Songfacts®:

• This is sometimes titled "I Told You Twice (Leftovers)."
• Cocker explained to The Independent May 9, 2009, that the song concerns a forty-something man who "had anticipated that he would by now have grown out of sexual desire in favour of simply giving out sweets to small children, but instead the leftovers of desire continue to plague him."
• This song was inspired by a short story, In The Heart of the Heart of the Country, by the American author William H. Gass. Cocker explained to The London Times May 16, 2009: "I'd never read that writer before, but it seemed to be autobiographical, about this middle-aged guy in this backwoods town who's mourning the breakdown of a relationship. And there was one phrase that stuck in me mind. He was describing his mixture of disgust and surprise at the fact that he still had desire left. He likened it to still having some sweets in the bottom of the paper bag the day after Hallowe'en." Cocker added that he knew the feeling. "In some ways I wish I was out of that. I wish I could retire from the (sexual) game….And just be a neutral, reasonably friendly person. 'cause it takes you to problematic places. But then I realised that wish was kind of ridiculous. So there is an anger to it in a way. There's one part of me wants things to be a bit flat and under control."