Unfair… Read Full Bio ↴The Auteurs was a British alternative rock band of the 1990s.
Unfairly dismissed as the egotrip of acclaimed songwriter Luke Haines, The Auteurs were one of the unsung bands of the mid-nineties Britpop movement. Releasing their first record, New Wave, in 1993, the Auteurs were compared to Suede, and the resurgent glam-rock movement, and began to amass a reasonable cult following. 1994's second album, and commercial highlight, Now I'm A Cowboy, saw the band embracing at times a more contemporary sound, notably on the single Lenny Valentino, which probably remains Haines' best-known song. Now I'm A Cowboy was marked out by sprawling guitar lines as much as by Haines' inimitable lyrics, a kind of visceral social commentary. While touring this album in 1995, Haines jumped off a fifteen-foot wall, breaking both ankles, resulting in his being in a wheelchair for the rest of that year, recording the starker, angrier third album After Murder Park, most notable for the ballad-like lead single Unsolved Child Murder, released for Christmas at Haines own bidding. Following this, Haines took time out to work on other projects such as Black Box Recorder and Baader Meinhof, reforming the Auteurs in 1999 for the release of the mostly overlooked final album, How I Learned To Love The Bootboys.
While Haines remains widely respected for his lyrical eloquence and eye for the minutae of life, his eccentric, confrontational personality, and habit of styling himself as a louche ne'er-do-well, perhaps impeded the formation of a more affectionate bond with his fans. The Auteurs, similarly, tended to be respected rather more than they were loved.
Government Bookstore
The Auteurs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or the bad luck that dogs us down
What's done is done
They burned the old place down
Chased me allround the reference section
Tried to catch the attendants eye
Ten years on the night shift
All my books are on loan
Since the Government Book store closed
Well we met in the hotel lobby
The executor read aloud the will
No wake, no eulogy
From this pathetic crowd
It's no Bloomsbury afternoon
Just a couple of soaks and the villagefool
Well they closedown the whole
Mainbuilding. Boared up and the main
Door staying shut
Used to steal things
From this now empty shop
The Auteurs's song Government Bookstore is a melancholic reflection on the inexorable passing of time and the loss of something once cherished. The opening lyrics suggest a sense of powerlessness and weariness in trying to change one's circumstances - "Not the hospital gown you're wearing/ Or the bad luck that dogs us down/ What's done is done/ They burned the old place down". The feeling of being trapped by events beyond one's control is reinforced in the next few lines when the singer describes being chased by the attendants in the reference section of the Government Bookstore. This sense of entrapment is further emphasised by the fact that "All [his] books are on loan/ Since the Government Bookstore closed". The loss of the bookstore seems to have cut the singer adrift from his former life, leaving him to wander aimlessly and without purpose.
The second stanza of the song contains a somewhat cryptic reference to a funeral or reading of a will in a hotel lobby. It is unclear who the deceased is or what relationship the singer had with them. However, the lack of a traditional wake or eulogy suggests a sense of isolation and detachment from the proceedings. The final line of the verse seems to hint at the idea that the singer might have had a history of stealing things from the now-defunct Government Bookstore. The song ends on a somewhat bleak note, with the singer wandering through the empty, boarded-up building, stealing things and reflecting on what has been lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Not the hospital gown you're wearing
Your clothing or appearance is not the issue
Or the bad luck that dogs us down
Bad luck doesn't explain everything
What's done is done
The past cannot be changed
They burned the old place down
Their previous situation or environment is no longer idyllic
Chased me allround the reference section
They were looking for something specific among many options
Tried to catch the attendants eye
They tried to get someone's attention
Ten years on the night shift
The singer has had a longstanding menial job
Well I don't work tonight
The artist is now free from their job
All my books are on loan
All the books that the artist possessed are no longer with them
Since the Government Book store closed
Due to a certain decision or event, the artist no longer has access to books
Well we met in the hotel lobby
The singer is recalling a particular situation that occurred in a hotel lobby
The executor read aloud the will
The artist was present during the reading of a will or testament
No wake, no eulogy
There was no ceremony for the deceased
From this pathetic crowd
The people present were not a source of comfort or support
It's no Bloomsbury afternoon
Their experience was far from the refined and pleasant afternoon activities of the Bloomsbury group
Just a couple of soaks and the villagefool
Those present were disreputable or pitiful
Well they closedown the whole
The entire establishment, not just a portion, was shut down or ceased to exist
Mainbuilding. Boared up and the main
The singers witnessed the building's unfortunate demise
Door staying shut
The building is permanently closed
Used to steal things
Before the establishment was shut down, the artist may have committed theft there
From this now empty shop
They recall that the establishment is now devoid of all the items it once held.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: LUKE MICHAEL HAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
María Pilar Pérez Muñoz
I’ve just found out this amazing song, and can,t believe it’s not available on any streaming site
Catadoodle
Ik, its why I use YouTube music
Bananas in Pyjamas
Beyond genius
sons of the bonito
Still loving this song
Er Deep
me too
Daniel
@Er Deep #Peace
Catadoodle
2023
JR Fernandez
Amazing Song, Luke Haines is a fucking Genius!!!
pochonauta
should have been an a-side!
garuspik
if there's any soul still here: does anyone know why this track isn't on spotify?