Pencil Skirt by Pulp Lyrics Meaning – The Provocative Twist of Infidelity and Desire
Lyrics
Like a veil before my eyes
Like the look upon his face as he’s zipping up his flies
Oh, well, I know that you’re engaged to him
Oh, but I know that you want something to play with baby
I’ll be around when he’s not in town
Oh, yeah, I’ll show you how you’re doing it wrong
Oh, I really love it when you tell me to stop, oh-oh
Oh, it’s turning me on
Now, you can tell some lies
About the good times that you’ve had
But I’ve kissed your mother twice
And now I’m working on your Dad
Oh, baby
I’ll be around when he’s not in town
Oh, yeah, I’ll show you how you’re doing it wrong
Oh, I really love it when you tell me to stop, oh-oh
Oh, it’s turning me on
If you look under the bed
Then I can see my house from here
So just lie against the wall
And watch my conscience disappear now baby
Yeah, I’ll be around when he’s not in town
Oh, yeah, I’ll show you how you’re doing it wrong
Oh, I really love it when you tell me to stop, oh-oh
Oh, it’s turning me on
I only come here cause I know it makes you sad
I only do it cause I know you know it’s bad, oh, don’t you know
That it’s ugly and it shouldn’t be like that
Oh, but oh it’s turning me on, oh
In the realm of music where the provocative often takes center stage, Pulp’s 1995 song ‘Pencil Skirt’ emerges as an enigmatic piece of lyrical storytelling. The tight, guitar-heavy track found on the British band’s ‘Different Class’ album encapsulates a narrative of illicit desire, camouflaged beneath the mundane. A closer look at the song’s lyrics reveals a tapestry woven with threads of infidelity, seduction, and the intricacies of forbidden romance.
Frontman Jarvis Cocker, known for his incisive writing and observational wit, plunges listeners into a morally ambiguous liaison that seems to thrash against the confines of societal norms. Veiled in the symbolism of a pencil skirt, the song alludes to much more than a sartorial choice—it’s an invitation to explore the shadowy corners of human yearning and the consequences of acting on such impulses.
Tales Beneath the Hem: Unpacking Seduction
At first glance, ‘Pencil Skirt’ may come across as a simple tale of lust, but it unfurls as a complex saga of manipulation and power dynamics. The act of raising a pencil skirt symbolizes the unveiling of secrets, the deliberate exposure of what usually lies hidden by decorum and convention. This racially charged imagery complements the musical crescendos, lending a visceral quality to the song that pushes the narrative beyond mere tabloid fodder.
Cocker’s raspy voice delivers the protagonist’s brazen confidence, revealing the psychological edge he believes he holds over his clandestine partner. His knowledge of her engagement—coupled with her willingness to transgress—creates a thrilling yet disturbing vignette of romance, which is far from the ideal loving relationship espoused by mainstream values.
Morality in Shades of Gray: The Song’s Hidden Meaning
Beyond the story of a secret affair, ‘Pencil Skirt’ tackles broader themes of morality and societal expectation. The brazen nature of the characters’ actions serves to challenge the listener’s own perceptions of right and wrong. As the lyrics flit through a range of questionable decisions—lying, infidelity, targeting a loved one’s family members—the song compels one to consider where personal boundaries lie and what motivates individuals to cross them.
The repetitive reassurance of being around ‘when he’s not in town’ hints at an unsettling routine of deceit. The banality of evil, a concept where harmful acts become normalized through repetition, seems to lurk beneath the seemingly innocent surface of the song. It questions our own complacency and our ability to resist taboo temptations when they become comfortably intertwined with the mundane aspects of life.
Crossing Generational Lines: The Ultimate Provocation
Cocker’s lyrics often detail transgressive relationships, and ‘Pencil Skirt’ is no exception, indicating an intergenerational affair with the lines ‘But I’ve kissed your mother twice / And now I’m working on your Dad.’ The conventional notion of faithfulness is not just broken, it’s gleefully danced upon, as the boundaries of expected behavior among family and friends are irrevocably crossed.
This revelation isn’t just for shock value. It raises the stakes for the characters involved, adding layers of complexity and risk that hint towards a cyclical pattern of behavior, as one transgression leads to another, ever widening the circle of deceit and complication. Through this lens, the song also becomes a commentary on the intricate web of social connections and how privacy is rarely sacrosanct.
The Dance of Conscience: Watching Morality Disappear
Perhaps one of the most haunting images evoked is the vision of the protagonist’s conscience vanishing as they instruct their lovers to lie ‘against the wall.’ The physical act of turning away from social norms is mirrored in the metaphorical act of the conscience disappearing—there’s a dance here between the individual’s internal moral compass and their actions which plays out in the theater of the song.
This section of the lyrics underscores the notion that there is a constant interplay between power and vulnerability in the act of seduction; each participant is at once holding and losing control, and this push and pull becomes the heartbeat of the song. Cocker, acting as a maestro, orchestrates an atmosphere where the audience becomes voyeur to an intimate and possibly self-destructive display.
‘Ugly and It Shouldn’t Be Like That’: Memorable Lines That Cut Deep
The line ‘I only do it cause I know you know it’s bad, oh, don’t you know / That it’s ugly and it shouldn’t be like that’ is the song’s zenith, wrought with self-awareness and the acknowledgment of wrongdoing. These poignant lyrics confront the listener with the idea that part of the lure is precisely in the knowledge that the relationship is inappropriate, affirming that sometimes the very things that repel us also attract us.
This moment of lyrical clarity is what makes ‘Pencil Skirt’ resonate long after the last chord fades. It delves into the darker parts of the human psyche where the allure of the forbidden maintains its grip, complicating the straightforward narrative of love songs with the reality that not all emotions fit neatly into societal boxes. Through the song, Pulp holds up a mirror to the twisted contours of desire, compelling us to question where we draw our moral lines.
