Deep Pile Dreams

I've seen you
You've never seen yourself
That's what you pay your shrink for
You're mean ya, thinking of no-one but yourself
What'cha think all the love is for ?

I only ever wanted the one with the flag
But all you ever wanted was a sixty dollar bag
And a cheap limousine for your deep pile dream
On the highway

Shut your mouth and bend down low
Sit back and watch the flowers grow
Yeah, people change but it was never a game
Go wash your face in your hands 'cause we all look the same

I only ever wanted the one with the flag
But all you ever wanted was a sixty dollar bag
And a cheap limousine for your deep pile dream
On the highway

See no hear no, so why d'you go and speak so ?
Talking pouring scorn on the bone
I closed the door on your cold breath wish
You went and gave your tongue to the devil on a dish

I only ever wanted the one with the flag
But all you ever wanted was a sixty dollar bag
And a cheap limousine for your deep pile dream
On the highway

I only ever wanted the one with the flag
But all you ever wanted was a sixty dollar bag
And a cheap limousine for your deep pile dream
On the highway

Lyrics by:
Brown

Available on:
Unfinished Monkey Business (3.39)

Details:
Those that criticize the album Unfinished Monkey Business usually cite this track as being a particular low-point on the album. Personally, I would rank it as being among the better tracks on the LP - it has an appealing rawness. Completed very quickly, the day after Lions, it is the equivalent of John Lennon's ode to Paul McCartney on 'How Do You Sleep ?', with bilious lyrics. I propose that the first two lines of the chorus refer to Brown's childhood days with Squire in the sandpit. Squire recalls their first ever encounter as toddlers in a sandpit, whereas Brown's first memory is from their teenage years, defending Squire from a viscious beating at school. Taking 'the flag' to refer to that on a sandcastle, Brown may be asserting that he the same values as when he was a kid, when he knew Squire. Whereas Squire, in his opinion, was only ever interested in the drug-related side of stardom (sixty dollar bag of cocaine).

'PEOPLE CHANGE, RELATIONSHIPS CHANGE, HAIRSTYLES CHANGE... THAT'S LIFE, ISN'T IT ?'

That was a headline in a Squire interview with the NME from April 1996 (http://www.pdmcauley.co.uk/NME20Apr96(2).htm). It is taken from one of Squire's answer in that interview:

NME: The media was very cynical throughout the 'Second Coming' campaign. Did that affect you ?

JS: "No, because I knew who I was before and I know who I am now. I think if I'd run away with the idea that I was somehow superior then any sort of rejection would have been hard to take."

NME: And do you think that is what happened with other members of The Stone Roses ?

JS: "No. I don't know much about them, to be honest with you, which is a shame, but it's true. That's life I suppose, isn't it ? People change, relationships change, hairstyles change."

That interview was given to the NME by John Squire a couple of weeks after he left the Roses. Ian would have been annoyed at receiving a 5-minute phone call from Squire giving him his reason(s) for leaving, then seeing him give a full-blown interview with the NME no less than 2 weeks later. Deep Pile Dreams is, in my opinion, the song on UMB most aimed at Squire, with almost every lyric appearing to be aimed towards him. These lines from the second verse appear to be a direct response to Squire's answer (that formed the headline) in that interview:

Yeah, people change but it was never a game
Go wash your face in your hands 'cause we all look the same

'PEOPLE CHANGE, RELATIONSHIPS CHANGE, HAIRSTYLES CHANGE... THAT'S LIFE, ISN'T IT ?'

Brown sings "Yeah, people change..". One usually starts off a sentence with "Yeah...." if one is responding to a point. If Brown was making a statement afresh, he would just have said "People change...". The "it was never a game" retort from Ian could be in response to Squire's point that "relationships change... that's life". It - the relationship between John and Ian - was more than 'a game', as they had been friends since childhood. Regarding the lyric "See no hear no, so why d'you go and speak so ?"*, Ian is stating that Squire was not around to see ("see no") or hear ("hear no") what was going on, so how is he in a position to speak categorically about band affairs ("so why d'you go and speak so ?") ? See the John Squire entry in the Biographies section for illustration of the extent to which Squire was unaware of what was going on in the band. Squire would have been well aware of the 'See No Hear No Speak No Evil' adage, having availed of it for a Stone Roses photoshoot:

In the eyes of Ian, John "went and gave (his) tongue to the devil on a dish" by selling his story to the NME.

Pete Doherty covered Deep Pile Dreams in a session with Babyshambles and later used the final verse of the song on 'French Dog Blues', from his 2007 album, 'Shotter's Nation'. The song is credited as being written by is credited as being written by Pete Doherty, Kate Moss and Ian Brown.

* Ian would later write a song called Hear No See No Speak No for his Music Of The Spheres album.

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