The song was written by Carl Barât and Pete Doherty with Mark Keds (also known as Mark Myers and credited on this track as Mark Hammerton) who was previously in a number of bands including Senseless Things, the Wildhearts and Jolt. The song is autobiographical, documenting the breakdown of Doherty and Barât's relationship which led to the ultimate split of the band later in the same year.
In May 2007, NME placed "Can't Stand Me Now" at number 13 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.[3] NME also named the song as the best track of 2004. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 26 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
Can't Stand Me Now
The Libertines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You twist and tore our love apart
Your light fingers threw the dark
Shattered the lamp and into darkness it cast us
No, you've got it the wrong way round
You shut me up, and blamed it on the brown
Cornered the boy, kicked out at the world
If you wanna try
If you wanna try
There's no worse you could do
Uh oh oh
I know you lie
I know you lie
I'm still in love with you
Uh oh oh
Can't take me anywhere
I'll take you anywhere
You can't take me anywhere
I can't take you anywhere
I'll take you anywhere you wanna go
But oh, you can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
Have we enough to keep it together?
Or do we just keep on pretending
And hope our luck is never ending now
You tried to pull the wool, I wasn't feeling too clever
And you take all that they're lending
Until you need amending now
If you wanna try
If you wanna try
There's no worse you could do
Uh oh oh
I know you lie
All you do is make me cry
All these words they ain't true
I can't take me anywhere
I can take you anywhere
You can't take me anywhere
I will take you anywhere
I'll take you anywhere you want to go
But oh, you can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me now (you can't stand me now)
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me now, you can't stand me now
No, you can't stand me now
No oh oh
You can't stand me now
Oh oh oh
The Libertines’ song “Can’t Stand Me Now” is a reflection on a tumultuous and destructive romantic relationship. The song is filled with lyrics depicting the disappointment and frustration that both parties feel within the relationship. The opening lines, “An ending fitting for the start, you twist and tore our love apart,” set up the painful story that unfolds throughout the rest of the song. The lyrics reveal that the singer’s partner has been unfaithful and dishonest, and has caused the downfall of their love with their reckless behavior.
Despite acknowledging the hurt and lies present in the relationship, the singer is still in love with their partner, as expressed in the repeated refrain, “I know you lie, I know you lie, I’m still in love with you.” However, their partner cannot stand them, and the relationship is falling apart. The lyrics “But oh, you can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now” are repeated throughout the chorus to emphasize the tension and distance between the two.
The lines “Have we enough to keep it together? Or do we just keep on pretending” suggest that the couple is holding onto the relationship even though they both know it is no longer working. The song’s melancholic tone, paired with poignant lyrics, make it a powerful and introspective piece about love, heartbreak, and the struggle to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
An ending fitting for the start
The relationship ended the same way it began - a mess
You twist and tore our love apart
You destroyed our relationship with all your lies and manipulations
Your light fingers threw the dark
You caused chaos and confusion in our relationship
Shattered the lamp and into darkness it cast us
Your actions ruined everything and left us in the dark
No, you've got it the wrong way round
You're mistaken in how you see things
You shut me up, and blamed it on the brown
You silenced me and blamed it on drugs/alcohol
Cornered the boy, kicked out at the world
You bullied and attacked me and the people around us
The world kicked back a lot fuckin' harder now
Your actions had consequences that hurt you back
If you wanna try
If you're willing to attempt to fix things
There's no worse you could do
You've already done the worst by hurting me and our relationship
I know you lie
I'm aware that you're not truthful
I'm still in love with you
Despite all the pain and hurt, I still have feelings for you
Can't take me anywhere
I'm unpredictable and can make a scene wherever we go
I'll take you anywhere
Despite this, I'm still willing to go on adventures with you
Have we enough to keep it together?
Do we have what it takes to make this relationship work?
Or do we just keep on pretending
Are we just faking our feelings and efforts to maintain the relationship?
And hope our luck is never ending now
We're relying on external factors to keep our relationship going
You tried to pull the wool, I wasn't feeling too clever
You tried to deceive me, but I wasn't fooled
And you take all that they're lending
You take advantage of people's generosity
Until you need amending now
Until something goes wrong and you need someone to fix things for you
All you do is make me cry
Your actions and lies constantly cause me pain and tears
All these words they ain't true
All the things you say are lies and deceptions
I can't take me anywhere
I can't control my own behavior and actions
I can take you anywhere
Despite this, I'm still willing to be with you and go places together
But oh, you can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
Despite my willingness to move forward, you can't seem to tolerate me
No, you can't stand me now
You're unable to be with me and can't handle the relationship anymore
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Carl Ashley Raphael Barat, Peter Doherty, Mark Hammerton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Wabi-sabi8551
An ending fitting for the start
You twist and tore our love apart
Your light fingers threw the dark
Shattered the lamp and into darkness it cast us
No, you've got it the wrong way round
You shut me up, and blamed it on the brown
Cornered the boy, kicked out at the world
The world kicked back a lot fuckin' harder now
If you wanna try
If you wanna try
There's no worse you could do
Uh oh oh
I know you lie
I know you lie
I'm still in love with you
Uh oh oh
Can't take me anywhere
I'll take you anywhere
You can't take me anywhere
I can't take you anywhere
I'll take you anywhere you wanna go
But oh, you can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
Have we enough to keep it together?
Or do we just keep on pretending
And hope our luck is never ending now
You tried to pull the wool, I wasn't feeling too clever
And you take all that they're lending
Until you need amending now
If you wanna try
If you wanna try
There's no worse you could do
Uh oh oh
I know you lie
All you do is make me cry
All these words they ain't true
I can't take me anywhere
I can take you anywhere
You can't take me anywhere
I will take you anywhere
I'll take you anywhere you want to go
But oh, you can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me now (you can't stand me now)
You can't stand me, no, you can't stand me now
You can't stand me now, you can't stand me now
No, you can't stand me now
No oh oh
You can't stand me now
Oh oh oh
@demianmachado9043
This is the best song of The Libertines.
@ukstormwatch1793
Early year 2000’s, what a time to be alive!
@RebelAnimalMother
This is one masterpiece of british music. I miss when The Indie bands was so cool And only prettend to be good guys. Junkie British bands will be always The best bands
@tomxixtus
A lot of the worlds best music and writings were written on smack or the comedown - From hendrix to chilli peppers, Amy Winehouse to The doors.
@timothygraham4304
@@tomxixtus I'm pretty sure they had to learn how to play the instruments, and know song structure. They didn't just get high and then just know how to do it.
@user-yu2dy7kq1y
Carl's guitar riff making is genius.
@tomxixtus
bang Bang was a great number.
@samsicles_jr
is that his guitar riff that starts around 0:36? love it
@user-yu2dy7kq1y
@@samsicles_jr pete part
@peepeepoopooman-qs3jq
@@samsicles_jr i have that part on repeat