Championed by NME, the band's first single What a Waster charted at number 37, despite being banned from Radio 1 and commercial radio due to an overabundance of foul language; this set the trend for steadily increasing returns, culminating in a #2 single and #1 album in the UK Charts. However, the band's music was often eclipsed by its internal conflicts, many of which stemmed from Doherty's considerable drug use, and it was mostly because of this that after a final show in Paris (without Pete) that the band was disbanded at the end of 2004.
The former members of The Libertines have gone on to form three splinter bands, with varying degrees of commercial and critical success. These bands include Peter Doherty in Babyshambles, Carl Barât and Gary Powell in Dirty Pretty Things and John Hassall in Yeti.
Pete and Carl recently came back to work on Babyshambles' charity cover of The Clash's 'Janie Jones' for Strummerville. Carl and Pete also performed 13 songs together in April 2007 as Carl appeared on stage at one of Pete's shows. On the 29th of March 2010 the Libertines announced they had reunited to play the Leeds and Reading festivals in August.
On 20 April 2014 an image of London's Hyde Park was released to the band's Facebook page. Around this time both Carl Barat and Peter Doherty indicated in interviews that they had accepted an offer to play the venue on July 5, 2014. On 25 April, it was confirmed that The Libertines will play on Saturday 5 July in London's Hyde Park, headlining the day, as part of the Barclaycard British Summer Time series of concerts. Support for the concert will be provided by a number of bands and artists, most notably The Pogues, Spiritualized, Maxïmo Park, Raglans and The Enemy
On 20 May, it was confirmed that The Libertines will play on Saturday 19 July in Benicassim FIB, Spain, as headliners.
They have also announced a European tour, their first tour in 10 years, consisting of 9 dates prior to the release of a new album in 2015, 11 years after their previous studio release.
The band's reunion album was followed by a series of festival appearances, including a surprise gig during the 2015 Glastonbury Festival, as they were secretly called to replace Florence + the Machine (who were earlier announced as unscheduled headliners after Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl's injury prevented the latters from headlining the day). The Libertines were filmed as they landed down off an helicopter outside the festival site, and stated their show with a hit from their 2nd album, Can't Stand Me Now.
On the 13th of October 2023 the band released their first single in eight years, as well as announcing that their new album All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade will be arriving on March 8, 2024.[40] To celebrate the announcement of the new album the band announced "The Albionay Tour". An intimate club tour that sold out in seconds. [41]
Tell the King
The Libertines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even now there's something to be proud about
You'll come up the hard way
And they'll remind you every day, "you're nothing"
My words in your mouth are mumbled all about
You're like a journalist
No you can't cut and paste and twist
And tell it to your king
Go on and tell him everything you know
Tell him you know how I feel
Tell him you know how I feel at the palace gates
I'm all levered off my face
And just to work out what it's on about
I can see snakes in eyes
And danger signs
If you were late
You mustn't dare complain
Oh, you won't like this at all
There's nothing to break your fall
Tell it to your king
Tell him everything you know
And you know how I feel out of place
Until I'm levered off my face
And I can work out what she's on about
Didn't they explain?
You have to play the game
Jack drinks and smokes his cares away
His heart is in a lonely way
Living in the ruins of a castle built on sand
In the song "Tell the King" by The Libertines, the singer addresses someone directly, telling them that they have a little secret to reveal. The secret is apparently something to be proud of, despite the fact that the person had to come up the hard way and has faced constant reminders that they are nothing. The singer then compares the person to a journalist, suggesting that they are not able to accurately report the facts but rather twist them to suit their own purposes. The person is described as "awful," indicating that the singer has a low opinion of them.
The lyrics then shift to a call for the person to "tell [the secret] to your king," suggesting that the information is important enough to warrant sharing with a higher authority. The singer encourages the person to share everything they know and to explain how they feel, while the singer himself is "levered off [his] face," or intoxicated. The lyrics become more ambiguous here, as the singer sees "snakes in eyes" and "danger signs" but does not explain what this means. The singer then says that the person mustn't complain about being late, because there is nothing to break their fall.
The final verse of the song introduces a new character, Jack, who apparently drinks and smokes to forget his troubles. Jack's heart is described as being in a lonely way, and he lives in the ruins of a castle built on sand, suggesting that his life is unstable and uncertain. The song ends with another call for the person to "tell it to your king" and the suggestion that the truth is not always easy to handle.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a little secret for you
I have something important to tell you
Even now there's something to be proud about
There is still a reason for you to feel proud
You'll come up the hard way
You will face difficulties in your journey
And they'll remind you every day, "you're nothing"
People will criticize and belittle you constantly
My words in your mouth are mumbled all about
You are speaking unclearly and using my words in a confused manner
You're like a journalist
You act like a gossip or reporter, spreading rumors
No you can't cut and paste and twist
You cannot manipulate the truth for your own benefit
You're awful
You are terrible or unpleasant
And tell it to your king
Speak your truth to those in power
Go on and tell him everything you know
Say everything you believe to be true to those in positions of authority
Tell him you know how I feel
Inform him that you understand my emotions
Tell him you know how I feel at the palace gates
Explain the emotions I experience while in the highest places of power
I'm all levered off my face
I am heavily intoxicated
And just to work out what it's on about
Struggling to understand the situation
I can see snakes in eyes
I sense that people around me are untrustworthy or sneaky
And danger signs
There are warning signs and indicators of danger
If you were late
If you arrived after the expected time
You mustn't dare complain
Do not voice your dissatisfaction
Oh, you won't like this at all
The situation is unpleasant or uncomfortable
There's nothing to break your fall
There are no safety nets or protections in place to help you avoid the consequences of failure
And you know how I feel out of place
I feel uncomfortable or uneasy in this environment
Until I'm levered off my face
Until I am heavily intoxicated to numb my discomfort
And I can work out what she's on about
Eventually, I will understand what is happening
Didn't they explain?
Wasn't the situation made clear beforehand?
You have to play the game
You must comply with the rules and expectations of those in power
Jack drinks and smokes his cares away
Jack attempts to cope with his problems through unhealthy habits
His heart is in a lonely way
He is emotionally isolated and unhappy
Living in the ruins of a castle built on sand
His world is fragile and easily destroyed
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CARL BARAT, PETER DOHERTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind