The Last of the Famous International Playboys

Album: Bona Drag (1989)
Charted: 6
Play Video
  • Dear hero, imprisoned
    With all the new crimes
    That you are perfecting

    Oh, I can't help quoting you
    'Cause everything
    That you said rings true

    And now in my cell
    Well, I followed you
    And here's a list of who I slew

    Reggie Kray, do you know my name?
    Oh, don't say you don't
    Please say you do, ohh ohh

    I am the last of the famous
    International playboys
    The last of the famous
    International playboys

    And in my cell
    Well, I loved you
    And every man with a job to do

    Ronnie Kray, do you know my face?
    Oh, don't say you don't
    Please say you do, ohh ohh

    I am the last of the famous
    International playboys
    The last of the famous
    International playboys

    In our lifetime those who kill
    The news world
    Hands them stardom

    And these are the ways
    On which I was raised
    These are the ways
    On which I was raised

    I never wanted to kill
    I am not naturally evil
    Such things I do

    Just to make myself
    More attractive to you
    Have I failed?

    Oh, the last of the famous
    International playboys
    The last of the famous Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Steve from Chino HillsI believe this song is also satire about the lack of personal space fans give celebrities. Reggie and Ronnie Kray were famous gangsters in England in the 1960s. It's absurd to think that someone would be so devoted to the Kray Brothers that they would kill people just to follow them to prison just to try to get a chance to try to impress them. But after showing the list of who he killed to the Krays the subject confesses that killing and death really isn't in his nature. He just did it to be famous and to make himself look attractive (interesting) to the Krays. Morrissey is a quiet, private man and invasions of his privacy from adoring fans must weigh on him.
  • Dan from Norwalk, CaThe Krays (1990), written by the Bethnal Green born artist and dramatist Philip Ridley, starred brothers Gary and Martin Kemp of the band Spandau Ballet as the Krays.
  • Simon from Manchester, EnglandHe also mentions the international playboys, he refers to himself as such and he has also stated the few international playboys that left their status' behind, one of them includes David Bowie AKA Ziggy Stardust.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

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