Well, the key line is "serving banana milkshake at a wake", which just popped into my head one day. It sounded like the sort of deranged phrase that Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays) would have come up with after a hard day at the crackhouse.
After trying and failing to come up with similar bonkers lyrics (and indeed a tune), I decided to approach it logically. What would be the only situation of serving such a drink at such a time? Answer: At the funeral of a 15 year-old joyrider.
So the lyric is based around conversations and thoughts at that wake.
So it's a sad song, maybe even a warning, but it's not condemnational.
And the way the lyrics and ebow solo fit around Chris' chords makes it one of our most unusual songs.
Lyrics
What was said was most inappropriate
Like serving banana milkshake at a wake
And what was done was inopportune
You put the "harm" in to pharmaceutical
And took the "zing" out of boozing
Now put yourself in my shoes
Understand what I'm losing
They say "It's a shame"
Now there's no regrets
All bets are off
Once again, "It's a shame"
I always stated "Bravado's overrated,
Hell for leather's not big or clever"
But you walked away from 19 head-on collisions
Did you think you'd live forever?
A swerving truck and you were out of luck
Blue lights in the pouring rain
You ran around with your arse on fire
And then you went down in flames
They say "It's a shame"
Now there's no regrets
All bets are off
Once again, it's a shame
