Meaning of “Red Flags” by Tom Cardy (ft. Montaigne)
Tom Cardy, who hails from Sydney, is listed primarily as a comedian but secondly as a musician, one with a discography dating back to 2021.
When you combine those two realities, what we get is a singer/songwriter who specializes in comedic songs. To note, Tom has proven especially popular on the likes of TikTok and YouTube. And as of this writing, “Red Flags”, a song Cardy wrote and produced which was released on 27 October 2021, this track stands as one of his most-popular musical outings by a long shot.
Meanwhile Montaigne is a singer, also from Australia, who has more of an established music industry presence than her collaborator. For instance her 2016 track “Because I Love You” has gone platinum down under. Another song she participated on that year, “Hilltop Hoods’ 1955”, has thus far gone nonuple-platinum in her homeland.
THE LYRICS “RED FLAGS”
“Red Flags” starts off sounding like a normal pop song, one which revolves around the two vocalists being on their first date. And initially, things go very well. That is to say that via conversation, Tom and Montaigne are able to establish that they have certain things in common. For instance, they both have an affinity for eating fish and enjoy watching “cartoon dogs”, such as Scooby-Doo.
Where things go wrong is when the subject of “favorite film” comes up. It just so happens that Montaigne’s favorite is a movie called The Human Centipede. That’s a flick which Wikipedia describes as being about “a deranged German surgeon who kidnaps three tourists and conjoins them surgically, mouth to an*s” (as verified by the chorus of the song).
Her having such a preference concerns Tom, or, let’s say more specifically, frightens him. In other words, he perceives his date’s liking of The Human Centipede as “a red flag”, i.e. an early warning sign that he shouldn’t proceed to become involved with her, as if Montaigne is a cannibal or something.
“Human Centipede
Human Centipede
I think that I’m gonna get murdered tonight
Human Centipede
Not ironically
She said, ‘The costume design was a highlight’
I like it for the plot
Tell me what the plot’s about
German doctor sews three people
A– to mouth
Cool!
Human Centipede
Please god save me
I think that’s a red flag
I don’t want to get stabbed”
Apparently, Cardy doesn’t actually make such a statement out loud, but Montaigne is able to pick up on something being wrong due to her date’s mannerisms suddenly becoming awkward (as illustrated in the third verse).
And this is disappointing to her, as she envisions the two of them going on to form a long-lasting romance, including marriage. But that said, it isn’t as if her affinity for The Human Centipede is going to go away. To the contrary, she’s also fantasizing about theming their wedding ceremony on the film.
With that in mind the second chorus, reading in between the lines, is kinda gross. And conclusively, it’s never stated whether the two parties involved continue to date or not. Of course this is all more or less fantastical anyway, not only for a lady – or anyone for that matter – having The Human Centipede as their favorite film but furthermore wanting to theme their wedding on it.
So maybe, going out on a limb, what this song is meant to speak or allude to, in real life if you will, is the proliferation of the practice of r*m jobbing, i.e. a sex act which, excuse our frankness, involves l-cking someone’s behind. And perhaps this is Tom’s way of letting his date know that he’s not down for such activity. But that being noted, it is also blatantly obvious that lyrically this is comedic fare.
