Lyrics for Barricade as interpreted by ifemme fatalei

Barricade Lyrics
Trapped on the terraces, I looked at you and knew
You were the only thing that mattered
There was no one for me but you
In Harmony Street we beat a man
Just for standing there
I held my breath as I watched you swing
Then run your fingers through your hair

Oh, how could anyone not love the terrible things you do?
Oh, how could anyone not want to try and help you?

In Bermondsey, in Burberry
You held me at the barricade
The pigs arrived with tear gas
And I wept at the mistakes we made
We stalked the streets like animals
And danced as windows shattered
For the island, for the thrill of it
For everything that mattered

Oh, how could anyone not want to rip it all apart?
Oh, how could anyone not love your cold, black heart?

I found you on a Saturday
And that was where I lost you
You had to finally walk away
Because of what it cost you
Years later when I saw your face
In line to catch the morning train
You looked like you'd been softened
Like you never really loved the pain

Oh, how could anyone not finally diminish?
The thrill of blood comes instantly
There's only darkness at the finish

Meet me at the barricade
I'll be at the barricade
Meet me at the barricade
The love died, but the hate can't fade
I'll be at the barricade
The love died, but the hate can't fade

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Ksouth2007
07-15-2007

Rated 0 
Cool song. Here are some lyrics that I believe are more accurate, per Stars Online Journal page.

Trapped on the terraces
I looked at you anew
You were the only thing that mattered
There was no one for me but you
And Harmony Street would beat a man just for standing there
I held my breath as I watched you sleep
And run your fingers through your hair
Oh how could anyone not love the terrible things that you do?
Oh how could anyone not want to try and help you?
In Burmansy and Burbury you held me at the barricade
The pigs arrived with tear gas and I wept here for mistakes we made
We stopped (stocked?) the streets like animals and danced as windows shattered
For the island, for the thrill of it, for everything that mattered
Oh how could anyone not want to rip it all apart?
Oh how could anyone not love your cold black heart?
I found you on a Saturday and that was where I lost you
You had to finally walk away because of what it cost you
Years later I saw your face in line to catch the morning train
You looked like you’d been softened like you never really loved the pain
Oh how could anyone not finally diminish?
The thrill of blood comes instantly
There’s only darkness at the finish
Meet me at the barricade
I’ll be at the barricade
Meet me at the barricade
The love died, but the hate can’t fade
I’ll be at the barricade
The love died, but the hate can’t fade

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nfbourne
07-16-2007

Rated 0 
This song weaves a wonderful tale of a woman who stands for something. She knows what she believes and is willing to fight for that, no matter what the costs are. The singer admires her for this passion, and finds it enthralling. It seems as if he is drawn to her, and her to the cause. She finally can't fight on as the cost becomes too high, and they fall apart because of it.

He sees her again years later, softened by age and society oppressing her radical personality. That riotous spirit that drew the singer to her.

The end of the song seems to be little more than a desperate plea for her to rekindle her passion, and thus his passion for her could be restored.

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evilnick
07-19-2007

Rated 0 
I think it says: In Bermondsey in Burberry...

Bermondsey is an area in London and Burberry is the national "uniform" of English chavs!

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nitro490
07-22-2007

Rated 0 
I think it is

We "stalked" the streets like animals and danced as windows shattered

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geekboy
07-24-2007

Rated 0 
Football hooligan song? In Bermondsey you can find the football club Millwall, notorious for it's hooligans. Burberry is also used by many of the hooligans, the so-called "casuals". "Trouble on the terraces" is a famous documentary on football holliganism.. Trapped on the terraces.. And the chanting at the end...

Well, I don't know, just a few cents..

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CovFan87
07-24-2007

Rated 0 
First time I heard it it struck me as a love song, but the person he's in love with happens to be a football hooligan. He tries to get the know the real her but all she cares about is being a holligan. I can never condone a holligans actions, but I can appreciate the romantic notion that comes from them.

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manhattan01
07-27-2007

Rated 0 
Definitely football related. Barricades being the structure that separates the fans from the pitch. Drunken fans would sometimes storm the climb the barricades only to be met by police - hence the pigs with tear gas. Meeting her on a Saturday which is when football is played in the UK. Sunday is for the NFL.

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Boomer83
07-29-2007

Rated 0 
Maybe it's just me, but this song instantly struck me as a commentary of the mindless violence in Northern Ireland. Protestant v. Catholic.

The "barricade" being the barrier between the Protestants and Catholics and the "day he lost her" is when he realized that she was too divisive to ever form any true, meaningful relationship. He, at first, approved and indulged in her passion, but he soon began to realize that it was a manical pursuit, not a burning love...

just my thoughts

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Tsuppi
08-06-2007

Rated 0 
Re: Ksouth2007's lyrics

If 'stopped' may sound like 'stocked,' then perhaps it is actually 'stalked'?

