Marbles
Tindersticks Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Her haircut, she looked pudgy and made-up
In that dress growing ever tighter
It was saddening the lengths she had gone to
To appear more attractive
In the process losing something
We never knew but still missed
You knew you were lost as soon as you saw her
You saw your life as a series of complicated dance steps
Impossible to learn, they had to come naturally
Together you squirmed and wriggled
And I could only jerk along behind

[Chorus]
They're going to hurt you
They always will

She is now with me, inside of you
And I could only stare wide-eyed
As everything closed in around the three of us
Things you never saw, talking of the power and rescue
That were rushing through our body
And it's good

[Chorus]

She opened the door his face bruised and swollen
Before he knew, pushed, falling down curved stairs
Our message lost and our plans forgotten
Surrounded by men in suits, and black shiny shoes
Moving in, kicking, stamping
Bland expressionless faces
A handful of marbles thrown in a dustbin
Memories, memories

[Chorus]

In a northern town there were amazing rows of standing stones arranged on the southern slope
They got out in the last few seconds of consciousness
Look for their inscriptions one day, the most distant ocean plains, those who make the desert island
I saw you in a tin bath in red water
Were the ones who went to Washington to do their laundry
They wanted to see the mysterious hurricane
I never believed in New York, or where you intended to stand
But we don't actually want to see the shipwrecked




I just had to go
They came

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song Marbles by the group Tindersticks are rather cryptic, and it is difficult to determine a singular meaning or interpretation. However, with a closer examination, it is possible to derive some general themes and ideas that might be present within the song. In the first verse, the singer describes a woman who appears to have undergone some sort of transformation or change to become more physically attractive. However, the singer notes a sense of loss, perhaps indicating that this transformation has sacrificed some essential part of the woman's identity. The singer then shifts to describe a complicated relationship, which feels like a series of difficult dance steps, and in which the singer is struggling to keep up. The chorus is a warning, suggesting that this relationship may lead to pain and hurt for those involved.


The second verse offers more mysterious and surreal imagery, describing a unity or merging of three individuals, which seems to evoke a sense of transcendence or transformation. The final verse shifts again, describing a violent encounter and lost message, perhaps suggesting a failure to achieve some sort of goal or objective. The verse ends with images of marbles being thrown away, which could symbolize lost memories or experiences. Overall, the song seems to deal with themes of transformation, loss, and struggle within a complicated relationship, ultimately leading to uncertain outcomes.


Line by Line Meaning

Her haircut, she looked pudgy and made-up
Despite her styled haircut and heavy makeup, she appeared overweight.


In that dress growing ever tighter
Her dress was getting tighter and tighter, as she tried to appear more attractive.


It was saddening the lengths she had gone to
The attempts she made to appear more attractive were disheartening.


To appear more attractive
She was doing everything to look more beautiful.


In the process losing something
While trying to enhance her appearance, she lost some essential qualities of herself.


We never knew but still missed
Though these qualities were not known, they were still missed.


You knew you were lost as soon as you saw her
As soon as you saw her, you knew there was something you lost.


You saw your life as a series of complicated dance steps
Your life seemed like a sequence of intricate dance moves.


Impossible to learn, they had to come naturally
To execute these moves, they had to come instinctively.


Together you squirmed and wriggled
As you moved with her, you squirmed and wriggled together.


And I could only jerk along behind
I could only awkwardly follow along.


[Chorus] They're going to hurt you They always will
The people she is with are going to cause you pain, as they always do.


She is now with me, inside of you
She is now a part of you, as she is with me.


And I could only stare wide-eyed
I could only observe with a stunned expression.


As everything closed in around the three of us
As everything became tight and intimate between the three of us.


Things you never saw, talking of the power and rescue
As we discuss things you have never seen, the notion of control and saving emerges.


That were rushing through our body
These ideas are flowing through our bodies.


And it's good
It feels good.


[Chorus] They're going to hurt you They always will
The individuals she is with will harm you, as they always do.


She opened the door his face bruised and swollen
She opened the door to reveal a man's face that was beaten and swollen.


Before he knew, pushed, falling down curved stairs
Before he could comprehend, someone pushed him, and he fell down on the staircase.


