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.
Tombstone
The Auteurs Lyrics
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nobody got a ticket out of cripple town
better call suspension - bakelite and dial
we'll take the fucking building out -
baader meinhof style
every day, every hour, every minute
every dawn to sundown
- in tombstone
every day, every hour,
every moment
for the rest of the year
everybody's gonna get it
tombstone is here
like to thank my mother for inventing
rock and roll
i'd be lost without it, i would not be whole
honeymoon is over - waiting for the cops
sitting shit faced in dan's car
thinking 'bout who we're not
tombstone, tombstone got a gun
we've got all the women and children
all tied up for fun
got to see a doctor, i need to turn my
bones to milk
nobody ever found the gold upon the hill
and i wanted glamour not tragic rock n roll
and i want a lover, who'll nail me to the wall
everybody etc.
The Auteurs' "Tombstone" is a gritty and cynical commentary on the struggles of living in a small and stagnant community. The opening line, "taking out the garbage at the columbia hotel, nobody got a ticket out of cripple town," sets the tone for the entire song, with its bleak depiction of a place where nobody seems to be able to escape their circumstances. The repeated phrase "every day, every hour, every minute..." highlights the ongoing and relentless nature of this sense of entrapment, with the insinuation of violence and death in the reference to "tombstone."
The second verse shifts the focus to the singer's personal dissatisfaction and disillusionment, invoking a sense of nostalgia for the beginnings of rock and roll while acknowledging a feeling of stagnancy in the present. The reference to a honeymoon ending and waiting for the cops suggests a sense of guilt and apprehension about something, adding to the overall atmosphere of unease and uncertainty.
Throughout "Tombstone," the bleakness of the lyrics is offset by the propulsive nature of the music, with its driving guitar riff and pounding drums. This creates a tension between the grim themes of the song and the energy of the performance, mirroring the sense of frustration and restlessness present in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
taking out the garbage at the columbia hotel
Cleaning up the mess and waste of others at a rundown hotel.
nobody got a ticket out of cripple town
No one has managed to leave this hopeless and broken down place.
better call suspension - bakelite and dial
Assembling the required equipment to destroy the hotel.
we'll take the fucking building out - baader meinhof style
We will blow up the whole building with a powerful explosion, similar to the militant tactics of the Baader Meinhof group.
every day, every hour, every minute
With relentless frequency, constantly and repeatedly.
every dawn to sundown
From the beginning to the end of every day.
everybody's gonna get it
Everyone will experience the same fate.
- in tombstone
In this place of death and decay.
every day, every hour,
Continuously and without respite.
every moment
At all times, without exception.
for the rest of the year
This relentless punishment will continue for a full year.
everybody's gonna get it
All will suffer the same fate.
tombstone is here
This is the place where it will happen.
like to thank my mother for inventing
A tongue-in-cheek address of gratitude to the artist's own creativity and talent.
rock and roll
The genre of music that has brought meaning and purpose to the artist's life.
i'd be lost without it, i would not be whole
The music has given the artist a sense of identity and wholeness that would be missing without it.
honeymoon is over - waiting for the cops
The good times are over and now the aftermath is about to begin.
sitting shit faced in dan's car
Being drunk and feeling resigned to one's fate.
thinking 'bout who we're not
Reflecting on the differences between oneself and others.
tombstone, tombstone got a gun
The place itself is the weapon that will be used to inflict suffering.
we've got all the women and children
No one is safe from the destruction that is going to occur.
all tied up for fun
The artist takes pleasure in the suffering this will cause.
got to see a doctor, i need to turn my
The artist is in need of medical assistance due to the physical and emotional toll of the impending events.
bones to milk
The artist wishes to be physically transformed in order to escape the situation.
nobody ever found the gold upon the hill
The hope for better things or a better life has never materialized.
and i wanted glamour not tragic rock n roll
The artist wishes for a more glamorous and positive version of rock and roll, rather than one that is associated with tragedy and pain.
and i want a lover, who'll nail me to the wall
The artist desires a passionate and intense relationship that will keep him anchored in life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: LUKE MICHAEL HAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind