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Last of the English Roses

Band songlist

Info

Last of the English Roses is track #2 on Peter Doherty's debut solo album, Grace/Wastelands and its lead single, released on March 9th 2009. It debuted on the UK single charts at number 67.

The only session version of the song available features in Babyshambles' HQ sessions: Second Wave. Only one other recording was made prior to the album track; a live version with Doherty on acoustic guitar, recorded during a gig at "Jazz After Dark", in early 2006.

In January 2009, the song was aired for the first time on French radio station Oui FM, and later on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show. On January 30, 2009 an official promotional version was leaked onto the Internet, with the music video soon following.

In February 2009, Parlophone uploaded an official behind the scenes look at Doherty's forthcoming record, with Doherty talking about the meaning behind the lyric "With your famous Auntie Arthur's trousers on": "[My uncle] had this pair of trousers that where at the bottom of my Nan’s wardrobe for ages and I, when I used to go and stay with her in summers in Liverpool, I’d root about, and I found them; and I wore them! I thought I was the bollocks in those trousers! There was a kebab shop... and these trousers, I thought they'd give me magic powers, I was about 15 and I was a bit drunk and the fella said, "Sorry mate, we're closed mate", and I said; "Fuckin’ closed? Give me a fuckin' kebab!" and he chased me up the street with a skewer, but the trousers didn't give in. They were horrible!"

The lyric "she knows her Rodneys from her Stanleys" could be a reference to sit-coms 'Only Fools and Horses' and 'Porridge,' or to footballers Stanley Bowles and Rodney Marsh. "And her Winstons from her Enochs" refers to English politicians Winston Churchill and Enoch Powell, and possibly to footballers Enoch Showunmi and Gary Winston Lineker. At the end of the song, Doherty recites, in French, lines from Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet.

Video
A music video for this track was directed by Douglas Hart and filmed on February 11th 2009.
In a video interview with NME.COM, Doherty mentioned that writing in the third person was "a bit more disconnected but you can take more risks, maybe. Like with 'Last of the English Roses,' it's ended up that the last of the English roses is a boy! And in the video for it, Douglas [Hart] has taken it away and has one boy getting off with another! But I'm not in that bit of the video, so... Y'know that time in a young man's life or a young girl's life where they're blossoming? Feeling like you might be at your peak, y'know, when you flower as individuals."

Appearing on

Grace/Wastelands Peter DohertyAlbum2009-03-16
Last of the English Roses Peter DohertySingle2009-03-09
L'Album De La Semaine (Not in the recording) Peter DohertySession2009-03-02
HQ Sessions Second Wave BabyshamblesSession2004-02

Concerts

Caprices Festival Peter DohertyCrans-Montana, Switzerland2013-03-08
La Maroquinerie Peter DohertyParis, France2013-02-05
Liquid Rooms Peter DohertyEdinburgh, Scotland2011-09-21
Parc de Bagatelle, We Love Green Peter DohertyParis, France2011-09-11
Reading Festival Peter DohertyReading, UK2011-08-28
Le Cabaret Vert Peter DohertyCharleville-Mézières, France 2011-08-27
Woodstower Festival Peter DohertyGrand Parc De Miribel Jonage, Lyon, France2010-09-03
Cité de la Musique Peter DohertyParis, France2010-07-07
Ricos Music Club Peter DohertyGreenock, Scotland2010-04-04
Roundhouse, Camden Peter DohertyCamden Roundhouse, London2009-09-19
Paleo Festival Peter DohertyPaleo Festival, Nyon, Swiss2009-07-24
Eurockéennes de Belfort Peter DohertyMalsaucy, France2009-07-04
The Other Stage, Glastonbury Peter DohertyWorthy Farm, Glastonbury Festival, UK2009-06-27
Botanique, Brussels Peter DohertyBotanique, Brussels2009-04-25
Glasgow Barrowlands (1) Peter DohertyGlasgow, Scotland2008-05-18

Lyrics

Honey, honey
My you did look dapper in your mothers
Old green scarf
With your famous Auntie Aurthur’s trousers on
You were slapped by that slapper
And how we all laughed
But she laughed the loudest
Oh in ‘93
You could charm the bees nees of the bees

“Cheeky” you’d say and we all fell around
Rolling ’round the playground

“Saucy” you’d say and we all fell about
Rolling ’round the playground

In the ‘94
We all sang
Skipping and dancing hand in hand
Yeah with all the boys together
And all the girls together

She’s the last of the English roses
She’s the last of the English roses

(I wish to be so whirl awake again)
She knows her Rodneys from her Stanleys
And her Kappas from her Reeboks
And her tit from her tat
And Winstons from her Enoks
It’s fine and take what I
Coming out, coming alive
Round the Snooker table
You dance the Frutti-Tutti

She almost spilled her lager
Toasting girls of great beauty

But the closing moved by
Coming of age, coming alive
All the boys together
And all the girls together

She’s the last of the English roses
She’s the last of the English roses
Yeah she’s the last of the English roses
She’s the last of, last of the English
English roses

Ah sometimes you can’t change
There’ll be no place
Ce soir, disons chez moi
Enfin je compte de toi
Je te drague la rose mystique
Tu l’arrose mystique?
Ha, vas-y
C’est mon monde de soleil

NameLast of the English Roses
BandPeter Doherty
CreditsPeter Doherty


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