Suck It And See-Arctic Monkeys

DISCLAIMER: "Suck it and see" is a British phrase that essentially means "give it a shot," or "you'll never know until you try." No jumping to conclusions, friends. (Before I'm accused of jumping to conclusions myself, know that there was much unintended giggling when this came out in America, so it's fair to have a disclaimer.)

I was introduced to the magic of Arctic Monkeys rather recently, and this one stuck out to me as being both very beautiful musically and poetic lyrically. Also, I saw that Lusi did another song by the same band, and I hope I do not look like I'm being a copier; we're both allowed to like them, right? (Right?!)

Here are the lyrics:

Your love is like a studded leather headlock
Your kiss, it could put creases in the rain
You're rarer than a can of Dandelion and Burdock
And those other girls are just post-mix lemonade

Suck it and see, you never know
Sit next to me before I go
Jigsaw women with horror movie shoes
Be cruel to me, 'cause I'm a fool for you

I poured my aching heart into a pop song
I couldn't get the hang of poetry
That's not a skirt, girl, that's a sawn off shotgun
And I can only hope you've got it aimed at me

Suck it and see, you never know
Sit next to me before I go
Jigsaw women with horror movie shoes
Be cruel to me, 'cause I'm a fool for...

Blue moon girls from once upon a Shangri-La
How I often wonder where you are
You have got that face that just says
"Baby, I was made to break your heart"

Suck it and see, you never know
Sit next to me before I go
Jigsaw women with horror movie shoes
Be cruel to me, 'cause I'm a fool for you


First and foremost, these lyrics show the remarkable passion of the speaker; he directs his lyrics to the girl he loves, who may or may not love him back--we assume she hasn't shown much interest, or he wouldn't be telling her to give it a shot. The overarching theme (I actually typed "overaching" at first, which seems like it can be made a word to describe this song) is suggesting that the girl in question gives a relationship with the speaker a try; he primarily uses comparisons and irony to deliver his message.

The speaker utilizes both similes and metaphors--along with flat-out comparisons--to give his love interest an idea of what she means to him. For instance, in a simile, he compares her love to a "studded leather headlock;" her love is unique and fascinating to him instead of being bland or predictable. The metaphor that "your kiss, it could put creases in the rain" implies that her kiss, too, is remarkable, that it is capable of defying the elements and can fold and split rain. She seems to show a complete and utter disregard for natural laws, which comes as no surprise when we look to the degree of infatuation the speaker shows. Another simile tells of how she is "rarer than a can of Dandelion and Burdock / And those other girls are just post-mix lemonade;" Dandelion and Burdock, a British drink, holds a notorious reputation for being nearly impossible to come by, while post-mix lemonade is considered commonplace; clearly, the speaker considers the girl unspeakably difficult to find, and nothing about her is "just post-mix lemonade," or merely ordinary. Finally, he references other women in the repeated line of "jigsaw women with horror movie shoes;" other women, such as those who wear terrifying high heels, are jigsaw puzzles to him, impossible to decode, but he feels that he simply understands this particular girl.

The speaker added small touches of irony as well to help in his attempts to convince this girl that she should try dating him. He says that he "poured [his] aching heart into a pop song / [He] couldn't get the hang of poetry," which we perceive as irony due to the inherently poetic nature of his writing as well as the distinct lack of pop-influence in the song itself. Additionally, he tells his love repeatedly to "Be cruel to me, 'cause I'm a fool for you;" we as an audience are likely confused at first, as it would make considerably more sense for him to ask for kindness from her. However, in this, he is telling her that he doesn't care at all how she treats him, so long as she interacts with him and knows the full extent of his feelings for her.

In comparing the girl to a great number of other things and in attempting to explain a confusing mess of emotions, the speaker writes with a passionate plea, asking merely for a chance to be hers.



Behold! An especially beautiful acoustic rendition of this song. (Please watch/listen. Please.)
http://youtu.be/H9svkVZ32Cg