Know something about this song or lyrics?
Add it to our wiki.
Thought I saw you in the battleship
But it was only a look a like
She was nothing but a vision trick
Under the warning light
She was close, close enough to be your ghost
But my chances turned to toast
When I asked her if I could call her your name
I thought I saw you in the rusty hook
Huddled up in wicker chair
I wandered up for a closer look
And kissed who ever was sitting there
She was close, and she held me very tightly
'Til I asked awfully politely, please
Can I call you her name
And I elongated my lift home,
Yeah I let him go the long way round
I smelt your scent on the seat belt
And kept my shortcuts to myself
I thought I saw you in the parrots beak
Messing with the smoke alarm
It was too loud for me to hear her speak
And she had a broken arm
It was close, so close that the walls were wet
And she wrote it out in letraset
No you can't call me her name
Tell me where's your hiding place
I'm worried I'll forget your face
And I've asked everyone
And I'm beginning to think I imagined you all along
I elongated my lift home
Yeah I let him go the long way round
I smelt your scent on the seat belt
And kept my shortcuts to myself
I saw your sister in the cornerstone
On the phone to the middle man
When I saw that she was on her own
I thought she might understand
She was close, well you couldn't get much closer
She said I'm really not supposed to but yes,
You can call me anything you want
But it was only a look a like
She was nothing but a vision trick
Under the warning light
She was close, close enough to be your ghost
But my chances turned to toast
When I asked her if I could call her your name
I thought I saw you in the rusty hook
Huddled up in wicker chair
I wandered up for a closer look
And kissed who ever was sitting there
She was close, and she held me very tightly
'Til I asked awfully politely, please
Can I call you her name
And I elongated my lift home,
Yeah I let him go the long way round
I smelt your scent on the seat belt
And kept my shortcuts to myself
I thought I saw you in the parrots beak
Messing with the smoke alarm
It was too loud for me to hear her speak
And she had a broken arm
It was close, so close that the walls were wet
And she wrote it out in letraset
No you can't call me her name
Tell me where's your hiding place
I'm worried I'll forget your face
And I've asked everyone
And I'm beginning to think I imagined you all along
I elongated my lift home
Yeah I let him go the long way round
I smelt your scent on the seat belt
And kept my shortcuts to myself
I saw your sister in the cornerstone
On the phone to the middle man
When I saw that she was on her own
I thought she might understand
She was close, well you couldn't get much closer
She said I'm really not supposed to but yes,
You can call me anything you want
Lyrics submitted by life_aint_chess
Track duration: 03:20
"Cornerstone" as written by Alex Turner
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
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!
ˇTell me where's your hiding place
I'm worried I'll forget your face
And I've asked everyone
And I'm beginning to think I imagined you all along"
Cornerstone can be interperted in many ways but maybe its the corner where she get out of a cab. Somebody alredy said about refrence about pirates because Arctic monkeys love pirates nothing more, i agree.
All he did see was just a look a likes, at the end i dont think its her sister but its a girl who really resembles the mysterious girl from the cab. And i agree with she being a hooker bcs at the end he is desperate enough.I agree with "smoking alarm" that girl was just smoking not dancing with her broken arm.
We can all guess as much as we like, fun song one of the best from them.
This is one of my favorite songs on this album. It reminds me alot of the Frank Miller story in Sin City with Marv and Goldie. The verse " You can call me anything you want".
am I taking that to literally, do you think? it would explain why he's reacting so deeply throughout the song. I mean, to be dumped sucks, but it would be infinitely worse to have your girlfriend pass away. he's trying to replace her. and the last verse, the new girl admits that it isn't a good idea for him to call her by the old girl's name, but she will help him move on. poetry, man.
I love the "cornerstone" metaphor, though. to me it seems to be, like, a turning point. the corner stone on the turn of a stone path. when he's getting over the girl.
and HEY GUYS I doubt it's about a freaking prostitute. you guys love to make everything Arctic Monkeys about sex (;
Alex is writing all the time about that one girl he never met, both humbug and suck it and see are filled with songs about this girl he is seeking (My propeller,the fire and the thud,cornerstone,she's thunderstorms,all my own stunts,black treacle,reckless serenade,suck it and see).
Here in Cornerstone, the verses are talking about his various encounters with girls he liked but each had her disadvantage(one was a phony perhaps,the other was too boring, another one too loud and hyperactive), which made them incomparable to this girl he is looking for, who is the only one matching his desires.
in the last verse he settles for some girl(perhaps Alexa then?), who is the closest to his dream girl(like her sister), but secretly he is still seeking for the real thing(Well guess what, he is single again ladies, can he call you her name?).
"her name" might be a nickname he likes to use like baby or honney..
when you read the song it kinda make sence and it's just a cute way to explain it and i know it also kinda conflicts with the "I'm beginning to think I imagined you all along"
He goes out to various pubs and numbs the pain by trying to project her onto other random girls. he takes the long way home because he prefers being out searching to being at home mourning her.
At the end he reaches a degree of solace by finding her 'sister' who let's him into her life. I personally highly doubt that Turner meant this to mean her literal sister, just someone very similar to her. Although the ending seems happy in some ways, he is still living a lie by trying to project the original girl's image onto other girls. The song is fundamnetally about someone who is trying to kid themselves and that theme continues all teh way through.
just my take on it. Great song :)