The ultimate boy who cried wolf...
songwriter
burgerism
tramore
mo chairde go leir
neil mcgrath
neilyburger
tooskin blooskin
vision inc
Story behind the song
I'm intrigued by people who build themselves into something they are not...people who project an image of themselves as the person they would like to be, not who they really are.
The fool who plays clever, the wimp who plays tough, the sad people who play happy...all more prepared to deal with the consequences of who they pretend to be than the consequences of who they really are...
Charles isn't about cocaine. Charles isn't about Charles Manson either. Although Charles is based on actual people, it is not necessary for you to know who they are...
Those people are not necessarily murderers either, the reason I made Charles pretend to be a murderer is simply to raise the stakes as high as possible when it comes to showing what happens a boy who cries wolf...
Charles spends the first three verses portrayed as someone you don't want to mess with, someone you've heard stories about that you don't ever wish to confirm...someone who is comfortable in letting you think he is capable of very bad things...he sees this position as advantageous and sees no reason to play down his reputation...why he feels this way is never explained in the song however...
The chorus is me telling Charlie that I don't think anyone is going to understand his position. In other words, when someone is murdered, Charles is going to look like the prime suspect because of his reputation. If he backs down at this point and says he made it all up, then it may seem like he is doing it simply to escape justice. People will ask "Well why was he happy for people to believe it until now, what has changed?" They won't understand.
The "If you know Charlie" bit has two meanings...
The first being that Charles as a person is the type you don't bull sh** . If you don't want to come to any harm, you'll talk straight and what you'll say is what you'll mean when you speak to him.
The second is "If you know the story of Charlie, then you will know in future never to build urself into something you are not, because it may have terrible consequences"...again what you say is what you'll mean, without any hidden agenda.
And finally, the part at the end is Charles downfall..."You see the killins done with the killin hands and Charlie I don't think they'll understand"...in other words, people are murdered by murderers and if thats the image that you portray of yourself then who else are people going to point the finger at? The shadow falling is a reference to the fact that even if someone did only see a shadow at the crime scene, then Charlies reputation would be enough for that person to automatically "assume" that is was Charlies shadow...
That's the only time I ever tried to explain one of my songs in such detail and is quite possibly the last. Sorry to all the people who thought this was a drug anthem or took some other meaning from it...
Neil McGrath
Lyrics
Charles doesn't have to look up; he doesn't have to look down
He doesn't have to look out, and then he knows
And when he knows what he wants and he goes up to
The ladies in the streets and then they meet the kind of guy
You wouldn't like to meet
Charles doesn't like you to judge you shouldn't ever begrudge
Down in your soul a man that's out of control
Cos then he knows and when he knows it he goes up
And he shows it to show you what you'll be and to show you
Where you never should have been
(Chorus)
Charlie, I don't think they'll ever begin to understand
And if you know Charlie, then what you'll say
Is what you'll mean
Ya see now Charles isn't part of no dream, he isn't chasin’ no scene
He's never into serene, that’s how it goes
And where he goes man he shows that it flows
On down a different stream, he's left the colour
Of the roses in the places that he's been
Charles said he made it all up; he poured it into the cup
And we all drank and swallowed down
We're hearing now that what he meant, that what he actually said
Is nothing more, an open door, a work of fiction
In his sick and f*** in twisted head
(Chorus)
You see the killin's done with the killin hands
And Charlie I don't think they'll all understand
And when a shadow falls on the moonlit sand
Charlie you can't expect them to understand