There are two artists with this name:

1. The Cinematics were an indi… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists with this name:

1. The Cinematics were an indie band which formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2003. The band consisted of Scott Rinning (vocals, guitar), Larry Reid (guitar), Adam Goemans (bass) and Ross Bonney (drums). Ramsay Miller (guitar) left the band in 2008 and was replaced by Reid. The band has released two albums, "A Strange Education" (2007) and "Love and Terror" (2009). The band began recording their third album in Berlin in 2010. On July 25th 2011 it was reported that the band had split for good.

The band signed with TVT Records in 2005, and the label released "A Strange Education" in March 2007. The single "Keep Forgetting" was released from the album the previous month, and the album included the band's previous singles, "Chase" and "Break". In 2008, TVT Records announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and The Cinematics were one of a small handful of TVT artists whose contracts were retained by The Orchard, who purchased TVT's assets and back catalog. The Orchard released the band's second album, "Love and Terror" in September 2009. Two singles, "Love and Terror" and "New Mexico", were released from the album.

2. The Cinematics were a pre-Razorcuts Gregory Webster and Tim Vass, who put out one 7" EP 'Farewell To The Playground' on Pulsebeat Records (of Luton!) in 1982. One of the songs from the EP 'Puffa Train' would later appear on the Messthetics # 7: UK '78-82 "D.I.Y." Bands: "C" compilation and on The Sun Shines Here (The Roots Of Indie-Pop 1980-1984) box set. The Cinematics sound somewhat like the Razorcuts but in heavy overcoats rather than anoraks.

Moving To Berlin
The Cinematics Lyrics

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We've got to get out of this place
The people here are tired and mean
I watched them slash the prophet's face
With a shard from one of our broken dreams
They give us wine then they take it away
And their neon shrines burn night and day

What are we doing here

Where poets are hanged
And betrayed by a kiss?

She says "Stay here with me
You're going to leave me lonely"
"Stay here with me
You're going to leave me lonely"
"Stay here with me
You're going to leave me lost and lonely"

What if I want to take you with me?
Far away from these scars and bars
From the hard faced women of this town
Who'll radiate themselves until they turn brown
They'll live and die with little taste of freedom
In their pebbled dashed mausoleums

Our still born hopes are up in smoke
Just as they've been so many times before
I guess that we'd be fools to believe
That things could be any different this time

She says "Stay here with me
You're going to leave me lonely"
"Stay here with me
You're going to leave me lonely"

"Stay here with me
You're going to leave me lost and lonely"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Cinematics' song Moving To Berlin seem to be about a desire to escape from a place where life is difficult and disappointing. The opening lines express a sense of urgency to leave: "We've got to get out of this place." The singer elaborates on the reasons for their discontent by painting a picture of a community of people who are "tired and mean." The reference to the "prophet's face" being slashed with a "shard from one of our broken dreams" suggests that the singer feels that their hopes and aspirations have been dashed by the negativity of the people around them. The people in this place are also described as fickle, offering temporary pleasures like wine only to take them away again.

The question "What are we doing here?" seems to express the singer's confusion at how they ended up in this place where artists are persecuted and lovers betray each other. The next few lines suggest that the singer has someone special in their life who is begging them not to leave: "She says 'Stay here with me / You're going to leave me lonely'." The repetition of this refrain three times underscores the point that the singer is torn between their desire to escape and their loyalty to this person they care about. The final lines of the song depict a bleak and hopeless picture of a society where people's dreams and aspirations are continually snuffed out.

Overall, the lyrics of Moving To Berlin convey a deep sense of sadness at how difficult and futile it can be to pursue one's dreams in certain situations. However, the song also has an undercurrent of hope, represented by the singer's desire to escape and start anew somewhere else.

Line by Line Meaning

We've got to get out of this place
We need to leave this place behind because the people here are worn out and unkind.

The people here are tired and mean
The locals are exhausted and unwelcoming to us.

I watched them slash the prophet's face With a shard from one of our broken dreams
I witnessed a violent act against a visionary with a shard from our shattered aspirations.

They give us wine then they take it away And their neon shrines burn night and day
They offer us temporary pleasures but then take them away, and their flashy distractions never stop.

What are we doing here Where poets are hanged And betrayed by a kiss?
Why are we staying in a place where creative minds are punished and trust is easily broken?

She says "Stay here with me You're going to leave me lonely" "Stay here with me You're going to leave me lonely" "Stay here with me You're going to leave me lost and lonely"
She begs me to stay with her, knowing that if I go, she'll be left feeling lonely and abandoned.

What if I want to take you with me? Far away from these scars and bars From the hard faced women of this town Who'll radiate themselves until they turn brown They'll live and die with little taste of freedom In their pebbled dashed mausoleums
What if I propose we leave together, far from this place and its emotional wounds, and its women who conform to societal pressures and live and die without true freedom?

Our still born hopes are up in smoke Just as they've been so many times before I guess that we'd be fools to believe That things could be any different this time
Our aspirations have failed us, as they have in the past, and it would be foolish to hope for a different outcome this time.

Contributed by Kylie P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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