They are signed to the Wichita Recordings label, and have currently released 5 albums through this imprint - 'The Cribs' (2004), 'The New Fellas' (2005), 'Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever' (2007), 'Ignore The Ignorant' (2009), and 'In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull' (2012).
Despite starting off as an underground band, The Cribs have experienced commercial success with 'Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever' charting at #13 in the UK album charts, and 'Ignore The Ignorant' achieving the band their first Top Ten album, charting at #8. They also have 7 top 40 hit singles to their name, the most successful of which being 'Men's Needs' (#17). In 2008, Q magazine described The Cribs as "The biggest cult band in the UK".
The Chi-Town Songfacts says that The Cribs' fifth studio album, In the Belly of the Brazen Bull, was recorded at London's Abbey Road and Chicago's EAR studio with famed lo-fi rock engineer Steve Albini and Tarbox Road studio in New York with David Fridmann (Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lips).
After some hard times during which they were (according to an interview in DIY Magazine) "nearly losing the rights to their entire back catalogue, and coming close to calling time on the group entirely," in 2020 they released the album "Night Network."
Cheat on Me
The Cribs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Try to win you over like a new step father
Smart but still a sucker for whoever asks you
I pictured the scene
So you wont have to spell it out for me
Cos things go together
Better than other
And act sexuality
That's another, that's another
Cheat on me, cheat on me yeah
That's another, that's another
Cheat on me, cheat on me yeah
Giving up, without a thought
And then you'll be the chosen one
Through which your friends live vicariously
Cause things go together
Better than other
Like manic depression
And act sexuality
That's another, that's another
Cheat on me, cheat on me yeah
That's another, that's another
Cheat on me, cheat on me yeah
The lyrics to The Cribs’ song “Cheat on Me” speak to the fear of being cheated on in a relationship. The singer of the song is willing to change themselves if it means their partner will not cheat. However, they also recognize that some people are drawn to certain types of behavior, such as manic depression and reckless sexual behavior. The chorus of the song expresses the fear that their partner will cheat on them with someone else, someone who fits that profile.
The lyrics are a commentary on how people often choose partners and relationships that are not good for them, either because they are attracted to certain behaviors or because they are trying to fulfill a certain image. The singer is aware of this and is afraid of being left behind because they do not fit that image. The line “giving up, without a thought, and then you'll be the chosen one, through which your friends live vicariously” speaks to the idea that people often sacrifice their own happiness to fulfill the expectations of others.
Overall, the lyrics of “Cheat on Me” are a powerful statement on the fear of being cheated on and the pressure to fit into certain roles and relationships. By acknowledging these fears and pressures, the song offers a powerful message of self-acceptance and the importance of finding relationships that are healthy and fulfilling.
Line by Line Meaning
I could be someone else if you'd rather
I'm willing to change for you if that's what it takes to make you happy.
Try to win you over like a new step father
I'll do everything in my power to impress you and earn your affection.
Smart but still a sucker for whoever asks you
I may be intelligent, but when it comes to you, I'm still vulnerable and easily swayed.
I pictured the scene
I can already imagine what will happen and what you want from me.
So you won't have to spell it out for me
You don't need to explain what you want or need because I can already anticipate it.
Cos things go together
Better than other
Like manic depression
And act sexuality
Certain things in life fit together perfectly, like the relationship between mental illness and sexual desire.
That's another, that's another
Cheat on me, cheat on me yeah
I know you're going to cheat on me, and I'm expecting it to happen.
Giving up, without a thought
And then you'll be the chosen one
Through which your friends live vicariously
You'll easily give in to temptation, and your friends will use you as an example of how to live recklessly.
Cause things go together
Better than other
Like manic depression
And act sexuality
Certain things in life fit together perfectly, like the relationship between mental illness and sexual desire.
That's another, that's another
Cheat on me, cheat on me yeah
I know you're going to cheat on me, and I'm expecting it to happen.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GARY JOHN JARMAN, JOHNNY MARR, ROSS ANTHONY JARMAN, RYAN JAMES JARMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matt Roberts
Johnny Marr is a fucking legend. His distinctive guitars have made a great band brilliant.
Joe elkins music
10 years later and still loving this
brett skerry
11 YEARS and still x
Gabriela Lucía
💜
Mario G
11 years later, this song still gives me the chills.
marokokisetter
12 years on and this is the fucking jam
Music
2009
E Plays
You know a band is fucking good when any live version sounds exactly like the studio version
JimijaymesGuitarist
+1 Johnny Marr's playing is so great so inspiring and different it just adds some other angle to songs.
Daniel Cole
Johnny Marr has brought a new energy and musicality to this band. "Ignore the Ignorant" is a masterpiece! I haven't been this excited about an album that Marr made since "Strangeways, Here We Come..."