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Glasgow Coma Scale Blues

Band songlist

Info

Glasgow Coma Scale Blues is the title of a Libertines track, released on their third album in September 2015. A demo version of the track is also featured with the deluxe boxset.

Story behind the title from Adrian Hunter (babybear at FDW forum):
"I can proudly boast that I came up with that title ... Quite a mundane story really.
Memory is a bit vague on this one and Peter claims it too ;-)
But my recollection is sitting up the back of a bus outside the Barras and chatting our usual nonsense when the subject of the Glasgow coma scale came up. Peter liked the sound of it ... squirreled it away ... lo and behold it re-emerged in Thailand a couple of years later and he and Carl did it proud. I'd like to think I may have been some sort of inspiration but I'm certainly not claiming a writing credit :-)
It's a good job we weren't in Bristol is all I can say ..."


First NME review of the song:
"There’s a neat-little nod to ‘Boys In The Band’ on this rocker, with the line “the only thing that kept us apart was your cold, unloving heart” being sung to exactly the same melody as “all I’ve ever seen you do is run” from the band’s 2002 single. Chord-wise, it’s eerily similar to ‘The Boy Looked At Johnny’ from the same era too - but that’s not to say it sounds lazy. The Libs, and Pete in particular, have been songwriting magpies since the very start, pilfering the odd line/riff/chord change from everybody from Velvet Underground to Perry Como and even the Rainbow theme tune. So here in 2015, why not rip off yourselves? Lyrically, it’s another track steeped in the past, referencing what went wrong with The Libs the first, and second times around. There’s a great middle-eight, full of descending chords and Pete shouting gibberish while Carl gives it some Stones-inspired ooh-la-la-las."

Appearing on

Anthems for Doomed Youth (Bonus Demo Track) The LibertinesAlbum2015-09-11
Anthems for Doomed Youth The LibertinesAlbum2015-09-11

Lyrics

And I see me, oh you won't even see me
Yeah I see you, if at times looking straight through you
And now you say you're gonna fool me
Ain't bout a place where he does see me
But that don't mean that I can't free
'Cause I don't always wanna see you

The only thing that it kept us apart
Was your colder loving heart
You can't pull hard
Back to me

What happened to the joy in the hearts of the boys
Like it's part of the part of the scene
They go harder it seems, they can share a good heart
But you go, go back to your change

You think it's easy, knowing when it disease me, no
Oh yeah, it's so hard to bear
When he got cat man to him, come

The only thing that kept it going on
Was lost with shammer shift with these arms
I couldn't go on, seriously

What happened to the joy in the hearts of the boys
Like it's part of the part of the scene
They go harder it seems, they can share a good heart
But you go, go back to your change

Can you go alone now
Can you go alone now?

What happened to the joy in the hearts of the boys
Like it's part of the part of the scene
They go harder it seems, they can share a good heart
But you go, go back to your change
What happened to the joy in the hearts of the boys
Like it's part of the part of the scene
They go harder it seems, they can share a good heart
But you go, go back to your change

NameGlasgow Coma Scale Blues
BandThe Libertines
CreditsCarl Barat
Peter Doherty


Marked as favorite by
skagnboneman, Tamires, Tomas, Yimi