Sarajevo
The K's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm looking to expand, oh, I'm so Austro-Hungarian
But it's not in my plans to be your next Franz
So I'll leave
And our eyes meet in the middle and I finally start to doubt you
And I take a step closer and I start to doubt myself too
But it's not in my plans to be your next Franz
So I'll leave
Oh, I'll force myself to say no
Oh, I'll force myself to say no
To save my life, save my life, on the streets of
Sarajevo, Sarajevo
And it's all-out war, war, war
I feel it coming
Sarajevo, Sarajevo
And it's all-out war, war, war
I feel it coming
Well I'm caught up in your gaze, oh, and it's pretty scary
And I'm looking to expand, oh, I'm so Austro-Hungarian
But I feel in myself that something's just ain't right
I thought I'd dodged all the bullets that you'd fired that night
I took a wrong turn west and I found
Myself lying with a hole in my chest
I took a wrong turn west and I found
Myself lying with a hole in my chest
Sarajevo, Sarajevo
And it's all-out war, war, war
I feel it coming
Sarajevo, Sarajevo
And it's all-out war, war, war
I feel it coming
I took a wrong turn west and I found
Myself lying with a hole in my chest
I took a wrong turn west and I found
Myself lying with a hole in my chest
Sarajevo, Sarajevo
And it's all-out war, war, war
I feel it coming
Sarajevo, Sarajevo
And it's all-out war, war, war
I feel it coming
The K's's song, "Sarajevo," is a song about the fear and uncertainty that comes with being caught up in someone's gaze. The singer speaks of feeling like he is part of an Austro-Hungarian empire, representing his desire to be part of something bigger and more grand than himself. However, he realizes that it is not in his plans to be this person's next Franz, meaning that he doesn't want to be their next victim. He is scared of the power this person holds over him, and he doubts both them and himself. The chorus of the song emphasizes the impending sense of doom, as the singer feels like he is about to be caught in an all-out war.
The lyrics become more intense in the second verse, as the singer feels like he's been hit with a bullet, lying with a hole in his chest. He took a wrong turn west, and ended up in this dangerous situation. The double repetition of this line emphasizes the severity of the situation and the consequences of making the wrong decision. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the feeling of impending doom and the all-out war that is coming.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm caught up in your gaze, oh, and it's pretty scary
The singer is feeling intimidated by the intense attention they are receiving from someone else
And I'm looking to expand, oh, I'm so Austro-Hungarian
The singer desires growth in their life, inspired by the historical Austro-Hungarian empire and its power
But it's not in my plans to be your next Franz, so I'll leave
The singer recognizes that they are not interested in becoming too involved with the person who is giving them attention and will instead choose to leave the situation
And our eyes meet in the middle and I finally start to doubt you
The singer is beginning to see through the facade of the person they are interacting with and is growing suspicious of their intentions
And I take a step closer and I start to doubt myself too
The singer is questioning their own judgment and whether they are making the right decision to engage with the other person
But it's not in my plans to be your next Franz, so I'll leave
The singer is reiterating their decision to leave the situation and not become too attached to the other person
And I'll force myself to say no, oh, I'll force myself to say no, oh, I'll force myself to say no, to save my life, save my life, on the streets of Sarajevo, Sarajevo
The singer is taking a stand against the other person's advances and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect themselves, including leaving the dangerous streets of Sarajevo
And it's all-out war, war, war, I feel it coming
The situation between the singer and the other person is escalating and about to reach a dangerous and violent point
But I feel in myself that something's just ain't right, I thought I'd dodged all the bullets that you'd fired that night
The singer is noticing that something is off about the situation and is experiencing regret for not seeing the warning signs earlier
I took a wrong turn west and I found myself lying with a hole in my chest
The singer made a mistake and suffered the consequences, symbolized by a bullet hole in their chest
Sarajevo, Sarajevo, and it's all-out war, war, war, I feel it coming
The city of Sarajevo is a metaphor for the dangerous and violent situation that the singer finds themselves in, which is about to escalate into a full-blown conflict
I took a wrong turn west and I found myself lying with a hole in my chest
The singer is repeating the consequence of their mistake, emphasizing their regret and the high stakes of the situation
Sarajevo, Sarajevo, and it's all-out war, war, war, I feel it coming
The impending conflict in the city is about to boil over and reach a critical point, putting the singer in danger
Contributed by Jayce K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nick M
on Hometown
I keep on having all these dreams, that we’re not like other people.
It’s because I’m always falling, I’m not waking up on beaches, or fucking to the sand on sunny days.
But there’s no beach for miles, so it’s more just cheap cocaine on race days.
I’m waking up in piles of debt, oh how he wept, oh how he wept, oh how he wept.
Because he’s emptied all his wages into the pockets of the boys he hated when he was in his hometown.
Playing all his favourite sounds in the sun, in the sun, in the sun, in the sun.
Put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on,
Playing all his favourite sounds in the sun, in the sun, in the sun, in the sun.
Put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on.
And he heads out for the night, with dreams of easy women and watered-down pints.
And he’ll drink, and snort, and smoke until every single line blurs into one.
But then he’ll try to wade (?) his way through a sea of Balenciaga bags, expensive cars on PCP.
And he’s stomping over broken glass & broken dignity.
I hope he doesn’t get his face broken though, he’s not much of a fighter.
He just tells a girl he loves her, when he doesn’t even like her, in his hometown.
Playing all his favourite sounds in the sun, in the sun, in the sun, in the sun.
Put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on,
Playing all his favourite sounds in the sun, in the sun, in the sun, in the sun.
Put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on.
And he’s so easily persuaded by his need to feel sedated and the only way to get it is to empty all his wages into the pockets of the boys he hated when he was at school.
And he’s so easily persuaded by his need to feel sedated and the only way to get it is to empty all his wages into the pockets of the boys he hated when he was at school.
When he was in, when he was in his, when he was in, when he was in his hometown.
Playing all his favourite sounds in the sun, in the sun, in the sun, in the sun.
Put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on,
Playing all his favourite sounds in the sun, in the sun, in the sun, in the sun.
Put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on.
Put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on.
Put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on.
Put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on, put ‘em on.