The Libertines – Can't Stand Me Now

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An ending fitting for the start
You twist and tore our love apart
Your light fingers threw the dark
That shattered the lamp and into darkness cast us

No, you've got it the wrong way round
You shut me up, and blamed it on the brown
Cornered the boy kicked out at the world
The world kicked back a lot fuckin' harder now

If you want to try
If you want to try
There's no worse you could do
Uh oh oh

I know you lie
I know you lie
I'm still in love with you
Uh oh oh

Can't take me anywhere (I'll take you anywhere)
Can't take me anywhere, (Wouldn't take you anywhere)
I'll take you anywhere you want to go

Oh,you can't stand me, no you can't stand me
No,you can't stand me, no you can't stand me
No, you can't stand me, no you can't stand me
No, you can't stand me, no you can't stand me now

Have we enough to keep enough to keep it together?
Or do we just keep on pretending
And hope our luck is never ending now
You tried to pull the wool I wasn't feeling too clever
And you take all that they're lending
Until you need amending now

If you want to try
If you want to try
There's no worse you could do
Uh oh oh

I know you lie
All you do is make me cry
All these words they ain't true

I can't take me anywhere, I can take you anywhere
You can't take me anywhere, I will take you anywhere
I'll take you anywhere you want to go

Oh,you can't stand me, no you can't stand me
No, you can't stand me, no you can't stand me
No, you can't stand me, no you can't stand me
No, you can't stand me, no you can't stand me

(Repeat)
No oh oh
You can't stand me now
Oh oh oh

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Lyrics submitted by on_a_plain_11

Track duration: 03:23

"Can't Stand Me Now" as written by Peter/barat Doherty

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Can't Stand Me Now song meanings
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63 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:This song is clearly Barat and Doherty bowing out.The title 'Cant stand me now' refers to the obvious resentment the 2 frontmen felt towards each other the end of the libertine era.Perhaps the most interesting line is the first 'An ending fitting for the start' to me this implies that the end of the band will be the same as the start where none of the members(predominantely barat and doherty) will speak/associate with each other.Also the lyrics 'you shut me up and blamed it on the brown' could be a refernce to Pete's heroin addiction at the time.How he shut Barat out and was completely consumed by the drug.Overall this is one of my all time favourite songs as it perfectly sums up the bands struggle at this moment
    Flag dj1967on April 27, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:This song's about Carl being a woman.
    Flagged LyraMemeon April 04, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Musically, this is no more advanced than anything else the band has produced (although that's not to say that it's not bloody brilliant, and the harmonica at the end is a touch of genius) but the call and response vocal performances from Pete and Carl on this one took the band to a new level. "Have we enough to keep it together, or do we just keep on pretending, and hope our luck is never-ending?" I think we all knew the answer to that one. It was never going to last. Through the vocals you can almost feel the genuine love that existed between these two, but coming through equally clearly is the inevitability that things couldn't continue for much longer. By this point, we had already been on the rollercoaster with the boys for what seemed like a lifetime and we all knew it had to crash and burn. This writer is just thankful that the band produced such unbelievable demonstrations of their collective abilities (which have subsequently been shown to have been much more than the sum of their parts) on brilliant records such as this before it all went down
    Flag Bazalinhioon March 17, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i heard it a year ago. something like "i don't want nobody else but you" definately something about "i get excited just thinkin about you dancin in your underwear" i could be completely off. does this sound familiar?
    Flag nextfriday765on July 10, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I just had a crazy thought. about the harmonica at the end. I read somewhere that when Pete broke into Carl's flat he stole a harmonica. maybe just a coincidence or maybe not. also it kind of sounds broken up, maybe symbloizing their kind of broken up friendship or their kind of broken up band. anyway, just a thought, i could be wrong.

    P.S. this song is one of the greatest songs i have ever heard. The Libs need to get back together and make more amazing music cuz neither Babyshambles or Dirty Pretty Things come anywhere close to the Libertines
    Flag thehoxtonheroeson June 13, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I am sure the lyrics are
    "No, you've got it the wrong way round
    You shot me up and blamed it on the brown
    Cornered the boy, kicked out at the world
    The world kicked back
    A lot fuckin' harder"

    "You shut me up and blamed it on the ground" - That sounds right untill you listen to the other words... he clearly says "Shot me up" and "Blamed it on the brown"... Which would actually make sense... They refer to brown in a lot of there songs which is slang for heroin
    Flag DarkReignon April 08, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hello...hello? I don't know how to send my messages to this forum--is that what this is called?

    Anyway--I think that everyone knows what this song is about....certainly I know, and Bilo knows, and since we're Libertines thats all that really matters. Most of you are aware by now that bilo and I are planning to write a musical together. well, we've decided to make it into an opera!!! And this song will be the title one. We're going to call it Can't Stand Opera Now.

    Anyway...the story--based on a 1960's porn film starring Paul McCartney and directed by George Harrison, is about the love of a boy, his perm, and a wah-wah.

    The end.

    Goodbye.

    Thanks mum for telling me how to post this

    xxxx spanko the clown
    Flag childofroseson March 28, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:in pete's cover story in spin this month it says it's about the burglary and his drug problems.

    i love pete doherty.
    Flag cityclasson February 04, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:you've all got it wrong. carl an pete didn't write this about there relationship they wrote it as a love song it was just kind of an unfortunate coincidences that it became the soundtrack to there downfall allthough some of it is probably based on experiance. it says all about it in the libertines book you should read it, is awsum.
    Flag the commanderon February 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Androoo wrote:

    The only bit I don't understand is:
    "You tried to pull the wool, I wasn't feeling too clever"

    'Not feeling too clever' is probably a reference to Pete being off his face of heroin.
    Given the context I'd say 'you tried to pull the wool' is probably referencing being thrown out of the band as pulling the wool over someone's eyes means fooling or tricking them.
    Not 100% sure though.
    Flag thediscobiscuiton December 16, 2007   Link

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