Bill McCai
The Coral Lyrics


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His family taught him right from wrong
With local tales and children's songs
Sunday school was his shelter
With his friends Joe and Walter
Now those days seem far away
An empty swing where he once played
Now Bill's grown so fat and bald
He never thought that he'd grow old

And every day when he gets the train
Looks out the window and thinks in vain
If only I could be that boy again

His sales job gets him down
Same old faces same old sounds
Heart attacks, orthopedic backs
Documents in labeled racks
His wife can't stand the sight of him
With his routine glass of gin
She makes his lunch of processed ham
And waits in for the meter man

And every day when he gets the train
Looks out the window and thinks in vain
If only I could be that boy again
If only he could be that boy again

Another day another gin
His kids don't even notice him
Something different about his face
His happy smile seems out of place
His family gathered around for tea
Eyes fixed on their new telly
Newsflash came, then it saidâ?¦
Bill McCai was just found dead

No more windows, no more trains
Hung himself out in the rain




Now he'll never be that boy again
And we say by-bye Bill McCai

Overall Meaning

The Coral's song "Bill McCai" tells the sad story of a man who has lost touch with his past and the happiness he once knew. As a child, he had a loving family and friends who taught him right from wrong. Sunday school was his shelter where he felt safe and secure. But as he grew old, he lost these connections and his life became dull and monotonous. He is unable to find joy in his mundane sales job and his wife no longer loves him. He finds solace in drinking and his children no longer notice him. He longs to be that boy again, to relive the carefree days of his youth. But it's too late, and the news of his death ends the song on a somber note.


The lyrics are poignant and touch on the universal human experience of growing old and losing touch with what once made us happy. It's a reminder to cherish the present moment and not take our connections and happiness for granted.


Line by Line Meaning

His family taught him right from wrong
Bill McCai was brought up by his family with a strong emphasis on moral values


With local tales and children's songs
His family background was steeped in local traditions and culture, and he grew up listening to stories and songs that were popular among children


Sunday school was his shelter
Sunday school played a significant role in providing him with a safe and secure environment where he could learn about religion and spirituality


With his friends Joe and Walter
He had two close friends named Joe and Walter who were an important part of his childhood and with whom he spent a lot of time


Now those days seem far away
As he got older, Bill McCai began to feel nostalgic about his childhood and the memories of those days seemed distant and blurred


An empty swing where he once played
He remembers a time when he used to play on the swings in the park, but now the swings are empty and unused


Now Bill's grown so fat and bald
Bill McCai had gained a lot of weight and lost his hair as he got older


He never thought that he'd grow old
When he was younger, he never imagined that he would live to see himself grow old and lose his youthful vitality


And every day when he gets the train
Bill McCai has a daily routine of taking the train to work


Looks out the window and thinks in vain
Whenever he looks out of the train window, he daydreams and fantasizes about his childhood, but he knows that he can't go back in time


If only I could be that boy again
Bill McCai longs to go back to his childhood and relive those happy days


His sales job gets him down
Bill McCai is unhappy with his sales job, which is both boring and repetitive


Same old faces same old sounds
He is tired of seeing and hearing the same people and things every day


Heart attacks, orthopedic backs
The people around him are getting older and are experiencing health problems such as heart attacks and orthopedic issues


Documents in labeled racks
His job involves handling large amounts of paperwork which is stored in labeled racks


His wife can't stand the sight of him
His wife is disgusted with the way he looks and behaves


With his routine glass of gin
Bill McCai has a habit of drinking gin on a regular basis


She makes his lunch of processed ham
His wife prepares his lunch with processed ham, which is unhealthy and unappetizing


And waits in for the meter man
She stays at home to wait for the meter man who will check their energy consumption


Another day another gin
Bill McCai continues to drink gin every day, as he tries to cope with the drudgery of his life


His kids don't even notice him
His children are indifferent to his presence and don't give him the attention he craves


Something different about his face
Bill McCai's facial expression changes and becomes happier than usual


His happy smile seems out of place
His family is surprised to see him smiling, as it seems out of character for him


His family gathered around for tea
His family is having tea together and spending time with each other


