stewardess approaches, again emphasizing his desire to impress her. The bridge portrays the man's everyday routine of meeting the woman at a café, culminating in his realization that not enough girls live in town to satisfy everyone's romantic desires.
The final verse describes the man's efforts to look his best by taking yet another shower, with the rain pouring in the foreign town adding a sense of drama to the scene. The chorus repeats to emphasize the man's determination to stay and win the woman's affection.
Overall, the lyrics portray a man who is willing to do whatever it takes to win the woman of his dreams, regardless of the danger or competition that might follow.
Line by Line Meaning
Zoo time, is she and you time?
Are you and she going to the zoo together?
The mammals are your favourite type, and you want her tonight
You have a particular fondness for mammals and are hoping to spend the night with her.
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
Your heart is racing faster.
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers
Your senses are overwhelmed by the sound of stampeding animals.
This town ain't big enough for the both of us
This town is too small for both of us to coexist peacefully.
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
I am not going to be the one to leave this town.
Flying, domestic flying
You are taking a domestic flight.
And when the stewardess is near do not show any fear
You should not appear nervous when the flight attendant is nearby.
You are a khaki-coloured bombardier, it's Hiroshima that you're nearing
You are like a military pilot in khaki clothing, nearing the area where Hiroshima was bombed.
Daily, except for Sunday
You go to the cafe every day except Sundays.
You dawdle in to the cafe where you meet her each day
You take your time walking into the cafe where you meet her daily.
As twenty cannibals have hold of you, they need their protein just like you do
You feel like you are being held captive by twenty cannibals who have the same nutritional needs as you.
Shower, another shower
You take yet another shower to be clean for her.
You've got to look your best for her and be clean everywhere
You feel you must look your best and be clean all over for her.
The rain is pouring on the foreign town, the bullets cannot cut you down
The rain is pouring down on a foreign town where you are, and the bullets cannot harm you.
This town ain't big enough for the both of us
This town is too small for both of us to coexist peacefully.
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
I am not going to be the one to leave this town.
Census, the latest census
The most recent census has been taken.
There'll be more girls who live in town though not enough to go round
There will be more girls in town, but not enough for everyone to have one.
You know that this town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
You are aware that this town cannot accommodate both of us.
This town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
This town is too small for both of us to coexist peacefully.
I ain't gonna leave
I refuse to leave this town.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RON MAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@roiRenaud
Zoo time is she and you time
The mammals are your favourite type, and you want her tonight
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers
This town ain't big enough for both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Flying, domestic flying
And when the stewardess is near do not show any fear
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You are a khaki-coloured bombardier, it's Hiroshima that you're nearing
This town ain't big enough for both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Daily, except for Sunday
You dawdle in to the cafe where you meet her each day
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
As twenty cannibals have hold of you, they need their protein just like you do
This town ain't big enough for both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Shower, another shower
You've got to look your best for her and be clean everywhere
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
The rain is pouring on the foreign town, the bullets cannot cut you down
This town ain't big enough for both of us
And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Census, the latest census
There'll be more girls who live in town though not enough to go round
Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat
You know that: This town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
This town isn't big enough, not big enough for both of us
And I ain't gonna leave
@64HomeMade
My husband was the engineer on this album. He came up with the idea of gun shots, everyone had gone for lunch he stayed in the studio. They all came back he played it and everyone loved it.
@martw3240
now that 's a story. this is why we need youtube. Background context, makes it all the more realistic. Thank you, and, him
@grahambarrett5569
A truly amazing, exciting record
@64HomeMade
@@martw3240 thank you, he has so many stories : playing football with Rod Stewart, recording Cat Stevens so many he's had a very interesting life. He's actually written a book about his life as a recording engineer.
@martw3240
No ,thank you@@64HomeMade you forget one thing. He shared it with you. Never forget that
@64HomeMade
@@martw3240 Jesus christ I wish I'd never mentioned him I'll never hear the end of it. Actually I really don't give a shit what anyone else thinks... done.
@theIneffableTale
Congratulations if you are hearing this for the first time. You have stumbled into an alternate universe controlled by the band Sparks. They are time travellers. Way ahead of the curve.
@karenamarkowska3113
This is me listening to it for the first time❤
@reynaldpauchet4871
Quel joli commentaire. 2:44 2:46 La 1ere fois que j’ai entendu ce morceau en 1973 sur RTL,j’ai sue que cette chanson allait me suivre toute ma vie.
@Andamayf
OpenAI suggested this song to me.... What does it mean... what does it mean....