Our House

Album: The Rise & Fall (1982)
Charted: 5 7
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  • Father wears his Sunday best
    Mother's tired, she needs a rest
    The kids are playing up downstairs
    Sister's sighing in her sleep (ah)
    Brother's got a date to keep, he can't hang around

    Our house, in the middle of our street
    Our house, in the middle of our

    Our house, it has a crowd
    There's always something happening
    And it's usually quite loud
    Our mum she's so house-proud
    Nothing ever slows her down and a mess is not allowed

    Our house, in the middle of our street
    Our house, in the middle of our
    Our house, in the middle of our street
    Our house, in the middle of our (something tells you that you've got to move away from it)

    Father gets up late for work
    Mother has to iron his shirt
    Then she sends the kids to school
    Sees them off with a small kiss (ah)
    She's the one they're going to miss in lots of ways

    Our house, in the middle of our street
    Our house, in the middle of our

    I remember way back then when everything was true and when
    We would have such a very good time, such a fine time
    Such a happy time
    And I remember how we'd play, simply waste the day away
    Then we'd say nothing would come between us
    Two dreamers

    Father wears his Sunday best
    Mother's tired, she needs a rest
    The kids are playing up downstairs
    Sister's sighing in her sleep
    Brother's got a date to keep, he can't hang around

    Our house, in the middle of our street
    Our house, in the middle of our street
    Our house, in the middle of our street
    Our house, in the middle of our

    Our house, was our castle and our keep
    Our house, in the middle of our street
    Our house, that was where we used to sleep
    Our house, in the middle of our street
    Our house, in the middle of our street, our house Writer/s: Carl Smyth, Chris Foreman, Daniel Woodgate, Garaham McPherson, Lee Thompson, Mark Bedford, Michael Barson
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 11

  • Kevin Preston from Los Angeles CaliforniaWe all hear different things in songs. What struck me was the sense of nostalgia thinking back to a beloved house where everyone was together. Not so much that there was always a crowd there, but the simple peace of sleeping, getting dressed, off to school, and a mom taking care of everything. This is something so many of us have experienced in the same way. I love the line "Then we'd say nothing would come between us--Two dreamers" that feels to me that the individual is thinking that things would always be the way they were in that moment, playful, fun, and together...and realizing that as they grew up that was impossible. It is kind of moving.

    As a funny side note, in the USA I was a suburban kid and we always lived in various "tract home" subdivisions, which I loved. Because I was always oriented to that, when I heard the line, "Our house, it has a crowd....There's always something happening", I thought it was "Our House in Desert Crown", which I thought was referring to the name of a subdivision, like we have in the states!!!
  • Zenmema from U.s.When this song came out it described my house as a teenager to a T. When I had teenagers, they and their friends used to randomly breakout joyously amd somewhat raucously singing this song followed by rounds of hugs of thanks for me providing "The House". Now that I'm raising my grandkids, they too sing this song to me, giggling with their frinds they've taught it to. Every child should have a house in the middle of the street they can go too and get ready to eventually move on from and start their life, whether it be their mum or the houses. Many thanks to Madness for writing a parenting philosophy that served many generations so far.
  • Mimijo from Upper Great LakesAgree with Thegnostic. This is a song with multiple levels. It is has more depth than CSNY's song, which I do like.
  • Thegnostic from ConnecticutI'm going to be an iconoclast here. This is a song about loss and profound regret. It starts by recounting the memory of childhood and daily activities. But by the second chorus, there is the realization that you have to leave. In the third verse, there is the foreshadowing of Mother's death ("She's the one they're going to miss…").
    In the bridge, the singer talks of happy times, but acknowledges intentions ("…we'd say nothing would come between us") but follows that sarcastically with ("Two dreamers") because something DID come between them.
    When the first verse is repeated, we are told ("Sister's sighing in her sleep"), but this time we do not hear her, for she, too, is gone.
    The last chorus recognizes the duality of nostalgia. Our house was ("our castle and our keep"), but it was also just ("where we used to sleep").
    This song is wonderfully joyous, but has a subtle sadness. It's one of my favorites.
  • Jjmurray from IrelandThis song was wrote about a woman called Minnie O'Neil. It was her house that they ran through when they were kids. I know this as I she was also my great aunt.
  • Ezequiel from Buenos AiresSomeone could tell me what question he said in the intro of our house?
  • Luke from Manchester, UkEsskayess, I think they might like it and since it bears no resemblance - apart from title - to their song, they wouldn't have a problem.
  • Esskayess from Dallas, TxI wonder what Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young thought of it.
  • Ed from Canton, OhWhen I heard this song this morning, I thought about our own house. We adopted twins yesterday and my oldest goes to college this week. We have 7 kids and it is "usually quite loud". I wonder if my kids will look back on our house fondly like this song does.
  • Eric from Indianapoils, InThis was also in a Folgers commercial a while back.

    Well not the original song, but it was based off of it.
  • Roy from Arnhem, NetherlandsThis song also featured in the popular English comedy The Young Ones
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