Lyrics for Bank Job as interpreted by subroc

Bank Job Lyrics
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

Interaction
Mail to a friend Send Lyrics to a Friend
Share on Facebook

Stumble It
Add to Del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us




  • 19 Comments
  • Printer Friendly Lyrics
oldest first     Expand All
eleventy
02-13-2006

Rated 0 
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"

Log in to reply
Sanjuro
09-18-2006

Rated 0 
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...

Log in to reply
TheThirdDuke
09-18-2006

Rated 0 
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

Log in to reply
KingPhilip
09-21-2006

Rated 0 
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 =)

Log in to reply
Occams_Harmony
09-22-2006

Rated 0 
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.

Log in to reply
whoson1st0
10-05-2006

Rated 0 
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.

Log in to reply
rich20b
10-25-2006

Rated 0 
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.

Log in to reply
AFKpirate
01-07-2007

Rated 0 
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.

Log in to reply
trippstclaire
02-14-2007

Rated 0 
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?

Log in to reply
Mobirdomble
03-07-2007

Rated 0 
I think this song is meant to be taken literally. The focus of the song is that the leader of the team called it off on a crisis of conscience. I don't believe that it fits as a metaphor for the war in Iraq, seeing as nothing has been called off (especially in regard to conscience, which most can agree possesses a distinct lack of). I think the lyrics are relatively specific to this make-believe scenario, BNL is known for writing about quirky, unusual things. I don't see any reason to muddle it up with political or social commentary, and I fail to see where it fits completely to begin with anyway.

Log in to reply
TrialByFire
03-07-2007

Rated 0 
The song is a metaphor for any situation where you think you've planned for every possible problem, and then something comes out of left field that there's no way you could have planned for (the metaphorical 'bank full of nuns'), and you lose your composure and panic.

"It's not what you're sure of, it's what you don't know"
.... pretty much sums up the entire song.

Log in to reply
Running Out Of Ink
05-03-2007

Rated 0 
I think this song is mean to be taken literally. Just as a humorous song.

Maybe the phone part is reffering to the one call that people have a right to after they are arrested.

It is obvious that at least one person got caught:
"Inside the police car
You tried to explain..."

I know my phone idea may be a little far fetched but it was worth a shot. It's an awsome song, whatever it means.

Log in to reply
TrialByFire
06-17-2007

Rated 0 
I think there's a moral here about sticking to your convictions, despite what the people around you want you to do, and regardless of the consequences of doing so.

The character in the song had a 'crisis of conscience' when confronted with the bank full of nuns, and decided he couldn't go through with the robbery attempt, despite the fact that everyone else that was in on the job was depending on him.

Even though it was too late to abort the robbery attempt, he chose not to go through with it, believeing it to be the right thing to do, and paid the price by going to jail for it, while his friend walked free.

Log in to reply
dragline
06-27-2007

Rated 0 
i also think the song is too straight forward to be anything but taken literally.
theres still a lot to the song, so its not like it being literal makes it a worse song than if it was about relationships

Log in to reply
andrewxc
07-04-2007

Rated 0 
I think that the "Wait by the phone" lyric is cleverly placed... Ed's singing about how when they're resting, the "robbers" should wait by the phone for further instructions.

Regardless of hidden messages or ulterior motives that BNL had in writing this one, I think that it shows that BNL has not lost their sense of humor and deserves props for any meanings we or they could come up with...

Log in to reply
historybuff
08-13-2007

Rated 0 
I just realized how similar this song is the the Clutter family murder as told in the book In Cold Blood.

Log in to reply
Archaia Sophia
09-28-2007

Rated 0 
"Maybe the phone part is reffering to the one call that people have a right to after they are arrested."

That's what I immediately thought of.

I don't think it's a metaphor for a relationship. BNL has proved to us over many, many years that they're far too creative a band to make every song about romantic relationships (however subtle). And the US foreign policy thing really is a stretch. It's a hilarious song about a bank robbery gone awry.

Log in to reply
LittlePrincezz
03-04-2009

Rated 0 
Barenaked Ladies songs sway many ways.

Bank Job = a plan spawned from humanity's greed.
Crisis of Conscience = a person who overcame/limited his greed.
The Rest = perspective of how society deals with these people.
Phone Part = inserted love/relation element for the lonelies out there.

Cleverly deceptive and literally brilliant as usual.

Log in to reply
poscogrubb
05-21-2009

Rated 0 
The humor just makes this song really good. I love the "bank full of nuns" line!

Although the literal meaning of the lyrics is plain and really funny, the song is clearly to be taken metaphorically; this line makes it obvious:

"It's the same with a bank job"

The metaphor refers to teamwork -- the issues of not giving up, considering the well-being of the team more important than that of yourself, and not having "attitude". I think of this song being sung by sports teammates after a loss.

Log in to reply




  • Add Your Comments
What does this song mean to you?

You must be logged in to post your comments.

Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.





Popular
Top:   Lyrics, Artists, Albums
Random:   Lyric, Artist, Album

Your Ad Here