Our message lost and our plans forgotten
Our message was not heard, and our plans were ignored.


Surrounded by men in suits, and black shiny shoes
We were surrounded by men in suits and gleaming black shoes.


Moving in, kicking, stamping
They advanced towards us, kicking and stomping.


Bland expressionless faces
Their faces were bland and devoid of any emotion.


A handful of marbles thrown in a dustbin
The situation was chaotic, and it felt like we were throwing away valuable things, like marbles in a bin.


Memories, memories
These were memorable moments.


[Chorus] They're going to hurt you They always will
The individuals she is with will hurt you, as they always do.


In a northern town there were amazing rows of standing stones arranged on the southern slope
There were exceptional lines of erect stones arranged on the southern side of a town in the North.


They got out in the last few seconds of consciousness
They managed to flee in the last few moments of their awareness.


Look for their inscriptions one day, the most distant ocean plains, those who make the desert island
One day, look for their engravings on the farthest oceanic plains, where people form deserted islands.


I saw you in a tin bath in red water
I saw you bathing in a tin tub filled with red water.


Were the ones who went to Washington to do their laundry
These are the people who went to Washington to do their laundry.


They wanted to see the mysterious hurricane
They were intrigued by the mysterious hurricane.


I never believed in New York, or where you intended to stand
I never trusted New York, or the place where you planned on staying.


But we don't actually want to see the shipwrecked
We do not truly desire to see the individuals affected by the shipwreck.


I just had to go
I had to leave anyway.


They came
They arrived.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALASDAIR MACAULAY, DAVID BOULTER, DICKON JAMES HINCHLIFFE, MARK ANTHONY STEPHEN COLWILL, NEIL TIMOTHY FRASER, STUART ASHTON STAPLES

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

@MsMiguel70

Thanks for the post. I too heard this off that awesome NME comp while an exchange student in Scotland. I think it came out the same month the issue headline told us Cobain was dead. I never read the lyrics til today. I thought they were worth putting below. : )

Her haircut, she looked pudgy and made-up
In that dress growing ever tighter
It was saddening the lengths she had gone to
To appear more attractive
In the process losing something
We never knew but still missed
You knew you were lost as soon as you saw her
You saw your life as a series of complicated dance steps
Impossible to learn, they had to come naturally
Together you squirmed and wriggled
And I could only jerk along behind
They're going to hurt you
They always will
She is now with me, inside of you
And I could only stare wide-eyed
As everything closed in around the three of us
Things you never saw, talking of the power and rescue
That were rushing through our body
And it's good
They're going to hurt you
They always will
She opened the door his face bruised and swollen
Before he knew, pushed, falling down curved stairs
Our message lost and our plans forgotten
Surrounded by men in suits, and black shiny shoes
Moving in, kicking, stamping
Bland expressionless faces
A handful of marbles thrown in a dustbin
Memories, memories
They're going to hurt you
They always will
In a northern town there were amazing rows of standing stones arranged on the southern slope
They got out in the last few seconds of consciousness
Look for their inscriptions one day, the most distant ocean plains, those who make the desert island
I saw you in a tin bath in red water
Were the ones who went to Washington to do their laundry
They wanted to see the mysterious hurricane
I never believed in New York, or where you intended to stand
But we don't actually want to see the shipwrecked
I just had to go
They came



All comments from YouTube:

@poppychoppy5091

Was a Spotify recommendation. Came here to read the comments of everyone who loved this as much. Its beautiful

@canis77

I remember buying the NME's singles of the week 1993 compilation and hearing this for the first time. Completely blew me away then, still blows me away now.

@colinlogue7685

Same as .....!!

@paulacrevaux5730

Absolutely, great song

@stevebaconlettuceandtomato8353

Now that we're a good cd

@millascent

One of my favorite Tindersticks. Never fails to thrill.

@richardalan1977

A song for those moments when you find yourself at 3 a.m. with a whisky in your hand wondering where it all went wrong

@supermanchini2849

That's just my moment

@andyking7621

I sometimes have this on for breakfast ...(it went tits up years ago)

@ST-xg3gy

@@andyking7621 "tits up"?

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