Album: Humbug (2009)

License This Song 

• I was biting the time zone
  And we embellished the banks of our bloodstreams
  And threw caution to the colorful
  Then we fell asleep in the car
  Until the bumps woke me up in your grip
  And the tide took me to your mouth
  And then swept me back down to your palms
  
  It's them that put me inside the reminder
  That yours is the only ocean (yours is the only ocean)
  That I wanna swing from
  Yours is the only ocean
  That I wanna hang on
  
  I've got this ego mechanic
  She's always trying to give me vitamins
  Ah, she'd be frightened of your reflection
  I preferred her as a cartoon
  
  If I could be someone else for a week
  I'd spend it chasing after you
  'Cause she's not shattering my attitude
  No matter how she folds the potion
  
  Yours is the only ocean (yours is the only ocean)
  That I wanna swing from
  Yours is the only ocean
  That I want to hang on to
  
  (I'm swinging on)
  
  Yours is the only ocean
  Yours is the only ocean
  Yours is the only ocean
  Yours is the only ocean
  
  Potion approaching, shield your eyes
  Potion approaching, visualize
  Holding a token, swollen in size
  Potion approaching, shield your eyes
  
  Oh, but if we're gonna escape though
  We really ought to think it through
  Would you like me to build you a go-kart? Writer/s: Alex Turner
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

• Bobby from Nj, UsaI think this song is about drugs, not his car as Alex says.
  
  The lyrics seem to allude to marijuana.
  
  "And we embellish the banks of our bloodstreams,"
  polluting your blood with THC or whatever drug you've taken when it enters your system.
  
  "...And the tide took me to your mouth, And then swept me back down to your palms,"
  the "mouth" of a joint when you go to hit from it and how when you're stoned you're not really in control.
  
  "She's always trying to give me vitamins Oh she'd be frightened of your reflection,"
  Sounds like a dig at everyone saying pot is good for you. the narrator seems to be
  trying to convince himself that no matter how much pot he smokes, it good for him.
  The next line is how when you are under the influence, your reflection appears distorted
  or warped.
  
  "If I could be someone else for a week, I'd spend it chasing after you,
  Cos she's not shattering my attitude, No matter how she folds the potion,"
  The most obvious allegation towards drugs and even addiction.
  The narrator says that even if he was under the influence for an entire week,
  he'd spend that week still trying to get higher.
  The narrator than goes to say that the drug use isn't affecting his personality
  or life no matter how much he's done.
  
  "Potion approaching, shield your eyes,
  Potion approaching, visualize,
  Holding a token, swollen in size,
  Potion approaching, shield your eyes,"
  Cover your eyes cause they're red or glossy and give away the fact that your on something.
  Hallucinations. Dilated pupils. Cover your eyes.
  This bridge of the song is also slower and more free-form, almost representing the effect of drugs.
  
  The lines and title "Potion Approaching" is just Alex's fancy way of saying the drugs are kicking in.
  One of my favourite Monkeys song and the drug topic isn't something far-off considering the more
  psychedelic rock nature of the Humbug album.
  
  
  
  
• Aaron from Dallas, TxThis song has a striking resemblence to Very Ape by Nirvana.

More Songfacts:

Should I Stay or Should I Go?The Clash

"Should I Stay or Should I Go?" by The Clash features some Spanish lines by the Texas singer Joe Ely.

Killing In The NameRage Against the Machine

Tired of X-Factor winners getting the UK Christmas #1, British Facebook users staged a successful campaign to download "Killing In The Name" by Rage Against The Machine enough times to boost the song to the top in 2009, blocking the X-Factor single by Joe McElderry.

YellowColdplay

"Yellow" by Coldplay is a deep, meaningful song, but the title has a rather prosaic origin: it came from the phone directory, known as "the yellow pages."

OutsideStaind

Staind's big moment came in 1999 when lead singer Aaron Lewis played "Outside" on Limp Bizkit's Family Values tour. The live, acoustic version earned lots of radio play.

Take My Breath AwayBerlin

"Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun was a huge hit for Berlin, but lead singer Terri Nunn was the only band member to perform on it. This caused friction that broke up the group a year later.

Ride The LightningMetallica

The title of the Metallica song "Ride The Lightning" came from a line in the Stephen King book The Stand where a guy is about to be executed.

Editor's Picks

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.