Fourteenth song on Blur’s self-titled. The song talks about the people of Aldham, Essex. Damon Albarn spent most of his childhood there and later described the place as:
One of those burgeoning Thatcher experiments where they were building loads of small estates.
- Damon Albarn
[Verse 1]
I remember thinking murder in the car
Watching dogs somersault through sprinklers on tiny lawns
I remember the graffiti
We are your children coming at you with spray cans of paint
I remember the sunsets on the plains of cement
And the way the night just seemed to turn the colour of orangeade
[Verse 2]
In this town, cellular phones are hot with teens
In this town, we all go to terminal pubs
It helps us sweat out those angry bits of life
In this town, the English Army grind their teeth into glass
You know you'll get a kicking tonight
The smell of puke and piss
The smell of puke and piss on your stilettos
[Verse 3]
Here comes that panic attack
My heart stops
And then it starts
Give me a drink
I'll drink your round
I'll take you 'round the pole
It's cold up here (Off to see the universe)
You'll catch flu or you'll catch the city (Wave goodbye, you're in a hearse)
Either way, you'll catch flu or you'll catch the city (Wave goodbye, you're in a hearse, wave goodbye, you're in a hearse)
(Wave goodbye, you're in a hearse, wave goodbye, you're in a hearse)
Essex Dogs was written by Damon Albarn & Graham Coxon & Dave Rowntree & Alex James.
Essex Dogs was produced by Stephen Street.
Blur released Essex Dogs on Mon Feb 10 1997.