Philomena
Producers
Philomena Lyrics
Oh, Philomena, you in a tawdry gown
Lean to your window, let slip a ribbon down
A cure to your boredom, if only you’d let me go
Down, down, down
Long summer days can lead to lazy vices
Boys all in idle, left to their own devices
Open up your linen lap and let me go
Down, down, down
All I ever wanted in the world
Was just to live to see a naked girl
But I found I quickly bored
I wanted more, I wanted more
So I’ll be your candle and I’ll be your statuette
And I’ll be your lashing loop of leatherette
And oh Philomena, if only you'd let me go
Down, down, down
All I ever wanted in the world
Was just to live to see a naked girl
But I found I quickly bored
I wanted more, oh, so much more
So I’ll be your candle and I’ll be your statuette
And I’ll be your lashing loop of leatherette
And oh Philomena, if only you'd let me go
Down, down, down
Go down, down, down
Go down, down, down
To go down
Lean to your window, let slip a ribbon down
A cure to your boredom, if only you’d let me go
Down, down, down
Long summer days can lead to lazy vices
Boys all in idle, left to their own devices
Open up your linen lap and let me go
Down, down, down
All I ever wanted in the world
Was just to live to see a naked girl
But I found I quickly bored
I wanted more, I wanted more
So I’ll be your candle and I’ll be your statuette
And I’ll be your lashing loop of leatherette
And oh Philomena, if only you'd let me go
Down, down, down
All I ever wanted in the world
Was just to live to see a naked girl
But I found I quickly bored
I wanted more, oh, so much more
So I’ll be your candle and I’ll be your statuette
And I’ll be your lashing loop of leatherette
And oh Philomena, if only you'd let me go
Down, down, down
Go down, down, down
Go down, down, down
To go down
About
Genius Annotation
Colin Meloy described this as “the dirtiest Decemberists song ever written”.
It’s about cunnilingus.
I think this is my attempt of making a portrait — a bundling idea of what human sexuality is and could be. It started out as this very innocent chord progression and a melody that was so pristine and ‘50s innocent that it felt like it needed to be dirtied up significantly, and out came the dirtiest Decemberists song ever written.
Salon interview, 1/18/15
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 3.Philomena
- 5.Lake Song
- 8.Carolina Low
- 10.Anti-Summersong
- 12.Mistral
- 13.12/17/12
- 14.A Beginning Song
Credits
Producers
Writer
Backing Vocals
Release Date
January 20, 2015
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