Leave me dreaming on the bed
See you right back here tomorrow
For the next round.

Keep this scene inside your head
As the bruises turn to yellow
The swelling goes down.

[Chorus]
And if you're ever around
In the city or the suburbs
Of this town
Be sure to come around
I'll be wallowing in sorrow
Wearing a frown
Like Pierrot the clown.

Saw you crashing around the bay
Never seen you act so shallow
Or look so brown.

Remember all the thing's you'd say
How your promises rang hollow
As you threw me into the ground.

[Chorus]

When I dream , I dream your lips
When I dream , I dream your kiss
When I dream , I dream your fists
Your fists, your fists.

Leave me bleeding on the bed
See you right back here tomorrow
For the next round.

Keep this scene inside your head
As the bruises turn to yellow
The swelling goes down.

[Chorus]



Lyrics submitted by Spiner

"Pierrot the Clown" as written by Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Steven Hewitt

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Pierrot The Clown song meanings
Add your thoughts

58 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    My Opinion:It's so obviously about two people in a BDSM relationship, one who's into that sort of thing, and one who isnt and is only putting up with it for the other person, the second one being the 'pierrot' archetype and narrator of the song...

    Trust me, I would know when it comes to BDSM...

    "Leave me dreaming on the bed
    See you right back here tomorrow
    For the next round."

    i.e. I'm dreaming of more than just kinky sex, but that's all I'm getting and I know you'll be back to do it all over again...

    "Keep this scene inside your head
    As the bruises turn to yellow
    The swelling goes down."

    i.e. when doing something BDSM it is referred to as 'a scene' between the two people (eg, a 'scene' where you dress up like a schoolgirl and i put a ball gag in your mouth and get the riding crop out)... The 'bruises turn to yellow' bit is because in BDSM black and blue is just like 'fisher price baby steps: my first beating' and the beating goes on till the bruises turn yellow and brown, and the welts rise up off the skin, so the whole bit translates as "remember the BDSM game we played, even after the bruises change colour and all the big bulging welts you beat on my ass go down."

    "And if you're ever around
    In the city or the suburbs
    Of this town
    Be sure to come around
    I'll be wallowing in sorrow
    Wearing a frown
    Like Pierrot the clown."

    i.e. I'll still keep doing this, any time you come calling, pretending that the suffering is all just fun and games (like the clown) while really I'm heartbroken on the inside...

    "Remember all the thing's you'd say
    How your promises rang hollow
    As you threw me into the ground."

    i.e. You talked me into it by feeding me lies, and then threw me around like a rag doll for rough sex.

    "When I dream , I dream your lips
    When I dream , I dream your kiss
    When I dream , I dream your fists
    Your fists, your fists."

    i.e. the Pierrot archetype (probably Brian himself i'm guessing) is equating the BDSM stuff with love... 'fists' could either mean the BDSm breaking down into full violence ('outside of the sex game', because most BDSM practitioners don't punch in a scene), or could be a reference to fisting, which happens to the subby one A LOT...

    "Leave me bleeding on the bed
    See you right back here tomorrow
    For the next round."

    i.e. like the first bit again, only 'bleeding' this time either because of the BDSM stuff, or the actual violence (if it was punching and not fisting in the last bit)
    Flag FirstGoFreon August 20, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wonderful song, seriously according to iTunes I have listened to it 1,394 times. This is what I believe it is about. "I'll be wallowing in sorrow, wearing a frown, like Pierrot the Clown" The original Pierrot the Clown was in love and courting a girl named Columbine, the courting was unsuccessful, she did not love him, hence the reason Pierrot would be frowning. The song is debated whether or not to be actually about physical abuse or just the emotional stress of drugs in the relationship. I believe it is both. "Or look so brown" This is a drug reference. Often drugs can influence someone to make hash decisions, or take things out on others. The taker of the abuse or our "Pierrot" (of the song) excuses the violence as how much he is in love with his abuser, if the song sticks to the original relationship then the abuser is not in love with "Pierrot" and is probably just using them. Through the lyrics, to me at least, the relationship seems fully physical, rather than having any emotional stability, almost Stockholm syndrome like. The man/woman in love with the abuser is so in love with them that they excuse the violence and want to be with them just for the few minutes they are not abusive. They fully believe their abuser loves them back.
    "When I dream
    I dream of your lips
    When I dream
    I dream of your kiss
    When I dream
    I dream of your fists"
    They realize what they think is wrong but are to overcome with their feelings to leave, deep down they know they aren’t loved by their abuser, but will never admit it.
    Flag sollencuppcakeon May 02, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wonderful song, seriously according to iTunes I have listened to it 1,394 times. This is what I believe it is about. "I'll be wallowing in sorrow, wearing a frown, like Pierrot the Clown" The original Pierrot the Clown was in love and courting a girl named Columbine, the courting was unsuccessful, she did not love him, hence the reason Pierrot would be frowning. The song is debated whether or not to be actually about physical abuse or just the emotional stress of drugs in the relationship. I believe it is both. "Or look so brown" This is a drug reference. Often drugs can influence someone to make hash decisions, or take things out on others. The taker of the abuse or our "Pierrot" (of the song) excuses the violence as how much he is in love with his abuser, if the song sticks to the original relationship then the abuser is not in love with "Pierrot" and is probably just using them. Through the lyrics, to me at least, the relationship seems fully physical, rather than having any emotional stability, almost Stockholm syndrome like. The man/woman in love with the abuser is so in love with them that they excuse the violence and want to be with them just for the few minutes they are not abusive. They fully believe their abuser loves them back.
    "When I dream
    I dream of your lips
    When I dream
    I dream of your kiss
    When I dream
    I dream of your fists"
    They realize what they think is wrong but are to overcome with their feelings to leave, deep down they know they aren’t loved by their abuser, but will never admit it.
    Flag sollencuppcakeon May 02, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's about someone wanting to be with someone (or someTHING) even though they treat them like shit.
    Flag darkfrankhson February 20, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I might not be reading into this very much, but I really see this song as being about an abusive relationship. It seems to me that the victim of the abuse is so infatuated with the abuser that they'll endure anything from this person. They see this person as being their polar opposite, and because of this, they worship the abuser because s/he has everything that they don't. The abuser is well-liked, popular, probably good-looking, and has a lot of friends. The victim doesn't seem to be like that at all. Probably the victim admires the abuser. They're so impressed by the abuser that all they want is the abuser's attention. Any acknowledgement at all makes them happy.

