It was an upset
In two minutes flat
We're back on the freeway
Foot to the mat

I can't understand it
We had it down pat
It's very upsetting
Could we leave it at that

We all had positions
We each had a role
We'd overrehearsed it
We had full control

They can't teach you acting
It's there in your soul
It's the same with a bank job
And each thing we stole

So I don't need attitude
'Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
And wait by the phone

I was the driver
You ran the show
You had the last word
The go or no go

I knew every laneway
In Ontario
But it's not what you're sure of
It's what you don't know

It should have been filled with
The usual ones
Throwing their cash in
To mutual funds

We all had our ski masks
And sawed off shotguns
But how do you plan for
A bank full of nuns

But I guess we panicked
We all have taboos
And they were like zebras
They had us confused

We should be in condos
With oceanfront views
Instead we're most wanted
On the 6 o'clock news

So, I don't need attitude
'Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
And wait by the phone

Inside the police car
You tried to explain
Your crisis of conscience
The voice in your brain

And now that the whole thing
Has gone down the drain
I think we all know who
Should shoulder the blame

'Cause you made a choice there
Almost sublime
I'm all for compassion
Just not on my dime

You look like an amateur
And that's the real crime
So I'll take a walk now
And you do the time

And I don't need attitude
'Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
There's no need to phone

We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone


Lyrics submitted by subroc

Bank Job Lyrics as written by Steven Page Ed Robertson

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Bank Job song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

21 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    I can almost imagine BnL robbing a bank....hilarious ^__^

    AjaDarkoon May 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is freakin' sweet. and I use "freakin'" pretty sparsely.

    of course, it's about not taking the blame for a group effort because, hey!, it wasn't their job to take care of whatever went wrong. great lyric: "I'm all for compassion, just not on my dime"

    eleventyon February 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The funniest song on "Are Me", no doubt. I just love the lines, "We all had our ski masks and sawed-off shotguns, but how do you plan for a bank full of nuns?"

    I agree with eleventy, it's a song about placing the blame on an individual in a team because they didn't do what they were designated to do.

    I just don't get the phone part. Was it just used for the rhyme or is there a point? Is the guy who fouled-up waiting by the phone in jail, or what? Sometimes I think it's about someone who called in what they were doing, but that doesn't make sense since they tell us that person is going to jail...

    Sanjuroon September 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I could see the "bank job" as a metaphor for a relationship, which would tie the phone part in.

    You have a relationship, and it all seems perfect, but then a problem comes up, and you deal with it poorly, dooming the relationship

    TheThirdDukeon September 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I also see it as a metaphor for a relationship (as TheThirdDuke does)

    And I don't need attitude / 'Cause you knew just what to do / We all did our best now / We all need to rest now / Leave me alone / There's no need to phone

    You're giving me attitude, and I know you were right. We tried so hard to make the relationship work, now we just need a break.. so please don't call me.

    Somehow most songs can be related to relationships =)

    KingPhilipon September 21, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It's pretty much just about a bank robbery gone wrong. He was the driver and he's yelling at everyone because they stuffed up. Then again, it wasn't their fault, and the bank was full of nuns. They should be rich, but now they are on the run, and it's the others fault.

    The guy who stuffed up called the police because he felt guilty and now the other is going to give him up and confess and stuff him.

    Occams_Harmonyon September 23, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Great song. I agree 100% with what has been mentioned here already. It can be taken literally as a humorous song about a failed robbery attempt, or as a teriffic metaphor for a failed relationship.

    whoson1st0on October 06, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is just another brilliant example of BNL's whit and humour. Easily the most humourous song on BNLAM. Perhaps my favourite part is the (faint) police siren behind this line: "'Cause you made a choice there Almost sublime"

    Frankly I love it.

    rich20bon October 25, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song. :P I think it's about a group of people who planned out a really elaborate bank robbery, and then the person in charge on the inside had an attack of conscience because the bank was full of nuns (or good people). The leader couldn't bring him(or her)self to steal from these people or maybe even kill some of them. He decided to run and got caught because of it, and the driver (the singer) is pissed off because they lost the chance to actually rob the bank.
    "We should be in condos With oceanfront views Instead we're most wanted On the 6 o'clock news" The driver isn't against conscience and compassion, but he doesn't want to let it affect his chance to get rich. "I'm all for compassion Just not on my dime" And at the end of the song the driver is telling the person who screwed up that it's his fault and he should take the blame for getting caught and do the time, instead of ratting out the rest of the group.

    AFKpirateon January 07, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hey Occam's Harmony, is this song not about BNL's hatred of American foreign policy and the Bush administration? That's how I understand it. The bank is metaphorical Iraq and the "robbers" are the American military who went in to take over but "screwed it up" and now they are on the run. America should be kicked back and relaxed with all the oil money but we got freaked out by the metaphorical "nuns" (bombs) and are now trying to pull out. Isn't this song about that?

    trippstclaireon February 14, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.