English Boy
Pete Townshend
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I'm an English boy I was brought up right Hold me down And I will bite I know no fear I serve with joy I'm proud to be here An English boy I feel like a stray dog Blurred like a movie You say you've come to arrest me But you're just trying to test me I'm bored with your prejudice Spreading like a fever Your promises to train me Are just attempts to restrain me I'm an English boy Precisely made Pin me down I am not afraid I show no fear I will serve with joy I'm proud to be here An English boy Use me like a headline Cut pieces to pieces I'm black on the tube line Red on the touch-line Freezing up the future Stopping every stopwatch You say we're moving like an oil slick Thicker than a house brick I'm an English boy I was brought up right If you raise your dress Then I will bite My voice is clear I got perfect poise Good to be down here With all the English boys And I don't know where I am now Or where I'm gonna go I just keep going round and round on the circle line Like some demented kind a cummuta Trying to avoid paying for my ticket I'm a lost soul I read about myself in the newspapers I'm a pig I'm a thug I've got nowhere to go but down Feel like I'm kicking at a dead man Kicking in the chorus I'm broken by hatred While politicians just ignore us You never gave me any value You didn't give me any reason There's no tools and no toys For any English boys I'm an English boy I was brought up right Hold me down And I will bite I know no fear I will serve with joy I'm proud to be here An English boy I'm an English boy I'm an English boy I'm an English boy No tools, no toys for any English boy English boy
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Written by: PETE TOWNSHEND
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
11 facts about this song
Artistic Creation"English Boy" is a song written and performed by renowned British musician Pete Townshend, best known as the vocalist and guitarist of The Who.
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Album ReleaseThe song is featured on Townshend's sixth solo studio album called "Psychoderelict," which was released in 1993.
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Song Length"English Boy (Non Dialogue)" with the absence of dialogue from the radio play, is two seconds shorter than the album version, clocking in at 5:07 minutes.
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Multiple VersionsThere are two versions of the song: One is interspersed with dialogues from "Psychoderelict" while the other version (Non-dialogue) is a pure musical composition without any dialogue.
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Song ThemeThe song, much like the rest of the "Psychoderelict" album, can be seen as a commentary on the state of the music industry and media landscape during the time of its release.
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Lyric CompositionThe lyrics touch on the realities of being a musician, art, isolation, and on Townshend's own experiences as a public figure.
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Chart Performance"English Boy" was successful in the charts. The non-dialogue version reached peak positions of #28 in the UK singles chart and #9 in Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
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Music VideoThe song also had a music video, directed by acclaimed photographer Mary McCartney, daughter of Paul McCartney from The Beatles.
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Critical ReceptionCritics have praised Townshend's raw and emotive voice in the song, describing the track as a matured and layered exploration of his artistic persona.
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Unique Album StructureThe album "Psychoderelict" itself is a unique concept album often described as a radio play due to its use of spoken word segments and sound effects between songs.
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Silver CertificationThe album, “Psychoderelict” which features "English Boy" has been awarded silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales over 60,000 units in the UK.
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Citation
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"English Boy Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/832989/Pete+Townshend/English+Boy>.
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