Performance
The Happy Mondays Lyrics


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One day he was admiring his reflection
In his favorite mirror
When he realized all too clearly
What a freakin' old beasty man he was
Who is? you is, you is now son

I took to hiding, I took to hiding
I took to hiding, hiding strange things
I took to dribbling, we took to dribbing down my front
I starting running, I starting running on the spot

Picture, picture, now I'm gonna eat your
Picture, picture, now I'm gonna eat ya

We're all food, your cake
We're all the food, your weirdos' cream

Quick quick, fast fast, quick quick, fast fast
I took to dribbling, I took to dribbing down my front
You took to hiding, you took to hiding strange things

One day she was touching her reflection
In her favorite mirror
When she realized all to clearly
What a freakin' old weirdo she was
Who was? She was, she is

Fast fast, quick quick, quick quick, fast fast




She took to hiding, she took to hiding strange things
I took to dribbling, I took to dribbing down my front

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Happy Mondays' song Performance convey a sense of self-realization and self-acceptance. The singer of the song admires his reflection in his favorite mirror, but rather than finding pleasure in it, he becomes aware of his age and his appearance, which leads him to acknowledge that he is not the young man he once was. He refers to himself as a "freakin' old beasty man," suggesting that he has lost some of his youthful vitality and masculinity. At the same time, the song also suggests that the singer is not ashamed of his age and is willing to accept it.


The second stanza of the song features the phrase "We're all food, your cake / We're all the food, your weirdos' cream," which suggests that everyone is a part of the same system and is ultimately expendable. The phrase "your weirdos' cream" implies that there is an element of the strange or unconventional in all of us, and that our differences are something to be celebrated rather than hidden. The song's refrain of "quick quick, fast fast" suggests a sense of urgency, as if the singers are rushing to come to terms with their own identities and place in the world.


Overall, Performance is a song about recognizing and accepting one's own identity, with all its quirks and imperfections. It offers a message of positivity and self-acceptance, and its repetitive, upbeat melody reinforces these themes.


Line by Line Meaning

One day he was admiring his reflection
He was looking at himself in the mirror


In his favorite mirror
He was using his preferred mirror to look at himself


When he realized all too clearly
He suddenly had a vivid awareness of something about himself


What a freakin' old beasty man he was
He felt that he was old and unattractive


Who is? you is, you is now son
He was talking to himself and acknowledging his inner monologue


I took to hiding, I took to hiding
He started avoiding others


I took to hiding, hiding strange things
He started hiding things that he thought were out of the ordinary


I took to dribbling, we took to dribbing down my front
He started drooling involuntarily


I starting running, I starting running on the spot
He began moving quickly in place


Picture, picture, now I'm gonna eat your
He was talking about consuming something


Picture, picture, now I'm gonna eat ya
He was talking about consuming someone


We're all food, your cake
He was saying that everyone is a source of nourishment or pleasure for someone else


We're all the food, your weirdos' cream
He was saying that even people who are considered weird have value for someone else


Quick quick, fast fast, quick quick, fast fast
He was describing things moving very quickly


One day she was touching her reflection
She was touching the mirror while looking at herself


In her favorite mirror
She preferred a certain mirror to look at herself


What a freakin' old weirdo she was
She felt that she was very strange and not like other people


Who was? She was, she is
She was talking to herself and acknowledging her thoughts and feelings


She took to hiding, she took to hiding strange things
She began keeping unusual things hidden


I took to dribbling, I took to dribbing down my front
He started drooling involuntarily


Fast fast, quick quick, quick quick, fast fast
Things were moving very quickly




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL ANTHONY RYDER, MARK PHILIP DAY, PAUL RICHARD DAVIS, GARY KENNETH WHELAN, STEPHEN JOHN OSBORNE, PAUL OAKENFOLD, SHAUN WILLIAM RYDER

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

Ὁ Ὑπεράνθρωπος

Performance

Happy Mondays

One day he was admiring his reflection
In his favorite mirror
When he realized all too clearly
What a freakin' old beasty man he was
Who is? You is, you is now son

I took to hiding, I took to hiding
I took to hiding, hiding strange things
I took to dribbling, we took to dribbing down my front
I starting running, I starting running on the spot

Picture, picture, now I'm gonna eat your
Picture, picture, now I'm gonna eat ya

We're all food, your cake
We're all the food, your weirdos' cream

Quick quick, fast fast, quick quick, fast fast
I took to dribbling, I took to dribbing down my front
You took to hiding, you took to hiding strange things

One day she was touching her reflection
In her favorite mirror
When she realized all to clearly 
What a freakin' old weirdo she was
Who was? She was, she is

Fast fast, quick quick, quick quick, fast fast
She took to hiding, she took to hiding strange things 
I took to dribbling, I took to dribbing down my front



All comments from YouTube:

Bun Hoyle

The Happy Mondays at their absolute best, I always default to this video to remember them in their prime. RIP Paul

Rick Astley

2:54 this part is pure fire

Aron

They absolutely smashed it here, nice and raw.

The_egg_man

Guitar is on point

Genedefekt1916

Absolutely shit hot here .

Ewan mcarthur

Gone too soon

Eleventh Monkey Gaming

Sometimes you don't need a remastered version, this sounds just perfect the way it is!!!

b kooo

i wish this was available in a high quality audio version. this is simply the best performance of this song.

Stephen Barton

Thats them

Jon

Ye agree nice and raw better than lp

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