The British Are Coming

From Weezerpedia
"The British Are Coming"
Album track by Weezer
from the album Everything Will Be Alright in the End
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2014
Recorded2014, The Village, Los Angeles, CA
Length4:08
LabelRepublic Records
Songwriter(s)Rivers Cuomo
Producer(s)Ric Ocasek
StatusOfficially released
Live debutOctober 16, 2014
Stream Spotify
Apple Music
Everything Will Be Alright in the End track listing
13 tracks
  1. "Ain't Got Nobody"
  2. "Back to the Shack"
  3. "Eulogy for a Rock Band"
  4. "Lonely Girl"
  5. "I've Had It Up to Here"
  6. "The British Are Coming"
  7. "Da Vinci"
  8. "Go Away"
  9. "Cleopatra"
  10. "Foolish Father"
The Futurescope Trilogy
  2. "I. The Waste Land"
  3. "II. Anonymous"
  4. "III. Return to Ithaka"
Ecce Homo track listing
15 tracks
  1. Narcissus Blooming
  2. Rules of Life
  3. Gravity Will Bring You Down
  4. Sing My Blues Away
  5. The British Are Coming
  6. Semper Fi
  7. Ain't Got Nobody
  8. I Won't Flake on You
  9. Ivory Telephone
  10. Cleopatra
  11. The Wasteland
  12. Bless the Whole Wide World
  13. Everybody Needs Salvation
  14. Anonymous
  15. Resurgam Fidei
This song is part of the "The British Are Coming" lineage of songs

"The British Are Coming" is the sixth track on Everything Will Be Alright in the End.

Appearances

Overview

"The British Are Coming" was the fourth song to be officially released prior to the album's release. Shortly after the album's release, an instrumental-only version of the album was leaked online. In December 2017, an earlier version of the song was leaked online, containing unique lyrics and lacking the album version's intro. It was rumored that the original version of the song also contained more explicitly personal lyrics for years, before that version surfaced under the name "Don't Mess With My Girl". It was also rumored that this version contained a lyric about Boba Fett, but this turned out to be untrue, although another version that mentions Boba Fett has also surfaced.

While "The British Are Coming" would be released on Everything Will Be Alright in the End, it was initially written for the scrapped concept album Ecce Homo. It was planned to be the fifth song, and would represent the main character Sebastian coming into his own and finding independence. In the Ecce Homo document, the following notes were included about the song: 

(Age 22): 
• not looking for advice anymore. Is connected to his own inner compass.

The liner notes for Everything Will Be Alright in the End groups songs by one of three themes. "The British Are Coming" is grouped under the category "Patriarchia" (songs about Cuomo's relationships with father figures). Many of the song's lyrics are references to the American Revolutionary War, specifically the ride of Paul Revere leading up to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. King George, the King of Britain at the time, is named. “One, if by land, and two, if by sea” is a phrase coined by Henry W. Longfellow in 1860 for his poem Paul Revere's Ride, referring to Revere's use of lanterns to signal to the Patriots the route used by British soldiers to advance to Concord. "Sons of Liberty" were a secret society who opposed the taxation of the American colonies by the British government. The song's title and therefore chorus are most likely historically inaccurate as the American Colonists at the time would have considered themselves British.[1]

Personnel

Audio

Lyrics

The lyrical variants for "The British Are Coming" are too numerous to list here. For an exhaustive list, see Lyrics: The British Are Coming.

Album version

Welcome to the first level Literati
Our mission is to keep the tradition alive
It's up to us
It's our responsibility
Who else is going to do it?

This is the night
Light up a fire in the forge
We're not the coins
In the coffer of old King George
One if by land
Two if they come by sea
We'll show 'em we
Are the true Sons of Liberty

Punk-ass redcoats trying to run the show
Telling me what to do and where to go
Mount your horse 'cause it's time to tell the world
The British are coming
The British are coming
The British are coming

Smear on the soot
Tear up an old deerskin shirt
We know this shot
Will be heard all around the world

Punk-ass redcoats trying to run the show
Telling me what to do and where to go
Mount your horse 'cause it's time to tell the world
The British are coming
The British are coming
The British are coming

This is the destiny of all mankind
We will shake off these chains and shackles that bind
Come on, let's give them everything we have

The British are coming
The British are coming
The British are coming

Known recordings

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Rivers Cuomo I V  VII  IV  wistful piano.mp3 2011—2014 1:10 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Intro melody on piano
Rivers Cuomo ideas 11-10-2011 11h1m25s.mp3 November 10, 2011 6:41 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years Development of melody
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming     1.mp3 2011—2014 3:39 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming 2.mp3 2011—2014 3:45 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming       3.mp3 2011—2014 3:51 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   4.mp3 2011—2014 4:09 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming 5.mp3 2011—2014 4:07 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming     6.mp3 2011—2014 3:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming     7.mp3 2011—2014 3:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming     8.mp3 2011—2014 3:59 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   10.mp3 2011—2014 3:43 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   11.mp3 2011—2014 3:37 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   12.mp3 2011—2014 3:37 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   13.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   13 2.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   14.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   15.mp3 2011—2014 3:30 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   16.mp3 2011—2014 3:30 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   17.mp3 2011—2014 3:33 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming   18.mp3 2011—2014 3:32 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming       23 no b.mp3 2011—2014 3:03 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      30.mp3 2011—2014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      31.mp3 2011—2014 3:00 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      32.mp3 2011—2014 3:04 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      33.mp3 2011—2014 3:04 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      34.mp3 2011—2014 3:05 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      35.mp3 2011—2014 3:35 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      36.mp3 2011—2014 3:36 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      37.mp3 2011—2014 3:36 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      38.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      40 sons of liberty.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      41 son o.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      42 burn.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      43 burni.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming 16 for RC.mp3 2011—2014 3:53 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      44 band.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      45 dumpi.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      46 stra.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      47.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      48.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      49.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo The British Are Coming The British Are Coming      50.mp3 2011—2014 3:38 Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Weezer The British Are Coming 2014 4:08 Everything Will Be Alright in the End
about this table

See also

References

  1. ↑ Revere House Radio. Paul Revere House. https://paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Ep.-3_-What-did-PR-Actually-Say_.pdf?/
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