Dresden Dolls

Lyrics

(1)

Dresden dolls take one
This is for all you guys who work on industrial estates (2)

Dresden dolls are back in style
with a clockwork walk and a backward smile
Dresden dolls don't hear a sound
They're programmed to jump up and down

Up and down
Round and round
Tapping feet to formless sound

Dresden dolls and Nazi boys
Dance arm in arm to formless noise
Up and down
Round and round
Tapping feet to formless sound

On plastic bars they sit and pose
Count their fingers with their toes
They sit and smile and drink and grin
Then they all get up again

Up and down
Round round
Tapping feet to noiseless sound

Dresden dolls are back in style
With a clockwork walk and a backward smile
Up and down
Round and round
Tapping feet to formless sound

Notes

1. Dresden dolls are porcelain dolls made in Dresden, or made with Dresden porcelain. Sometimes parian dolls are referred to as "dresden dolls." The lyrics to this song were written by Una Baines (according to this interview). A Massachusetts band is called "Dresden Dolls" (partly) after this song. The phrase apparently also appears in the 1979 novel Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews;  it is unlikely that a reference to the Fall song was intended, however. 

Bobby points out a musical resemblance between this song and Serge Gainsbourg's instrumental "La Horse" (this becomes particularly noticeable at the chord change).

^

2. An "industrial estate" is the British term for an industrial park. The Fall have a song of this name.

^

Comments (11)

dannyno
  • 1. dannyno | 11/03/2013
"Dresden dolls" are porcelain dolls made in, er, Dresden.

See: http://www.porcelaindollscollection.com/dresden-porcelain-dolls.html
bzfgt
  • 2. bzfgt | 12/03/2013
Thanks, Danny, I updated the note above.
dannyno
  • 3. dannyno | 09/11/2013
Last chorus: not "Pound round" but "round round".
bzfgt
  • 4. bzfgt | 10/11/2013
Must have come in from the Lyrics Parade that way...careless.
bobby
  • 5. bobby | 01/12/2014
yo bro, check out Serge Gainsbourgh's La Horse and see for yourself, this is a musical cover with different (well the above does not have lyrics) lyrics,I just found it randomly, awesome site great job
Bobby
  • 6. Bobby | 01/12/2014
Gainsbourg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGjFyXjCGZI

never would have guessed, add it to the list of amazing covers and re-interpretations
bobby
  • 7. bobby | 16/04/2016
Sensei noticed me! lol,

Got another but you have not got the lyrics up

Why are people grudgeful off the record Infotainment Scan, track 11 is a cover of Lee "Scratch" Perry of I think it's his first song 'People funny boy" it's credited on the album as written by Lee Perry and Unknown so that confirms it, apparently the song is about a dispute over money with a record company which tenuously links into Birmingham School of Business School theme.

[Hook]
Why, why people funny bwoy
Why, why people funny bwoy

[Verse]
Now that you reach the top
An' you turn big shot
All I've done for you
You not remember that
When you were down an' out
I used to help you out
But now that you win jackpot
You don't remember that
Now that you turn big shot
Bwoy you 'ave big chat
You're lucky, you're lucky
You're lucky to have rice and peas a yard
But me, poor me don't have none at all

Fall version lyrics both lyrics from Genius.com

All over the world... death for rent [desolate/different/deference - throughout]
All over europa... different

Come on, come on, come on...

When you were down & out
I always helped you out
And when you go out
You just chat and shop
You can walk and talk
Walk and talk
Without no fear at all
You can walk and talk
Walk and talk
Without no fear at all

(why, why)
Why why are people grudgeful, boy?
Tell me why are people grudgeful, boy?

All over the world
Different different
All over creation
Difference difference
(why, why)

Coming coming coming they're coming, you are crumbling boy

Watch out watch out watch out
Why, why

Watch out
Why, boy, why
And you tend to forget
Coming, coming, coming right from you boy
And you tend to forget

All over the world
Difference difference
All over europa
Difference difference
(why, why)

So why, why are people grudgeful boy?
So why, why are people grudgeful boy?

Ah-watch out, watch out watch out, watch out...
bzfgt
  • 8. bzfgt | 19/05/2016
Thanks bobby, somewhat arbitrarily I have not included covers on this site (more work) but I need to get around to them at some point since he rewrites the words always, and some of the "originals" are as much covers as some of the "covers." If I get around to adding them in I'll use your transcription for sure, but until then it is helpful to have it here anyway, so thanks again.
dannyno
  • 9. dannyno | 31/03/2019
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parian_doll


A parian doll, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a Dresden doll, was a type of doll manufactured primarily in Germany, from around 1860 to 1880. A parian doll, like a china doll, has a body made from fabrics and a head created from untinted white porcelain. Unlike the china doll however, the parian doll's head is not dipped in glaze before firing and as such has a matte finish, similar to bisque dolls, giving it a markedly different appearance.
dannyno
  • 10. dannyno | 07/02/2021
Also seems to have something in common with Siouxsie and the Banshees' Metal Postcard and Tom Petty's You Tell Me.
Mark Oliver
  • 11. Mark Oliver | 24/09/2023
Several districts in Stoke-on-Trent are named after places in Europe notable for ceramic ware; these include Florence, Etruria and Dresden..the Potteries Dresden was the birthplace of actor Freddie Jones and composer Havergal Brian.

Add a comment