A Dog's Life

Album: Present Tense (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song details the final breaths of a faithful canine. Wild Beasts' Tom Fleming told NME: "It's about a dog dying, which is tragic because dogs think they are people. We all think we're something we are not, we all die, and we're all tied to a post and left behind."
  • The main lyrical theme that runs through Present Tense is the expectancy to live life a certain way and stepping out of that cycle. Singer Hayden Thorpe explained to DIY magazine: "This album is about the compromise of human nature, and it's about the powers that be. We're a little bit more aware of them now. Like most people, I seemed to go through a mid-twenties crisis. You kind of glide through this extended childhood. You pop out the other side at twenty-four, twenty-five and all of a sudden you have to stand for something."

Comments: 1

  • Don from Sevierville, TnElvis Presley recorded a different song with this same title. It was from his 1966 movie, "Paradise, Hawaiian Style".
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.