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 aren’t 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 Beasts’ music just is.
On 25 September 2017, the band announced that they were disbanding, playing their final gig on 17 February 2018.
Woebegone Wanderers
Wild Beasts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pilfered piles and pints in wobbly hands...
In the bowls of the bar two boys spar
Don't flinch an inch and territories marked
Oh I'd swear by my own cock and balls
And the family home's four walls
The players they bask
The boss he basks
Just win the big match it's all I can ask
Darrell my son the bastards won
We've been lumbered with loosing life for far too long
The ground groans like the belly of a sleeping whale
Don't flinch an inch you'll be released on bail
Oh I'd swear by my own cock and balls
And the family home's four walls
There'll be no treason this season
The players are slack
The boss has been sacked
Just win the big match it's all I can ask
Woebegone with weeping
That sets you down to sleeping...
Please canary, please be wary
The pit of a man's heart is dark and scary
Oh are yer yellow with cowardice?
Oh are yer yellow with jaundice?
A slap on the arse from my baby
The hiss and the sting
And the mark of a ring
And the cold reality
Who are yer? Who are yer? Who are yer? Who are yer?
The song "Woebegone Wanderers" by Wild Beasts speaks about a football match and the emotions surrounding it. The first verse talks about the fans in the bar, who have pilfered piles and pints in their hands. There are two boys in the bar who are fighting, and territories have been marked. The singer also makes a promise, swearing by his cock and balls and the family's four walls that there will be no treason this season, and that he just wants the team to win the big match.
The second verse is about the aftermath of the match, where the singer's son, Darrell, is upset because the team has lost yet again. The ground is groaning like the belly of a sleeping whale, and the singer advises his son not to flinch an inch, or he will be released on bail. The singer once again makes the same promise to Darrell that there will be no treason this season and just wants the team to win the big match.
The chorus of the song echoes the same sentiment, that he just wants the team to win the big match, and that he'd swear by his cock and balls and the family's four walls that there will be no treason this season. In the bridge, the singer warns the canary to be wary, as the pit of a man's heart is dark and scary. The song ends with the singer questioning the cowardice and jaundice of a person and the mark of a slap on the arse from his baby.
Line by Line Meaning
Unstable stands afflush with fans
The crowd cheers uncontrollably in the arena
Pilfered piles and pints in wobbly hands...
The people in the arena are holding stolen things and drinks and they are staggering
In the bowls of the bar two boys spar
Two boys fight in the lower part of the bar
Don't flinch an inch and territories marked
Don’t show any sign of weakness because it is how you lose ground
Oh I'd swear by my own cock and balls
I am absolutely sure of myself and the commitments that I'm making
And the family home's four walls
I am so sure of my commitments that I’ll even put my family's home on the line
There'll be no treason this season
Nobody will betray us this time
The players they bask
The players are enjoying themselves in the sunshine
The boss he basks
The boss is also enjoying the sunshine
Just win the big match it's all I can ask
I am only asking for one thing, to win the most important game
Darrell my son the bastards won
The bastards won and now it's time to face the repercussions
We've been lumbered with loosing life for far too long
We have been losing for too long and it has become a burden
The ground groans like the belly of a sleeping whale
The ground is making a deep, uneasy sound
Don't flinch an inch you'll be released on bail
Stay unyielding and you’ll be freed from prison
The players are slack
The players are not putting in enough effort
The boss has been sacked
The boss has been fired
Woebegone with weeping
Being sad and crying a lot
That sets you down to sleeping...
It makes you so sad that you fall asleep
Please canary, please be wary
Please be careful because there are dangers everywhere
The pit of a man's heart is dark and scary
The innermost thoughts of someone can be frightening
Oh are yer yellow with cowardice?
Are you afraid to take risks?
Oh are yer yellow with jaundice?
Are you sick and turning yellow with jaundice?
A slap on the arse from my baby
A playful smack on the butt from my girlfriend
The hiss and the sting
The sharp noise and pain from the smack on the butt
And the mark of a ring
A mark on the finger from wearing a wedding ring
And the cold reality
The harsh realization of the truth
Who are yer? Who are yer? Who are yer? Who are yer?
Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?
Contributed by Katherine L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.