    The references to drugs makes it interesting as well. One or both of them seems to be using. The victim probably uses to numb the physical and emotional pain of the relationship, and the abuser probably uses it to fit in or 'unwind.' The abuser could even be the supplier to the victim.

    I don't know; I guess that's not really a 'deep' opinion, but that's what I get from this song.
    Flag HeartlessHatefulon March 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:I personally think this song can be bout many things, but I think of 2 main things when I hear this song, abuse and BDSM.
    It can be about a person who is in a abusive relationship emotional or physical. For example, in a emotional state of abuse, it could be that he/she loves the other person, but the other person just wants sex,
    "Leave me dreaming on the bed
    see you right back here tommorow
    for the next round."
    and in the case of physical abuse
    "When i dream, I dream of your lips
    When i dream, I dream of your kiss
    When i dream, I dream of your fists"
    Where the word "fists" can be a metaphor for a strike of pain, or "fists" can be used in a physical term as well, either way supporting both forms.
    Moving on to the next statement, he/she knows what the other person is doing is wrong, but they're too in love to care that it's wrong as he/she compares themselves to "Pierrot the clown" who was seen as a buffoon.
    Next meaning: BDSM
    "Keep this scene inside your head
    as the bruises turn to yellow
    the swelling goes down."
    obviously can refer to BDSM, and once again the term "Like Pierrot the clown" can be refer to role play, as a clown is just an act.
    and i'm too lazy to explain further on, but u get the point >>

    Flag K1MiQton October 11, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I personally think this song is about two men locked in a "Perfect Storm" of a relationship or a lack thereof. The voice singing to us is a pitifully lonely person. His love for the person is so extreme that he will take the abuse if it means he can be with him another moment. The lines "Leave me bleeding on the bed" and "See you right back here tomorrow" suggest he's used to the viciousness of the sex. That's it's fine as long as he's not alone, and with the guy he loves. And when he pleads "Be sure to come around", it's text book abuse victim. But it's pretty sad because the story teller lets us know his happiness sort of hinges on the next time he'll see this guy.

    Flag LivingBlizzardon January 17, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think that this song is about a person having a conversation with a friend that passed away.
    He dreams of "fists": the person would rather fight with that person as opposed to being dead.
    "Crashing around the bay..shallow...brown": i think this is about a body of water-like he's looking down in the harbor; and he's speaking to a spirit
    When he dreams,the person's spirit floods his brain.
    I think the clown is symbolic for a paradox;a person that should be happy,but isn't.
    and the "if you're ever around" part as the presence of the persons memory being manifested in his tears
    eh, i don't know...
    Flag bellyflooron November 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I usually try to read through a lot of the comments before leaving my own person impression, but there are way too many.

    There's no doubt in my mind that it's actually a reference to the clown that 'marquicerise' first posted about, but I like to think that this ties in nicely.

    I was searching for absinthe posters online and came across, allposters.com/-sp/… .

    For instance:

    "Leave me dreaming on the bed
    see you right back here tommorow
    for the next round."

    In reference to two things: a person and the drink.

    "And if you're ever around
    in the city or the suburbs
    of this town
    be sure to come around
    i'll be wallowing in sorrow
    wearing a frown
    like Pierrot the clown."

    Sarcasm: if you come back I'll only be drunk and ruin things again.

    "Wearing a frown" as in having imbibed too much alcohol. Clearly the clown in the image has a smile on his face, but it's satirical in the sense that the smile/frown are superficial and could go either way when "dreaming of their lips/kiss/fists".

    Yeah, I think I've killed it.

    Haha, great song, though.
    Flag Nodon June 25, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the story of pierrot the clown

    a foolish clown in love with columbine
    she leaves him for harlequinn

    yeah.. a broken love story

    i remeber my friend telling me the story of pierrot late one night
    it made me cry

    love the song though
    fave placebo song part from th bitter end
    :D
    Flag ilovehoratioon May 10, 2009   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!

Back to top
explain