Being Boring

Album: Behaviour (1990)
Charted: 20
Play Video
  • I came across a cache of old photos
    And invitations to teenage parties
    "Dress in white," one said with quotations
    From someone's wife, a famous writer
    In the 1920s

    When you're young, you find inspiration
    In anyone who's ever gone
    And opened up a closing door
    She said, "we were never feeling bored"

    'Cause we were never being boring
    We had too much time to find for ourselves
    And we were never being boring
    We dressed up and fought, then thought, "Make amends"
    And we were never holding back or worried that
    Time would come to an end

    When I went, I left from the station
    With a haversack and some trepidation
    Someone said, "If you're not careful
    You'll have nothing left and nothing to care for
    In the 1970s"

    But I sat back and looking forward
    My shoes were high and I had scored
    I'd bolted through a closing door
    I would never find myself feeling bored

    'Cause we were never being boring
    We had too much time to find for ourselves
    And we were never being boring
    We dressed up and fought, then thought, "Make amends"
    And we were never holding back or worried that
    Time would come to an end
    We were always hoping that, looking back
    You could always rely on a friend

    Now I sit with different faces
    In rented rooms and foreign places
    All the people I was kissing
    Some are here and some are missing
    In the 1990s

    I never dreamt that I would get to be
    The creature that I always meant to be
    But I thought in spite of dreams
    You'd be sitting somewhere here with me

    'Cause we were never being boring
    We had too much time to find for ourselves
    And we were never being boring
    We dressed up and fought, then thought, "Make amends"
    And we were never holding back or worried that
    Time would come to an end
    We were always hoping that, looking back
    You could always rely on a friend

    And we were never being boring
    We were never being bored
    'Cause we were never being boring
    We were never being bored Writer/s: Christopher Lowe, Neil Tennant
    Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Casey from UsaThe video of this song is stupid. Especially the idiot guy jumping on a trampoline naked.
  • Martin from London, United Kingdom7" edit - even at nearly 5 minutes it feels too tight, which I think partly explains its relatively ordinary chart positions.

    The 12" extended mix is, however, a sublime piece of work. The lyrics are touching and the instrumental section in the middle lifts it way above the 7" in my books.
  • Susan from AirdrieIn my opinion,this is their best song and best video ever. I think of it as an anthem to a time in my life, long past, but which was one of the happiest times. It's funny about Neil Tennant's comments because I feel that it's a wistful song; happy yet mournful at the same time.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

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.

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne CashSongwriter Interviews

Rosanne talks about the journey that inspired her songs on her album The River & the Thread, including a stop at the Tallahatchie Bridge.

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.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.