Not for the Likes of Us

Song Meaning

This track paints a picture of someone who's fallen hard from a seemingly glamorous past. The narrator directly addresses a former acquaintance, highlighting a stark contrast between their current state and past glories. The opening lines immediately establish a sense of judgment and pity, questioning how the subject can live with their present circumstances, which involve neglect and dependency: "Your dinner's getting burned / While you drink all that she earns." The baby's needs are ignored, and the subject is described as being "in trouble deep," suggesting a significant downfall. The lyrics then flash back to a more vibrant period, recalling shared experiences like "danced all the night to the Motown classics" and the subject's former notoriety, riding "on the back of your black Lambretta." This nostalgic glimpse makes the present decline even more poignant. The question "But look at you now boy" serves as a pivot, emphasizing the dramatic shift from a celebrated figure to someone now seen as pathetic and out of touch. The core of the song’s emotional weight lies in this dramatic contrast and the narrator's sharp, almost scornful, observation of the subject's present misery. The image of the subject in a "dressing gown" shedding "crocodile tears" is particularly cutting, suggesting insincere remorse and a pathetic state. The line "Dancing on my chandelier" feels like a final, defiant act of disrespect or a desperate attempt to recapture past glory in the narrator's space, which is met with the declaration, "It's not for the likes of us." Ultimately, the lyrics effectively convey a sense of disillusionment and moral judgment. The narrator distances themselves from the subject's plight, framing their current situation as a consequence of their own choices and a state that is fundamentally incompatible with the narrator's own values or status. The final lines, "There is no need to rush / Some of us never take the bus!" reinforce this separation, implying a sense of self-sufficiency and perhaps a subtle boast about their own continued success or principled living, a stark counterpoint to the subject's perceived failure.