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Time for Heroes

Band songlist

Info

Time For Heroes is a song recorded and released by The Libertines; being included on their debut album, Up the Bracket, released as a stand-alone single, in January 2003 (reaching #20 in the UK Singles Chart), and also released on Time for Heroes - The Best of The Libertines, which takes its name from the song. The writing credit for Time for Heroes goes to Doherty and Barat. Based on singer/guitarist Peter Doherty's experiences and police brutality at the London May Day Riots of 2001, the song contains a wittily phrased line by Doherty, "There are fewer more distressing sights, than that of an Englishman in a baseball cap".

The track is a fan favourite, requested and played by both Babyshambles and Dirty Pretty Things at live gigs, even after the split of The Libertines. It is also widely acclaimed, coming in at number 2 (behind "Last Nite" by The Strokes) on NME's list of the best 50 songs of the current decade. In May 2007, NME magazine placed Time For Heroes at number 6 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever, one place below Don't Look Back Into The Sun, also by The Libertines.

The track was recorded for Radio 1 during Christmas 2003, where Doherty changed the "There are fewer more distressing sights, than that of an Englishman in a baseball cap" line to "There are fewer more distressing sights, than that of Carlos in a Santa Claus hat." Graham Coxon also performed a version of Time for Heroes for Radio 1's Live Lounge, and has appeared live with Doherty to perform the song.

A music video for Time for Heroes was filmed in Madrid; it featured Madrid's Metro and Colon's Square[5].

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
O2 London (1) The Libertines2016-01-30
Reading Festival 2015 The LibertinesReading2015-08-30
Rock en Seine 2015 The Libertines Domaine national de Saint-Cloud, Saint-Cloud2015-08-29
3Arena Dublin The Libertines3Arena Dublin2015-07-09
Ahmad Tea Music Festival The Libertines2015-06-27
Glastonbury 2015 The LibertinesGlastonbury2015-06-26
Benicàssim Festival The LibertinesBenicàssim, Spain2014-07-19
BST, Hyde Park, London (With 2nd Interruption) The LibertinesHyde Park, London2014-07-05
Show more concerts

Lyrics

Did you see the stylish kids in the riot
Shovelled up like muck
Set the night on fire
Wombles bleed truncheons and shields
You know I cherish you my love

But there's a rumour spread nasty disease around town
You caught round the houses with your trousers down
A headrush in the bush
You know I cherish you my love
Oh how i cherish you my love

Tell me what can you want now you've got it all
The whole scene is obscene
Time will strip it away
A year and a day
And Bill Bones
Bill Bones knows what I mean
He knows it's eating, it's chewing me up
It's not right for young lungs to be coughing up blood
And it's all
It's all in my hands
And its all up the walls

Well the stale chips are up and the hopes stakes are down
It's all these ignorant faces that bring this town down
And I sighed and sunken with pride
Well I passed myself down on my knees
Yes I passed myself down on my knees

Now tell me what can you want now you've got it all
The whole scene is obscene
Time will strip it away
A year and a day
And Bill Bones
Bill Bones knows what I mean
He knows theres fewer more distressing sights than that
Of an Englishman in a baseball cap
And we'll die in the class we were born
But that's a class of our own my love
A class of our own my love

Did you see the stylish kids in the riot
Shovelled up like muck
Set the night on fire
Wombles bleed truncheons and shields
You know I cherish you my love
Yeah I cherish you my love.