Lyrics for Seeing Other People as interpreted by ReActor

Seeing Other People Lyrics
We lay on the bed there
Kissing just for practice
Could we please be objective?
Because the other boys are queuing up behind us
A hand over my mouth
A hand over the window
Well, if I remain passive and you just want to cuddle
Then we should be ok, and we won't get in a muddle
Because we're seeing other people
At least that's what we say we are doing

How are you feeling?
I don't think you can be dealing
With the situation very well
You take a lover for a dirty weekend, that's ok
But when it's over
You are looking at the working week in the eyes of a gigolo

You're kissing your elbow
You're kissing your reflection
And you can't understand why all the other boys
Are going for the new, tall, elegant rich kids
You can bet it is a bitch, kid
But if they don't see the quality then it is apparent that
You're going to have to change
Or you're going to have to go with girls
You might be better off
At least they know what they're doing

We lay on the bed there
Kissing just for practice
Could we please be objective?
Because the other boys are queuing up behind us
A hand over my mouth
A hand over the window
Well, if I remain passive and you just want to cuddle
Then we should be ok, and we won't get in a muddle
Because we're seeing other people
At least that's what we say we are doing

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  • 35 Comments
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whatafeeling
01-03-2005

Rated 0 
this is maybe my favourite Belle and Sebastian song, I love the opening verse.

This is such a catchy song, and funny too.

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lost_in_twlight
04-17-2005

Rated +1 
he's telling her to "go" with girls. "at least they know what they're doing" cracks me up every time.

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chocolate
04-17-2005

Rated 0 
don't joke about crack

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LydiaDeetz
10-03-2005

Rated 0 
they are very close friends, he likes that preocupation with quality that she has but he jokes guys are not interested, she would have to be a lesbian, and says good things of it(but making fun), they finish as the good friends of the beginning staying all the same.

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Schizima
01-10-2006

Rated 0 
Charlie Brown melody.

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boroaskitur
02-19-2006

Rated 0 
the line "I'll admit it is a bitch, kid" is "you can bet it is a bitch, kid"

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MoonArcher92
03-01-2006

Rated 0 
For one thing: "We won't get into trouble" - "We won't get in a muddle"
I agree with Schizima, the piano part is super similar to the Charlie Brown melody.
I think it's about two guys who aren't gay but are "kissing just for practice", and they decide being gay isn't worth it. Just my interpretation, though.

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MoonArcher92
03-01-2006

Rated 0 
For one thing: "We won't get into trouble" - "We won't get in a muddle"
I agree with Schizima, the piano part is super similar to the Charlie Brown melody.
I think it's about two guys who aren't gay but are "kissing just for practice", and they decide being gay isn't worth it. Just my interpretation, though.

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MoonArcher92
03-01-2006

Rated 0 
For one thing: "We won't get into trouble" - "We won't get in a muddle"
I agree with Schizima, the piano part is super similar to the Charlie Brown melody.
I think it's about two guys who aren't gay but are "kissing just for practice", and they decide being gay isn't worth it. Just my interpretation, though.

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Spock_123
04-07-2006

Rated -1 
I also think this song is about two guys experimenting.

"Cause we're seeing other people"
-I think this means other people as in the same sex as opposed to the opposite sex.

And gigolo implies a man.

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Spock_123
04-07-2006

Rated 0 
I also think they say "at least they know where to put it".

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wolf66
05-23-2006

Rated +2 
I've always viewed this song a little bit differently. I always saw it coming from a guy's perspective as the girl he really likes basically calls the shots in the relationship. The dude cares for her so much and doesn't want to lose what he has, so he lets her make the call on "seeing other people", despite his views on the matter.

"Could we please be objective?
Cause the other boys are queuing up behind us"

To me, that makes it sound like he's putting up with all her BS of dating other people, while that's not at all what he wants to do.
Also, the line;

"Cause we're seeing other people
At least that's what we say we are doing"

This to me sounds like he's kind of bitter sounding as he states that, "well it's ok for you to kiss other guys because we're 'seeing other people' anyway".

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let
06-18-2006

Rated 0 
I don't know if this has anything to do with it or not, but I thought it'd be interesting to note that a girl kissing her elbow (which is impossible) is believed to turn her into a boy.

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iamtheshoshie
07-19-2006

Rated +1 
I always thought it was about two people who decide that their relationship just isn't working so they're going to "see other people," but they're still attached. They claim to just be cuddling and kissing for practice, but really they still care for each other. So they have to "be objective" and decide where they actually stand with each other.

