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Adelaide
On a plane
Far from the united states
Of LA
Dropping in from outer space
Takes a day
Now I see the Bogans
At the motor race
Here you know the world could turn
Or crash and burn
And you would never know it
Going where the air is clear
There's better beer in Adelaide
Charlie L. Smith's forty
Someone spiked my rice
The rest, history
Now I am a fixture down
Rundle Mall
Watching as the locals pass
Silver balls
I can see their eyes around
They're pointed down
They scan the spanning sidewalks
Learning that there is no hurry
Fuss or worry
Adelaide
It's raining
In Adelaide
A face is waiting in a window
A voice says
Why Adelaide
You could live anywhere and I say
Because I want to
Because I want to
I really really want to
And you know the earth could turn
Or crash and burn
And you would never know it
Really got to make it to the finish line
Get the record done on time
Pack the bags
And catch a flight
And you can kiss my ass goodbye
On Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide
On a plane
Far from the united states
Of LA
Dropping in from outer space
Takes a day
Now I see the Bogans
At the motor race
Here you know the world could turn
Or crash and burn
And you would never know it
Going where the air is clear
There's better beer in Adelaide
Charlie L. Smith's forty
Someone spiked my rice
The rest, history
Now I am a fixture down
Rundle Mall
Watching as the locals pass
Silver balls
I can see their eyes around
They're pointed down
They scan the spanning sidewalks
Learning that there is no hurry
Fuss or worry
Adelaide
It's raining
In Adelaide
A face is waiting in a window
A voice says
Why Adelaide
You could live anywhere and I say
Because I want to
Because I want to
I really really want to
And you know the earth could turn
Or crash and burn
And you would never know it
Really got to make it to the finish line
Get the record done on time
Pack the bags
And catch a flight
And you can kiss my ass goodbye
On Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide
Lyrics submitted by jack_the_brat
Track duration: 03:13
"Adelaide" as written by Benjamin Scott Folds
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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And I agree with ilikefruchocs (Fruchocs being delicious chocolate-covered apricot balls, a South Australian treat :P) that the song is basically about people questioning why Ben (or could be anybody, really) lives in Adelaide when he could live anywhere in the world. But he just wants to. And that's exactly how *I* feel. I don't care for the craziness of Sydney or Melbourne, I want my quiet, simple lifestyle in Adelaide :D
That last part of the song actually goes: "And you can kiss my ass goodbye I'M IN Adelaide", I think :P
hahaha.
nice to see someone writing about a gorgeous place down under :)
i used to live in adelaide.. ben folds has been there?
thats awesome!! aha but scarey:S
lololol soooo many bogans, and they all DO go to moter races x)
and rundle mall hahaha
in nashville.. =]
But Ben and Frally seperated in 2006 and divorced in 2007 (i think) which is when he moved back to the states.
...
music geek input.. ^_^
1) I'd hardly call Adelaide cheap. You'd be hard pressed to find a house big enough for a family of five to live in in the eastern/south eastern suburbs (and lets face it, where else would you want to live in adelaide?) for under $1 mil.
2) the bunting fiasco. yes ok the murders were bruta l and grizzly, but psychopaths exist anywhere, they're not confined to adelaide. perhaps little old sleepy adelaide breeds this kind of person cos there's not much else to do? ha, just joking. and also, they're one episode in our history. an exceptionally disgusting moment, but just remember that the killers involved in the snowtown murders all got sent off to jail for life, IIRC. so justive was served.
3) yes adelaide is a bit slow sometimes, but we get there. it really comes alive in march, with all of the festivals so thats good. and frankly, while we don't have all of the "mod-cons" that the eastern states have, we have awesome festivals, the best restaurants food and wine, world renowned universities and great schools, the most beautiful holiday spots just an hour away (such as the fleurieu peninsula and the barossa valley) and everyone knows everyone. there's an intimacy that can't be found in larger cities. also where i live, i'm 6km away as the crow flies from the CBD but my house is in amongst the gum trees, and we have koalas in our backyard. i don't know many other australian cities where you have koalas 6km away from the CBD. adelaide is (ironically considering the history of the state) a fairly conservative little place, and a little bit sleepy. we don't have 24 hour supermarkets, our airport can't even take 747's, we have a major expressway that can only take traffic going one way and not the other, our PT system sucks, we have a city council that stands in the way of major development and lots of people drift interstate/overseas after having completed school/uni to get more opportunities. it's for reasons like this that we're laughed at by the eastern states - for reasons like this that people question why anyone would WANT to live here. but basically this song is kind of saying, despite the oversized-country-town feel at times, adelaide's a great place to live and don't mock me for it. and as a proud RADelaidean :) (hahaha sorry couldn't resist), i couldn't agree more. and adelaide does have it's positive attributes, and this is just my personal opinion but i strongly believe that adelaide will come alive again like it did under Dunstan... we just need a competent government and a bit of a paradigm shift, that's all. adelaide has a lot going for it, and i think that's what ben's trying to get across in this song.
and frankly, it's a farkin fantastic place to live. i'm moving overseas to complete secondary school in a couple of weeks, and i might go to university overseas as well, and who knows where that will take me, but i know for sure that based on my experiences, wherever i am in the world, i want MY children growing up in adelaide, if only for a small part of their lives.