What Became Of The Likely Lads

Info

What Became of the Likely Lads is track #14 on The Libertines' second album, The Libertines. The track is credited to Doherty and Barat, and was also the final single released by The Libertines before their split in 2004.

The lyrics in the song ("What became of the dreams we had?", "What became of forever?") refer to the breakdown of the friendship between Peter Doherty and Carl Barat, and the subsequent collapse of the band. The song's title (and the chorus's lyrics) echo the title of a popular British situation comedy from the 1970s; Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

According to Carl Barat, in the cover photo, Doherty isn't actually wearing a watch. Peter Doherty claimed in an interview with Newsnight that he had no input for the video of the song, which does not feature the band but two young boys on a council estate, implied to be a young Peter and Carl. This is incorrect to the story of the two, because they didn't meet each other until their late teens.

Appearing on

Time For Heroes	The Libertines	Album	2007-10-29
Acoustic session, Mexico	Carl Barat	Session	2005-04
Oui FM session	Carl Barat	Session	2004-11-24
What Became of the Likely Lads (Album Version)	The Libertines	Single	2004-10-25
What Became of the Likely Lads (Reworked Version)	The Libertines	Single	2004-10-25
The Libertines	The Libertines	Album	2004-08-30

Concerts

Glasgow Barrowland	The Libertines	Glasgow, Scotland	2014-06-29
Reading Festival	The Libertines	Reading, UK	2010-08-28
Royal Albert Hall Live	Peter Doherty	London, UK	2008-07-12

Lyrics

Please don't get me wrong
See I forgive you with a song
We'll call the Likely Lads

But if it's left to you
I know exactly what you'd do
With all the dreams we had

'Cause blood runs thicker, oh
We're thick as thieves, you know
If it's important to you
-It's important to me
I tried to make you see
-But you don't wanna know
You don't want to know

If you pipe all summer long
Then get forgiven in a song
Well that's a touch, my lad

They sold the rights to all the wrongs
And when they knew you'd give me songs
Welcome back, I sang

But blood runs thicker, oh
We're thick as thieves, you know
If that's important to you
-It's important to me
I tried to make you see
-But you don't wanna know
You don't want to know

Oh what became of the Likely Lads?
What became of the dreams we had?
Oh what became of forever?
Oh what became of forever, though?
But, we'll never know

Please don't get me wrong
See I forgive you in a song
We call the Likely Lads

We all bought the ones
We taught 'em all we wrote the songs
That's filled with dreams we have

But blood runs thicker, oh
We're thick as thieves, you know
If that's important to you
-It's important to me
I tried to make you see
-But you don't wanna know
You don't want to know

Oh what became of the Likely Lads?
What became of the dreams we had?
Oh what became of forever?
Oh what became of forever?
We'll never know

But blood runs thicker, oh
we're as thick as theives, you know
if that's important to you
-yes it's important to me
I tried to make you see
-But you don't want to know
You don't want to know

Oh what became of the Likely Lads?
What became of the dreams we had?
Oh what became of forever?
Oh what became of forever?
We'll never know