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BlackAndrew
07-30-2006

Rated 0 
These lyrics are some of the most... hard-hitting I've ever heard, but I guess that's a personal thing. To me, it's about a couple of boys "kissing just for practise." The phrase "other boys" suggests they're both boys, as does "gigolo" and all that lot. "Hand over the window," and "at least that's what we say we are doing" imply some sort of nervousness or shame about their sexuality; they are actually attached to each other but they feel they shouldn't be. "At least they know where to put it" hints at the awkwardness of sex between boys, and... yeah, that's what I understand from it. Stuart Murdoch is a real poet. He really is a genius at writing about teenage awkwardness and obscurity. As a 16-year-old, Belle and Sebastian really mean something to me.

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CautionarySong
08-06-2006

Rated 0 
I love this song.

I think it's "at least they know what they're doing"... and it is a guy and a girl. But I could totally see it being two guys as well.

Either way, its such a sad yet poppy song about caring about someone, yet having to pretend they mean nothing.

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inconstanti
10-17-2006

Rated 0 
One of the finest B&S songs... not a gay song actually, but it works as far as Stuart leaves it open to interpretation. This is about an open relationship. Two friends, maybe ex lovers, who decide they should see other people, but remain together. You can go out with someone else, but you keep coming back to the one you love, to the one you feel secure with.

Hand over my mouth - to restrain from kissing her. A hand over the window - to cover themselves from view. A hidden moment of two people cuddling cause the sexual stress has become stale, and still there's feelings.

The bittersweet harmonies blend perfectly with the mood, it's just a genius song.

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inconstanti
10-17-2006

Rated 0 
Oh sorry, i forgot. A gigolo is a male prostitute in Italy, so she or he goes out for a weekend of sex, to come back to his friend and realize he/she just did it for the sex, not caring about the other person.

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ntwjones
12-26-2006

Rated 0 
I've always gone for the gay reading of this song, but maybe I'm just hearing what I want to hear.

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TheRealTashMaybe
12-29-2006

Rated 0 
i actually never thought of it as a guy-guy thing - it always occured to me that he was talking through the eyes of guy, who's best friend is either a prostitute or just a tad slutty. okay, very slutty.
he's into her, but won't admit it, claiming that they're kissing 'just for practice', that it doesn't mean anything, and if he pretends he's not bothered [remains passive] and she's just looking for someone who likes her as a person [just wanting a cuddle], then they'll both be fine. the 'other boys' who're queing up are her clients/hookups.
i think when he says that they're seeing other people, it's his justification for not getting involved with her - he knows he's not with anyone, and her hookups don't mean much, but that's what he'll say anyway.
the gigolo is about her realising that she's no longer with just a couple of guys, and she's seeing the world through the eyes of the less innocent [and prostitute doesn't have the same ring as gigolo!]
the kissing elbow/reflection is about her not wanting to admit she's unwanted, and she's trying to pretend it's someone/something else. the going with girls is probably a mickey-take [especially about them knowing what they're doing], meant in a teasing way.

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muaddib420
02-12-2007

Rated 0 
this is definitely song about gay experimentation. they're practicing kissing to see what it's all about, but fool themselves by saying they're seeing other people. and it's OK, because one is passive and just wants to cuddle, they're not really GAY gay bc they're not really having sex.

but then one of them laments why he isn't having success with guys and his friend says he should either "change" (act more gay and attractive) or just give it up and go with girls, at least they know where to put it" as in, knows where to put the penis.

great song, gay or no gay lol.

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Swedish
02-23-2007

Rated +1 
haha when i first heard this i totally pictured it as a guy-guy thing too but, reading the lyrics, realized there was no evidence for that/ it's interesting people saw the same thing

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illiterature7
05-29-2007

Rated 0 
...i don't know why everyone thinks this song is about gay experimentation. there's really nothing in the song that would suggest that. he jokes briefly about the girl going lesbian, but other than that, nothing.

i really love this song though.

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hoitsmith
07-20-2007

Rated 0 
i reckon it's about two guys(gigolo, not a girl), having a secret relationship that's supposed to be "just for practise" but is getting more than that and confusing their feelings etc

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fugitiveinkblot
08-25-2007

Rated 0 
i'm certain its about two boys "the other boys are queueing up behind us" "you're going to have to go with girls, at least they know what they are doing" also, its well known that stuart murdoch's brother is gay and this song as well as a few others from tigermilk are written about him/from his perspective.

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