Described as "classic UK rock delivered with whiskey vocals", the band have been summarised as possessing a sound akin to the genres of alternative rock and "British traditional rock". Stereophonics' debut album, Word Gets Around, was released in August 1997 and charted at number six in the UK, aided by the singles "Local Boy in the Photograph", "More Life in a Tramps Vest" and "A Thousand Trees". The band reached mainstream success with the release of Performance and Cocktails (and its promotional singles "The Bartender and the Thief", "Just Looking" and "Pick a Part That's New") in 1999 and have achieved a total of ten top-ten singles as well as one number one: "Dakota" (2005). Having sold around 10 million copies worldwide by 2016, Stereophonics are one of the most successful Welsh rock acts. Upon their release of Pull the Pin, they achieved five consecutive UK number one albums.
The band have also been praised for their live performances, which have landed them headlining slots at many of the UK and Ireland's most high-profile music festivals, including Reading and Leeds in 2000, Glastonbury in 2002, V Festival in 2002, the Isle of Wight in 2004 and 2009, Oxegen in 2010, Tramlines Festival and TRNSMT in 2018, and Latitude in 2019. The band is part of the Cardiff music scene.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonics
Studio albums
Word Gets Around (1997)
Performance and Cocktails (1999)
Just Enough Education to Perform (2001)
You Gotta Go There to Come Back (2003)
Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005)
Pull the Pin (2007)
Keep Calm and Carry On (2009)
Graffiti on the Train (2013)
Keep the Village Alive (2015)
Scream Above the Sounds (2017)
Kind (2019)
Oochya! (2022)
02_The Bartender And The Thief
Stereophonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's watching every word you say, yeah
Say yeah
And when he's sussed you out
He calls her up and out she comes and hustles
Us
Long digging
Love drinking
The bartender and the thief are lovers
Steal what they need like sisters and brothers
Met in a church a night to remember
Robbing the graves of bodies dismembered
He watched the lesbian talk
She kissed and groped but mostly talked in lust
Crushed
He couldn't make the call
His eyes were gripped on licking tongues
Enough's enough
Failed for once
Long digging
Gone fishing
Love drinking
The bartender and the thief are lovers
Steal what they need like sisters and brothers
Met in a church a night to remember
Robbing the graves of bodies dismembered
Long digging
Gone fishing
Love drinking
The bartender and the thief are lovers
Steal what they need like sisters and brothers
Met in a church a night to remember
Robbing the graves of bodies dismembered
Saved what they stole to meet at the altar
Place where they first set eyes on each other
Flew to the sun to start life all over
Set up a bar and robbed all the locals
Doo, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo
Doo, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo
Doo, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo
Doo, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo
The lyrics of "The Bartender and the Thief" by Stereophonics tell the story of two people, the bartender and the thief, who are in fact lovers and work together to rob people. The first verse implies that there is a third person involved, who watches and observes people closely, waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of them. Once they have figured out their target, they notify the thief, who then calls the bartender into action to act as a distraction or to assist in the theft.
The chorus of the song repeatedly emphasizes that the bartender and the thief are lovers, who work together seamlessly to achieve their goals. The verse goes on to describe how they met, in a church, while robbing graves. The line "bodies dismembered" adds a macabre and unsettling undertone to the story. The next verse adds more detail to their relationship, as the thief watches the bartender flirt with another woman in a lesbian bar, and notes how he is aroused by her talk and affection. The thief is too caught up in his partner's performance to make the call that would signal the end of the theft.
Finally, the story resolves as the two lovers meet at the altar, using the money they stole from their victims to fund their new life together. They move away, "flew to the sun," and set up their own bar, using their skills to rob all of the locals.
In conclusion, "The Bartender and the Thief" is a story about two people who work together to deceive and rob others. Their relationship is a complicated mix of love and criminal behavior, and the song offers a glimpse into their twisted world.
Line by Line Meaning
When you think about it he's watching
He is constantly observing and taking notice of your actions and words.
Every word you say hey dazed and when
He is intently listening to your words and appears to be in a daze, but is actually paying close attention.
He's sussed you out he calls her up and out
Once he has figured out your intentions, he notifies his partner to come and assist in their scheme.
She comes and hustles us
The partner arrives and begins to aggressively and quickly take what they need.
The bartender and the thief are lovers
These two individuals are romantically involved and work together to achieve their goals.
Steal what they need like sisters and brothers
They are like siblings in their ability to work together in stealing what they need without hesitation.
Met in a church a night to remember
Their relationship began in a church and it was a significant moment for them.
Robbing the graves of bodies dismembered
They have a history of stealing from graves and taking what they want without care for the deceased.
He watched the lesbian talk she kissed and
He was a bystander watching a lesbian interact and kiss another individual.
Groped but mostly talked in lust crushed
The lesbian was mostly engaged in conversations of a sexual nature, but also physically touched the other individual.
He couldn't make the call his eyes were
He was unable to alert his partner due to being too engrossed in what was happening.
Gripped on licking tongues enough's enough
The sight of the lesbian kissing and touching another individual was too much for him to handle.
Failed for once
He was unable to fulfill his role in their scheme due to his distraction with the lesbian interaction.
Long digging gone fishing love
Their relationship involves a sense of adventure and excitement, like a treasure hunt or fishing trip.
Drinking
Their actions involve alcohol and possible intoxication.
Saved what they stole to meet at the alter
They keep what they steal and share it together as a commitment to their relationship.
Place where they first set eyes on each other
The location where their relationship began and holds significance for them.
Flew to the sun to start life all over
They started fresh and moved to a new location to escape their past.
Set up a bar and robbed all the locals
They opened a bar to blend in with the community, yet they still steal from the locals who come to their establishment.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Kelly Jones, Stuart Cable, Richard Mark Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind