UptheAlbion.com, the Libs & Shambles encyclopedia. Find us on Facebook and Youtube.

Sign up

You're My Waterloo

Band songlist

Info

You're My Waterloo is the title of an old track; first recorded by The Libertines during their Odessa studio recordings. Although it was never released by The Libertines during their first run, it was sometimes played at live shows, especially by Peter Doherty solo and by The Libertines after their 2014 reunion.

In a 2014 interview, Carl Barat stated that they intend for You're My Waterloo to be released on their third album. This was confirmed in July 2015, when the track list for their album was made available to fans. Doherty apparently completed the vocal duties "in one take".

The lyrics are thought to refer to Carl Barat, identifiable through romanticized characteristics now central to the Libertines mythology (cigarette, flick knife, "never really had a home"). Most tellingly, the lyric "You are the survivor of more than one life" is paraphrased by Doherty in The Books of Albion: The Collected Writings of Peter Doherty in an early journal entry referring to Barat (p. 27).

Doherty dedicated "You're My Waterloo" to Barat at a solo concert at the Brixton Mass on June 17, 2008, after Barat was hospitalized with acute pancreatitis.

Concerts

Festival SOS 4.8 The LibertinesMurcia2016-05-07
AB brussels 2016 The LibertinesAncienne Belgique, Brussels2016-05-03
Live @ Olympia The LibertinesMusic Hall, Paris2016-03-09
Reading Festival 2015 The LibertinesReading2015-08-30
3Arena Dublin The Libertines3Arena Dublin2015-07-09
Ahmad Tea Music Festival The Libertines2015-06-27
Glastonbury 2015 The LibertinesGlastonbury2015-06-26
Le Cabaret Vert Peter DohertyCharleville-Mézières, France 2011-08-27
Cité de la Musique Peter DohertyParis, France2010-07-07
Royal Albert Hall Live Peter DohertyLondon, UK2008-07-12
The Mass Peter DohertyBrixton, London2008-06-17
Rhythm Factory Peter DohertyWhitechapel, London 2007-12-16

Lyrics

You'll never fumigate the demons
No matter how much you smoke
So just say you love me
For three good reasons
And I'll throw you the rope

You don't need it
Cos you are the survivor
Of more than one life
And you're the only lover I had
Who ever slept with a knife

But you're not Judy Garland
Oh Just like me you've never really had a home (of your own)
But I'm not Tony Hancock baby
Until the dawn
We'll stone the crows
We'll stone the crows
We'll stone the crows

And you see I've brought you flowers
All collected from the Old Vic Stage
Well I've been sitting here for hour's baby
Just chasing these words
Across the page

Cos you're my Waterloo
I'll be your Gypsy Lane
I'm so glad we know just what to do
And exactly who's to blame

And you're my Waterloo
I'll be your Stanley Park
Well I'm so glad we know just what to do
And no ones left
Stumbling around
Fumbling around
Tumbling around
In the dark

Always in the dark

You're my Waterloo
I'll be your Calvary
Well I'm so glad we know just what to do
And everyone's gonna be happy
Everyone's gonna be happy
Everyone's gonna be happy

But of course

Extrainfo

The meaning of the song made by a fan called Michie

1. "I’ve never known true happiness or peace of mind. I’ve always been something of a troubled soul. Growing up, I had a constant feeling of “this is not my world” -Carl Barat (2008)
2. He is a HUGE smoker.
3. Dead of his twin brother, parents divorce, different houses, addictions, homelessness, depression, autodestructive behaviour, suicide attempts (…) He is the survivor.
4. He had/has a knife collection.
5. As a child he lived with his mother on a commune.
6. Pete and Carl are huge Tony Hancock fans.
7. “Stone the Crows” by Tony Hancock in his radio show, “Hancock’s Half Hour”
8. Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is Carl’s favourite railway station in London. He lived near when he was younger. Dirty Pretty Things first album was called ‘Waterloo to Anywhere”
9. Gypsy Lane is another railway station (maybe Peter’s favourite, idk)
10. We can find Calvary reference in “New Love Grows on Trees”. On libertines “Babyshambles session”, when they play this song, after lyrics “Should I kill you like you like you told me to" Carl said: "I never told you to." That means the song and jesus/calvary reference are about him

Battle of Waterloo is Napoleon’s last battle and also defeat. In my opinion term "Waterloo" can be used as a synonim of something that we want but cant get.