Eyes fixed on their new telly
They are all watching their new television which they are excited about


Newsflash came, then it said...
Suddenly, the television broadcasted an urgent news item


Bill McCai was just found dead
The news announced that Bill McCai had died


No more windows, no more trains
Bill McCai's routine of taking the train to work and gazing out of the window has come to an end


Hung himself out in the rain
Bill McCai committed suicide by hanging himself in the rain


Now he'll never be that boy again
Bill McCai's death means that he can never go back to his childhood and relive those happy days


And we say by-bye Bill McCai
The song ends with a farewell to Bill McCai




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES SKELLY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

sümeyye erdemir

Lyrics:

His family taught him right from wrong
With local tales and children's songs
Sunday school was his shelter
With his friends Joe and Walter
Now those days seem far away
An empty swing where he once played
Now Bill's grown so fat and bald
He never thought that he'd grow old
And every day when he gets the train
Looks out the window and thinks in vain
If only I could be that boy again
His sales job gets him down
Same old faces same old sounds
Heart attacks, orthopedic backs
Documents in labeled racks
His wife can't stand the sight of him
With his routine glass of gin
She makes his lunch of processed ham
And waits in for the meter man
And every day when he gets the train
Looks out the window and thinks in vain
If only I could be that boy again
If only he could be that boy again
Another day another gin
His kids don't even notice him
Something different about his face
His happy smile seems out of place
His family gathered around for tea
Eyes fixed on their new telly
Newsflash came, then it saidâ?¦
Bill McCai was just found dead
No more windows, no more trains
Hung himself out in the rain
Now he'll never be that boy again
And we say by-bye Bill McCai
:))



All comments from YouTube:

Василий Андреев

Почему же эта замечательная группа не так популярна? Что с этим миром?😢

John

They never sold there souls

sümeyye erdemir

Lyrics:

His family taught him right from wrong
With local tales and children's songs
Sunday school was his shelter
With his friends Joe and Walter
Now those days seem far away
An empty swing where he once played
Now Bill's grown so fat and bald
He never thought that he'd grow old
And every day when he gets the train
Looks out the window and thinks in vain
If only I could be that boy again
His sales job gets him down
Same old faces same old sounds
Heart attacks, orthopedic backs
Documents in labeled racks
His wife can't stand the sight of him
With his routine glass of gin
She makes his lunch of processed ham
And waits in for the meter man
And every day when he gets the train
Looks out the window and thinks in vain
If only I could be that boy again
If only he could be that boy again
Another day another gin
His kids don't even notice him
Something different about his face
His happy smile seems out of place
His family gathered around for tea
Eyes fixed on their new telly
Newsflash came, then it saidâ?¦
Bill McCai was just found dead
No more windows, no more trains
Hung himself out in the rain
Now he'll never be that boy again
And we say by-bye Bill McCai
:))

Claire

One of my favourite songs, one of my favourite videos! So much talent! Long live The Coral ❤

Colin Littlejohn

Love The Coral my favourite band in the world 🎉

Mark DeVito

Most underrated band of the past 20 years (Doves are up there too)

Kostas Mad1

Idlewild are far more underatted...

Bodie & Doyle The Professionals

Funny (to me at least) story about this song. I took the album to Africa and listened to it non stop for the 3 months I was there. When I got home I found out I had malaria and ended up delirious with a fever and I couldn't get this song out of my head. It rattled around my head for 2 weeks straight as the quinine killed the malaria and I couldn't listen to it for years. 10 years to be exact. This song made come out in cold sweats. On a lighter note, I can now listen to it quite happily with fond memories of canoeing down African rivers stoned on local grass (wasn't great so had to smoke shit loads) with this album floating over the water to tribes that hadn't seen white people before. Good first impression as they go.

Samboy666

Amazing story. I love youtube for this exsct reason.
Rock on man rock on

SHARK BITE

Bodie & Doyle The Professionals mad I was dealing keys of cocaine smoking 7 grams a day lost my dad lost the plot almost died then got arrested with 20 members of the gang all went to prison for a while, all while bingeing to this album, different life’s. Kinda wish I had your experience rather than mine, but without the malaria.

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