Their debut single, Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants backed with The Old Dog was released on Bad Sneakers Records on 20th November 2006. Their second single Through Dark Night backed with Please, Sir was released 23rd April as their last single on Bad Sneakers. In February 2007 the band signed to Domino Records. A debut album Limbo, Panto was released in the UK on June 16 2008 with strong critical endorsement. Their second album, Two Dancers, was released on 3 August 2009 to widespread critical acclaim, receiving 9/10 reviews from NME and Drowned in Sound. It was also ranked at #41 on NME's top 100 albums of the decade. Their third album, Smother was released on May 9, 2011.
The four boys of Wild Beasts arenāt concerned with being of the modern or being of the renaissance, being baggy pantsed or being tight pantsed, being in a scene or being in a place. Wild Beastsā music just is.
On 25 September 2017, the band announced that they were disbanding, playing their final gig on 17 February 2018.
All The Kingās Men
Wild Beasts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The belle of the ball
My heart, my hand and everything I own
And we are the boys
With new shiny shoes
We've seen 'em all
And we've chosen you
Girls from Roedean
Girls from Shipley
Girls from Hounslow
Girls from Whitby
You're a candied queen
And let me show my darling what that means
Watch me! watch me!
Hatch me! hatch me!
A girl before
Bouncing round behind the bedroom doors
And we are the boys
Who'll drape you in jewels
Cut off your hair
And throw out your shoes
Cause baby, you won't need them, where you'll be
Girls astride me
Girls beneath me
Girls before me
Girls between me
You're birthing machines
And let me show my darling what that means
Hatch me! hatch me!
And baby, turns out I'm evil
In all my dreams, girls who'll clothe me
Girls who'll feed me
Girls who want me
Girls who need me
All you pretty things waiting for somebody
Number my babies and my broken body
The song "All The Kings Men" by Wild Beasts is a complex and layered exploration into the themes of power, control and gender dynamics. The lyrics themselves speak of a man who wants to control and manipulate women, treating them like objects to fulfill his own desires. The song begins with a boastful arrogance as the man describes himself as the "belle of the ball" who owns everything including the hearts and hands of others. He declares himself and his cohorts as the boys with new shiny shoes who have chosen the "candied queen" and that "no one will find your limit." The use of the phrase "candied queen" is thought to be a reference to the character of Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet, who is manipulated by the men in her life.
Throughout the song, the man speaks of using women for his own pleasure, drape them in jewels, cut off their hair, and throw out their shoes, describing them as birthing machines. The lyrics highlight the manipulative nature of the man, who uses language that may seem light and playful but carry with them dark and twisted meanings. In the second verse, he refers to himself as evil, dreaming of women who will clothe him, feed him, and fulfill his every need. The chorus, with its repeated plea to "watch me" and "hatch me" emphasizes the control and manipulation the man wishes to exert on the women in his life.
The lyrics are rich with symbolism and references to literature and culture, but ultimately, the song speaks to a society where women are objectified and treated as inferior to men. The song highlights the power dynamics at play and the ways in which men use this power to exert control over women.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch me! watch me!
Look at me! Look at me!
The belle of the ball
The most popular person at the party
My heart, my hand and everything I own
I'm giving you everything I have and everything I am
And we are the boys
We are a group of men
With new shiny shoes
Wearing stylish shoes
We've seen 'em all
We've been around the block
And we've chosen you
We've decided to pick you
Now no one will find your limit
You have no boundaries with us
Girls from Roedean
Girls from Roedean School
Girls from Shipley
Girls from Shipley School
Girls from Hounslow
Girls from Hounslow area
Girls from Whitby
Girls from Whitby town
You're a candied queen
You're charming and sweet
And let me show my darling what that means
Let me demonstrate for you what I mean by that
Hatch me! hatch me!
Bring me into being! Bring me into being!
A girl before
A girl from the past
Bouncing round behind the bedroom doors
Playing around in secret in someone's bedroom
Who'll drape you in jewels
We'll adorn you in jewelry
Cut off your hair
We'll chop off your hair
And throw out your shoes
We'll get rid of your shoes
Cause baby, you won't need them, where you'll be
You won't need them where we're taking you
Girls astride me
Girls riding on top of me
Girls beneath me
Girls under me
Girls before me
Girls in front of me
Girls between me
Girls between me and someone else
You're birthing machines
You are just instruments for producing offspring
And let me show my darling what that means
Let me demonstrate for you what I mean by that
And baby, turns out I'm evil
I'm actually quite wicked
In all my dreams, girls who'll clothe me
In my dreams, I have girls who dress me
Girls who'll feed me
Girls who feed me
Girls who want me
Girls who desire me
Girls who need me
Girls who depend on me
All you pretty things waiting for somebody
All of you attractive people waiting for someone to come along
Number my babies and my broken body
Count my offspring and my wounded being
Lyrics Ā© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JORGE ABNER DREXLER, JORGE ABNER DREXLER PRADA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pi4noBl4ck
Watch me! watch me!
The belle of the ball
My heart, my hand and everything I own
And we are the boys
With new shiny shoes
We've seen 'em all
And we've chosen you
Now no one will find your limit
Girls from Roedean
Girls from Shipley
Girls from Hounslow
Girls from Whitby
You're a candied queen
And let me show my darling what that means
Watch me! watch me!
Hatch me! hatch me!
A girl before
Bouncing round behind the bedroom doors
And we are the boys
Who'll drape you in jewels
Cut off your hair
And throw out your shoes
Cause baby, you won't need them, where you'll be
Girls astride me
Girls beneath me
Girls before me
Girls between me
You're birthing machines
And let me show my darling what that means
Hatch me! hatch me!
And baby, turns out I'm evil
In all my dreams, girls who'll clothe me
Girls who'll feed me
Girls who want me
Girls who need me
All you pretty things waiting for somebody
Number my babies and my broken body
Domino Recording Co.
We're honoured to present the debut single from Hayden Thorpe, Diviner. Watch the beautiful video, directed by Crowns & Owls, now: http://smarturl.it/DivinerYT
Sanaš
I love how this song sounds like a love song in the beginning, but then transforms into something dark and twisted halfway through.
Simondo81
It's dark and twisted all the way through
jane wilson
This song is such a breath of fresh air for me. thankgod to the wild beasts!!!
water4sure
Still loving this song in 2021! and missing this band!
Catherine Snedden
Hayden is just so wonderful...I know he doesn't sing much on this song, but whatever he does sing, he sounds wonderful with his distinctive voice. He really does know how to use his voice to it's full potential, not like most frontmen of bands...
Ashley Jones
for some reason I can't get enough of the song
Kevin Commerford
For some reason? Haha song is amazing! You should catch them live. This song is a party.
NAVIGATE BLOCKCHAIN
So very amazing...
Lift Guy Lomax
Bought the album soon as I heard this, my favourite by far