1
Loretta broke my heart in a letter
She told me she was leaving and her life would be better
Joan broke it off over the phone
After the tone she left me alone
Jen said she'd never ever see me again
When I saw her again, she said it again
Jan met another man
Liza got amnesia, just forgot who I am
Felicity said there was no electricity
Emily, no chemistry
Fran, ran, Bruce turned out to be a man
Flo had to go, I couldn't go with the flow
Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
But I'm hoping that you'll stick around
He doesn't cook or clean
He's not good boyfriend material
Ooh, we can eat cereal
You'll lose interest fast,, his relationships never last
Shut up girlfriends from the past
He says he'll do one thing and then he goes and does another thing
Ooh
Who organized all my ex-girlfriends into a choir
And got them to sing?
(Ah) ooh ooh ooh, mm shut up
(Ah) shut up girlfriends from the past
Mimi will no longer see me
Brittany, Brittany hit me
Paula, Persephone, Stella, and Stephanie
There must be fifty ways that lovers have left me
Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
Love is a delicate thing, it can just float away on the breeze
He said the same thing to me
How can we ever know if I'm the right person in this world
He means he looks at other girls
Love is a mystery, it does not follow a rule
This guy is a fool
He'll always be a boy, he's a man who never grew up
I thought I told you to shut up
(Ah) Mona, you told me you were in a coma
(Ah) Tiffany, you said that you had an epiphany
(Ah) Mm
Would you like a little cereal?
Who organized this choir of ex-girlfriends?
Was it you Carol Brown?
Was it you Carol Brown?
Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
But I'm hoping that you'll stick around
Stick around
Stick around
Stick around
Stick around
She told me she was leaving and her life would be better
Joan broke it off over the phone
After the tone she left me alone
Jen said she'd never ever see me again
When I saw her again, she said it again
Jan met another man
Liza got amnesia, just forgot who I am
Felicity said there was no electricity
Emily, no chemistry
Fran, ran, Bruce turned out to be a man
Flo had to go, I couldn't go with the flow
Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
But I'm hoping that you'll stick around
He doesn't cook or clean
He's not good boyfriend material
Ooh, we can eat cereal
You'll lose interest fast,, his relationships never last
Shut up girlfriends from the past
He says he'll do one thing and then he goes and does another thing
Ooh
Who organized all my ex-girlfriends into a choir
And got them to sing?
(Ah) ooh ooh ooh, mm shut up
(Ah) shut up girlfriends from the past
Mimi will no longer see me
Brittany, Brittany hit me
Paula, Persephone, Stella, and Stephanie
There must be fifty ways that lovers have left me
Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
Love is a delicate thing, it can just float away on the breeze
He said the same thing to me
How can we ever know if I'm the right person in this world
He means he looks at other girls
Love is a mystery, it does not follow a rule
This guy is a fool
He'll always be a boy, he's a man who never grew up
I thought I told you to shut up
(Ah) Mona, you told me you were in a coma
(Ah) Tiffany, you said that you had an epiphany
(Ah) Mm
Would you like a little cereal?
Who organized this choir of ex-girlfriends?
Was it you Carol Brown?
Was it you Carol Brown?
Carol Brown just took the bus out of town
But I'm hoping that you'll stick around
Stick around
Stick around
Stick around
Stick around
Lyrics submitted by mutinyinheaven_x
Carol Brown Lyrics as written by Jemaine Clement Bret Mckenzie
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Hipgnosis Songs Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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!
In contrast to the comment about the song being messy, I'd say that behind the cheeky and funny veneer, it's a startlingly mature song with a very consistent theme.
At first, we hear this guy talk about how he's been hurt in the past. He plays the saddest violin and croons the last line of the first verse -- "I'm hoping that you'll stick around" -- and reveals a humorous vulnerability and looks like he's got a new girl hook, line, and sinker. As his ex-girlfriends start to reveal his true self (lazy, immature, non-committal) you hear his other lines like "How can we ever know..." and "Love is a mystery..." and you start to think that maybe the whole "X left me..." is just another part of his childish mishandling of relationships. "Would you like a little cereal?" clenches it and reveals the boy hiding behind the facade.
All of that while still being funny, catchy, and being a soft commentary on the genre of sad men singing for their broken relationships (particularly obvious when taking into account the name-check to Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"). A truly well-crafted song.
@eljavi Great comment!<br /> <br /> Wanna add a bit re the Paul Simon ref: Genius! It's both a charming ref/homage, and very cleverly clears them of a charge of copycatting! And, in fact, it's a funny mirror opposite of Simon's song: Simon sang about how a guy can leave women, and of course the Jemaine's singing about the women leaving him!