Happiness Is a Warm Gun
The Breeders Lyrics
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Do-do-do, oh yeah
She's well acquainted
With the touch of a velvet hand
Like a lizard on a window pane
Man in the crowd
On his hobnail boots
Lying with his eyes
While his hands are busy
Working overtime
The sole confession of his wife
Which he ate and donated to the
National Trust
I need a fix cause I'm going down
Down to the abyss that I've left up town
I need a fix cause I'm going down
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Happiness is a warm gun
Happiness is a warm gun
Happiness is a warm gun
Happiness is a warm gun
(Bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Josephine, do you think you are going bald?
No. You've asked me that before and the answer was no then.
The Breeders' song "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" is a cover of The Beatles' song from their self-titled double album released in 1968. The song consists of five different sections, each with its own rhythmic and melodic themes. The lyrics are fragmented and surreal, telling a series of strange and interconnected stories.
The opening lines, "She's not a girl who misses much, Do-do-do, oh yeah" set the tone for the rest of the song. The line suggests that the character the song is about is not someone who is easily fooled or ignorant. The next lines, "She's well acquainted with the touch of a velvet hand, Like a lizard on a window pane" suggest that the character has knowledge of a sensual experience. The "velvet hand" suggests something erotic or sensual, and the comparison to a "lizard on a window pane" is bizarre and grotesque.
The song then takes a darker turn, with lines about a man in the crowd who is lying with his eyes while his hands are busy working overtime. The line "the sole confession of his wife, which he ate and donated to the National Trust" is a reference to a rumor that John Lennon had heard about a politician who had eaten the confession letter his wife had written to him after she had cheated on him. The song then concludes with the repeated line "Happiness is a warm gun," which is a reference to a line from a gun magazine that John Lennon had read.
Line by Line Meaning
She's not a girl who misses much
She is alert and aware of everything happening around her
Do-do-do, oh yeah
She is humming and acknowledging her keen awareness
She's well acquainted
With the touch of a velvet hand
Like a lizard on a window pane
She is familiar with caresses and touch, and experiences them regularly like a gecko feeling the smoothness of a glass pane
Man in the crowd
With the multicoloured mirrors
On his hobnail boots
A man in the midst of a group has many mirrors on his shoes and can see a distorted reflection of his surroundings
Lying with his eyes
While his hands are busy
Working overtime
He pretends to be paying attention to his environment, but he's actually gambling and taking risks in a frantic haste
The sole confession of his wife
Which he ate and donated to the
National Trust
He betrayed the trust of his wife through his actions and he tries to overcompensate by participating in a charitable donation
I need a fix cause I'm going down
Down to the abyss that I've left up town
I need a fix cause I'm going down
I require drugs to cope with the inevitable downfall that I initiated by leaving the safer areas in town
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
A female religious leader made a hasty decision and acted accordingly, repeating her mistake multiple times
Happiness is a warm gun
Happiness is a warm gun
Happiness is a warm gun
Happiness is a warm gun
(Bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
The pleasure of the warm gun in my hand is inexpressible, culminating in the bang that shoots it
Josephine, do you think you are going bald?
No. You've asked me that before and the answer was no then.
Josephine is not experiencing hair loss, and has previously denied such a claim
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind