TUESDAY BLUES!! Ryan Adams - English Girls Approximately

Ryan Adams - English Girls Approximately (2004)

This track features on Ryans Love is Hell album and was written about English songstress Beth Orton, for whom he dated.  Marianne Faithfull provides the backing vocals on the album version.

I've always liked the song, but I had never really trawled through the lyrics until I was figuring it out on the guitar and then I realised how much of carnage that this relationship had left.

The lyrics make subtle reference to her, ("Norfolk" - she was born there, "Bethany", "daybreaker" - her album) and he undeniably held a torch for her after they split. If you know the song, it does reveal it in a new light.

He prophetically wrote the song, "This One's Gonna Bruise" and sang backing vocals on "Concrete Sky" - on the 'Daybreaker' album...

...English girls can be so mean

English girls are pretty when they play guitar

Crazy like a day just breaking I ain't sure what for

Ain't got a mother or a father or a place to fall

She's got a brother in the blues, 

But he doesn't know the blues at all

You said you didn't love me, it was right on time

I was just about to tell you, but ok, alright

Said you didn't love me, you didn't want a thing

English girls can be so mean

She's got pretty eyes as a pair of jewels

Falling down the Camden

Like a couple drunken criminals

She had a messy bedroom on the edge of town

I had never been good enough

To ever keep around

You said you didn't love me, it was right on time

I was just about to tell you, but ok, alright

Said you didn't love me, it didn't mean a thing

English girls can be so mean

But, oh, look at you now

Oh, look at you now

Mmm, best I've ever seen

Just a tall drink of water

Just pourin' down the sink

Tall drink of water, she's a Norfolk waterfall

Little daybreaker, she's shooting like a cannon ball

Crazy like a rocket when

You're coming through my radio,

Kept me in your bed till the winter time

Through the fall

Fall time come, and I guess my little bird can sing

Come on Elizabeth, come on Bethany

Come on forever, I'm tired and I want to sleep

My little dove flew away, and I'm guessing

She was done with me

You said you didn't love me, it was right on time

I was just about to tell you, but ok, alright

Said you didn't love me,

That you didn't want a thing

English girls can be so mean

But, oh, look at you now

Oh, look at you now

Mmm, best I've ever seen

Just a tall drink of water

Just pourin' down the sink

Kissed me on the lips but my heart just slept it off

Words may move,

But they're never movin' fast enough

Celebrate the differences

I'll celebrate the songs you sing

Just three words, my love

You meant everything

You meant everything

You meant everything

You meant everything