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salinasricky
08-10-2007

Rated 0 
i love this song...i love it soo much

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sweet_revenge
08-19-2007

Rated 0 
it's most definately about football violence.

the football chanting at the end, the fact that millwall play in bermondsey, the use of the word terraces.

it's interesting to hear a canadian band singing about something so quintessentially english. i hope it's not just inspired by 'green street' or something.

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tiredoldcliche
08-31-2007

Rated 0 
I assume most people have worked this out, but the singing at the end is a popular Manchester United chant, aimed at two local rivals (liverpool and Manchester City) ~ "Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the scousers on the top, put city in the middle and we'll burn the f***ing lot". Sounds quite unpleasant in print!

Also, the line at the end - "oh how could anyone not finally diminish, the thrill of blood comes instantly
there's only darkness at the finish" appears from the outside to be a wonderful description of how football fans specifically and hatred generally tend to be most prevalent in our youths, and subside somewhat the older we get.

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miss_kiki
09-05-2007

Rated 0 
Just saw Stars perform last night.. it was their first concert in a year, and they played a lot of their new stuff.
Torq did this song as a SECOND encore, and explained that it was about two soccer (football) hooligans (who are both men) who find love in each other as they are wrapped up in the violence of the things they are doing. They are lovers for a while but have to stop because the pure violence of their love gets to be too much for them.

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miss_kiki
09-05-2007

Rated 0 
Just saw Stars perform last night.. it was their first concert in a year, and they played a lot of their new stuff.
Torq did this song as a SECOND encore, and explained that it was about two soccer (football) hooligans (who are both men) who find love in each other as they are wrapped up in the violence of the things they are doing. They are lovers for a while but have to stop because the pure violence of their love gets to be too much for them.

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liammacrae1
09-11-2007

Rated 0 
Very strange indeed. Firstly not a great tune. Secondly, never thought I'd hear a Stars tune about football hooligans, but I guess it's got a kind off Morrissey-esque twist with the homosexuality aspect of the two people in question. And Morrissey himself developed a serious violence fascination in the early 90s, and an apparent love of West Ham (Bermondsey residents Millwall's most hated adversaries - yes it was in Green Street, which was shit). Lastly, I really can't see any reason for the use of the United chant at the end (being a City fan I've heard that one many times). I'm sure there are plenty of mobile phone recorded south east London chants they could have unearthed, which would've been much more apt. I guess, to a Canadian, London and Manchester are pretty much the same place (200 miles apart). Strange, strange, strange.

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liammacrae1
09-11-2007

Rated 0 
Also, I'm yet to find a Harmony Street in that bit of London.

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peopledontdance
09-15-2007

Rated 0 
this song is lovely, end.

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chelsboiii
11-03-2007

Rated 0 
I think it's "You looked like you'd been softened, like you never really loved the pain," like she had lost the strong spirit he fell in love with her for.

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urban_monkey
11-30-2007

Rated 0 
"And ‘Barricade’—people who don’t listen to the lyrics think it’s about politics, but it’s about violent soccer hooligans and gay sex!" - Amy Millan, from an interview with www.montrealmirror.com

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roomsbythesea
12-01-2007

Rated 0 
I understand that Torque and Amy themselves said what this song was about, but I just can't help but be fascinated by how amazingly well these lyrics delve into a storyline in "The Traveler" book series by John Twelve Hawks. I guess I'm desperately seeking someone who has both read the books and heard the song. It's so striking that I nearly cried when I first heard the song. Given where the second book has left off especially.

Anyone read these books?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

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T3manO.
01-27-2008

Rated 0 
gay facist.

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raffysal
02-09-2008

Rated 0 
Meet me at the barricade
The love died but the hate can't fade

Do you think they went for one last hooligan rampage, for old times' sake?

I got the impression from this song that the singer was attracted to him just because he was violent (admit it, it's a turn on) and once he got older, mellowed out, stopped beating people up every saturday, he lost his appeal, and that's why it ended.

I love the idea of a football hooligan love song, even if the chant they use at the end is completely geographically inappropriate...

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darksky48
03-01-2008

Rated 0 
Beautiful song! I absolutely love it! The real reason I'm posting is to respond to liammacrae:

I don't mind that you don't like the song. Having an opinion that doesn't match everyone else's is a nice change of pace, but I don't really like you're comment about the hooligan chant. I'm sure there ARE more geographicaly relevant chants, but the United chant really captures the tone of the song:

"Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the scousers on the top, put city in the middle and we'll burn the f***ing lot"

I think they just used it because it helps demonstrate their point

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minniemo
05-15-2008

Rated 0 
The background words, though really mean, are set to the tune of "Huckleberry Hound"--"O my darlin', o my darlin', o my darlin' Clementine, you were lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry Clementine..."

it's fitting.

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marilynw
01-08-2009

Rated 0 
I love this song. The line that gets me is:

"The love died, but the hate can't fade."

It's almost haunting.

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