The motorway won't take a horse
The wanderer has found a course to follow
The traveller unpacked his bags for the last time
The troubadour cut off his hand and now he wants mine

Oh no, not me.

The circus girl fell off her horse and now she's paralysed
The hitchiker was bound and gagged, raped on the roadside
The libertine is locked in jail
The pirate sunk and broke his sail

But I still have to go
I've got to go, so here i go
I'm going to run the risk of being free

The magicians secrets all revealed
And the preachers lies are all concealed
And all our heroes lack any conviction
They shout through the bars of cliche and addiction

So i've got to go
I've got to go, so here i go
I'm going to run the risk of being free

And in this drought of truth and invention
Whoever shouts the loudest gets the most attention
So we pass the mic and they've got nothing to say except:
"Bow down, bow down, bow down to your god"
Then we hit the floor
And make ourselves and idol to bow before,

Well i can't
And i won't
Bow down
Anymore.

No more



Lyrics submitted by neptunes666

Track duration: 04:23

"The Libertine" as written by Patrick Wolf

Lyrics © CHRYSALIS MUSIC GROUP

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


The Libertine song meanings
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25 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's about how we idolise people, and how these people are just as human and fallible as us. We look at people who are free and we envy them, but they can come to bad ends (eg the circus girk, the libertine). When we realise this, we see their faults:
    The magicians secrets all revealed.
    And the preachers lies are all concealed.
    And all our heroes lack any conviction.
    They shout through the bars of cliche and addiction

    Then, at the end, we are told to make ourselves an idol to bow before, so we can start the whole process again. But the persona refuses to do this, instead choosing to be free of society's expectations.
    Flag IntellectualParadoxon April 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is all about cliches, IMO.
    ... Or irony.
    Either one works...
    Flag StephSurrenderedon August 11, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Gah, sure Pete Doherty's persona is rebellious but I don't think assigning 'the libertine' to mean a
    junky indie chap does the reference justice. It's definition is 'free from all restraint' which is sort
    of beautiful and wild, no niceties. Also means 'a person freed from slavery in ancient Rome'.

    Anyway, I think the song is more broad in its 'meaning'. All these people have had adventurous and
    extraordinary phases in their lives, and it has ended. They got tired, or just unable to carry on like
    it. Or having that kind of life just finished them off. But he's saying thats not a reason to not
    try for this freedom. It is worth the danger and the risk to really live.

    It can also be seen as the pattern of a life. About growing up and leaving where you know is safe. About
    exploring and embracing youth. Yes, you might get old and be unable to do it anymore, but thats no reason to play safe!

    Liberating, eh?



    Flag Petabiteon May 09, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"the libertine is locked in jail"..
    yeah i also thought it was about pete doherty :)
    Flag dog_blueson June 21, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:i always thought it was "the traveller unpacked his bags full of lost time"
    but i guess not. xD

    this song and bluebells are both so dark and kind of creepy, and then you listen to the magic position and you're like WHAT
    good good good song
    Flag thenewsceneon June 01, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I absolutely love this song. Wind in the Wires is easily my favorite album from Patrick. This song is so beautifully haunting and yet it stil has an amazing beat. I think I can honestly say that I have never heard a Patrick Wolf song that i didn't like.
    Flag sweetblood329on April 30, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:As Bluebells said... 'the libertine is locked in jail' refers to pete doherty... I saw Patrick live a few days ago and as he introduced the song he said that he wrote it right after pete doherty was put in jail.. and he carried on by saying that it was a good thing that pete doherty was finally put in jail, and that he should sober up - lol
    Flag tmsidnon December 24, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's just a thought and probably has nothing to do with what Patrick meant, but the first few times I heard this song, it reminded me of Casanova, because he was perhaps one of the most notorious libertines, and he was literally locked in jail.

    Anyway, love this song! :D
    Flag tielkeon November 15, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's just a thought and probably has nothing to do with what Patrick meant, but the first few times I heard this song, it reminded me of Casanova, because he was perhaps one of the most notorious libertines, and he was literally locked in jail.

    Anyway, love this song! :D
    Flag tielkeon November 15, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i remember someone commenting this and saying it was the worst song on the album or something completely ridiculous? For me, it was an introduction into the world of patrick wolf, my first little glimpse at his magic and for me, it remains one of the most powerful songs of his 3 albums, and i couldn't have asked for a better introduction. For a song to make you fall in love with the artist and his creations, then it's obviously something special
    Flag toothpastekisseson June 20, 2007   Link

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