Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, … Read Full Bio ↴Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). Initially a synth pop group, Talk Talk's first two albums, The Party's Over (1982) and It's My Life (1984), reached top 40 in the UK and produced the international hit singles "Talk Talk", "Today", "It's My Life", and "Such a Shame". They achieved widespread critical success in Europe and the UK with the album The Colour of Spring (1986) and its singles "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World". 1988's Spirit of Eden moved the group towards a more experimental sound informed by jazz and free improvisation, pioneering what became known as post-rock; it was critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful.

Friction with the band's label, EMI, resulted in legal action and countersuing. Webb departed, and the band switched to Polydor for their final studio album, 1991's Laughing Stock, but split soon afterwards. Singer Mark Hollis released one solo album in 1998 before retiring from the music industry; he died in 2019. The band's founding bass player and drummer, Paul Webb and Lee Harris, played in several bands together; long-term collaborator Tim Friese-Greene continued in the business as a musician and producer.

Discography
The Party's Over (1982)
It's My Life (1984)
The Colour of Spring (1986)
Spirit of Eden (1988)
Laughing Stock (1991)

The Last Time
Talk Talk Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One by one
Every courtesy is gone
And the show begins
Bring on the clowns
Pain is quiet
I've laughed at silence
For the last time
Let the show begin

For the last time
Sometimes one
Sometimes each of us is wrong
But the show begins
Bring on the clowns
Blind to reason
These eyes are dreaming
For the last time
Let the show begin
For the last time
Let the show begin
Bring on the clowns
Smiling sweetly
Doubt may leave me
For the last time
Let the show begin
For the last time

Let the show begin
For the last time

Overall Meaning

The Last Time by Talk Talk is a song that has a sense of finality and resignation permeating through its lyrics. The singer seems to have reached a point where every courtesy is gone and pain is quietly embraced. He or she knows that sometimes people are wrong and that blindness to reason can make us dream. This is the last time that the singer will laugh at silence as the show must begin. The clowns are brought on stage and the singer sounds like he or she is trapping the last vestiges of hope, doubt and sweetness before the final curtain falls.

This song can be interpreted in several ways, but one possible interpretation is that it speaks to the transience of human existence and the inevitability of endings. Perhaps, the singer is talking about the end of a relationship or the end of life itself. The sense of finality that pervades the song suggests that the singer is ready to let go of everything, including hope and doubt. The clowns may represent the absurdity and grotesqueness of the human condition, which is something that we must embrace if we want to move on.

Line by Line Meaning

One by one
The things that once existed and were appreciated are disappearing one by one.

Every courtesy is gone
All manners and polite gestures are fading away.

And the show begins
The performance is starting.

Bring on the clowns
Let the absurdity and foolishness begin.

Pain is quiet
The suffering is hidden and silent.

I've laughed at silence
I've learned to appreciate the peace and quiet.

For the last time
This is the last occurrence.

Let the show begin
Start the spectacle.

Sometimes one
Occasionally, one person is in the wrong.

Sometimes each of us is wrong
At other times, every individual is mistaken.

But the show begins
Despite the error, the performance continues.