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]
The Saga
The Libertines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you let down your friends
When you let down the people
When you let down yourself
Oh, and only fools, vultures and undertakers
Will have any time for you
Oh
A problem, becomes a problem
When you lie to your friends
And you lie to your people
And you lie to yourself
And the truth's too harsh to comprehend
You just pretend there isn't a problem
I am a pimp and a slave
I dig my bed, you dig my bed
I dig my grave
And the truth's too harsh to comprehend
You just pretend there isn't a problem
No no, I ain't got a problem
It's you with the problem!
Problem
Problem
In The Libertines's song The Saga, the lyrics talk about how a problem becomes a real problem when one starts to let down their friends, people, and even themselves. It is when this behavior is repeated that a person can become a fool, vulture, or undertaker, as only these kinds of people will show any interest. The lyrics also suggest that when a person lies to themselves, their friends, and people, the problem only becomes worse as the truth becomes too harsh to handle. Rather than facing the problem head-on, pretending it does not exist seems to be the easier option.
Throughout the song, the lyrics suggest that the singer is a pimp and a slave who is digging his bed and grave. This is a metaphor for engaging in destructive behavior while also being victimized by it. The singer suggests that it is not him who has a problem, but rather the person listening to this song. This line can be interpreted as projecting blame onto others and not wanting to take responsibility for one's own actions.
Overall, The Saga is a song about facing one's problems and not letting them control one's life. It also highlights the danger of lying to oneself and others and how this can lead to destructive behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
A problem, becomes a problem
When you do something wrong and you don't correct it, that problem starts to escalate.
When you let down your friends
Your friends count on you, if you disappoint them, it can create problems.
When you let down the people
When you let down your community, those people may lose faith in you.
When you let down yourself
If you break promises to yourself or act against your morals, it can lead to feeling of guilt and further problems.
Oh, and only fools, vultures and undertakers
Those who take advantage of your problems are not your true friends or allies.
Will have any time for you
Only those who benefit from your problems will stick around.
When you lie to your friends
Lying to your friends can create rifts in relationships and cause problems.
And you lie to your people
Lying to those in your community or social circle can damage trust and lead to issues.
And you lie to yourself
Lying to yourself can lead to self-deception and further problems.
And the truth's too harsh to comprehend
Facing the truth can be difficult and painful, leading you to avoid it.
You just pretend there isn't a problem
Ignoring problems won't make them go away; it will just make things worse.
I am a pimp and a slave
I am both dependent and exploiting others, controlling them while being controlled myself.
I dig my bed, you dig my bed
We both have our own problems and cannot rely on each other.
I dig my grave
My actions are leading me towards self-destruction and harm.
No no, I ain't got a problem
Denying your problems won't make them go away or help you conquer them.
It's you with the problem!
Blaming others or deflecting problems onto others won't solve any issues.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL ROUNDHILL, PETER DOHERTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind