Lullaby

Album: Disintegration (1989)
Charted: 5 74
Play Video
  • On candy stripe legs the spiderman comes
    Softly through the shadow of the evening sun
    Stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead
    Looking for the victim shivering in bed
    Searching out fear in the gathering gloom and
    Suddenly a movement in the corner of the room
    And there is nothing I can do
    When I realize with fright
    That the spiderman is having me for dinner tonight

    Quietly he laughs and shaking his head
    Creeps closer now
    Closer to the foot of the bed
    And softer than shadow and quicker than flies
    His arms are all around me and his tongue in my eyes
    Be still be calm be quiet now my precious boy
    Don't struggle like that or I will only love you more
    For it's much too late to get away or turn on the light
    The spiderman is having you for dinner tonight

    And I feel like I'm being eaten
    By a thousand million shivering furry holes
    And I know that in the morning I will wake up
    In the shivering cold

    And the spiderman is always hungry Writer/s: Boris Williams, Laurence Andrew Tolhurst, Porl Thompson, Robert James Smith, Roger O'Donnell, Simon Gallup
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 26

  • Truefact from SomewhereRobert Smith himself talked about how he got the idea for this song: "When I was really young I had a very strange uncle (also called Robert!) who delighted in finding as many ways to scare me witless as he could. One of his favorites was to whisper grim bedside stories into my ear, stories that often related the twisted deeds of a horrible boy-eating creature called simply ‘the spiderman’. One night he actually went so far as to climb in through my bedroom window after the lights had been put out… I screamed for what seemed like days. The ‘spiderman’ stories ended that night, but my fear of the dark and spiders persisted for quite some time."
  • Twistedraven from Tucson, AzWhat if the song portrayed how he felt about women throwing themselves at him as a rock star... feeling like he has to let them, but feeling dirty about each encounter Because they didn't care about him, they only enjoyed the idea of sleeping with the Robert Smith
  • Stacy Stark from Lander WyomingLove the cure. Love this. His dad told him a story to make him sleep and this from that.
  • Olivia Chase from UtahAnd also it says "struggle like that and I'll only love you more" and how Spier Man's tongue was in his face... Sounds like child molestation to me.
  • Olivia Chase from UtahI think it's about child molestation because it says "Spider man is always hungry" like he does it a lot. And how it talks about the spider luring the fly into its web. Like an adult persuading a child to come to him so he can molest them. I don't know, that was just what I got from the song.
  • Cristina from Santiago, ChileThe title itself suggests it.
  • Cristina from Santiago, ChileI agree the song seems to be about child abuse. Seems fairly clear from the lyrics. Brilliant song btw.
  • Peedj from Barrie, OnThe story I got (from my parents who are die hard cure fans) is its about a dude who used to molest children. He crawled in to through windows at night and the media dubbed him "Spiderman."
  • David from Tucson, AzI really believe this song is about child molestation
    sad, but true
    "I feel like I'm being eaten by a thousand,million shivering furry holes" that line suggests being kissed all over by a bearded man
    "come into my parlour, said the spider to the fly, I have something....."
    that line is the way an adult would lure a child somewhere with the promise of something like a toy or candy
  • Austin from Smallsville,new England, --I rember seeing this on mtv around 2007. The creepy vibe of the song was made even wierder by that video.
  • Tim from Linkoping, SwedenI agree, it certainly seems to be about child abuse. Didn't know Plant was a Cure-fan. Cool.
  • Ben from Gosford, AustraliaI like this song, it's very odd-sounding. I'm surprised it charted as well as it did. First time I heard this song was in 1990, it was on 'What a Year' playing in the background of the footage of THAT student standing in front of the tanks in Tianammen Square, and it was in an episode of 'Cold Case' that was set in 1990, but after all these years I only today found out it was a Cure song!
  • Chuck from Nanaimo, Bcits about being addicted to drugs its cool hows its writtin spider and the fly style
  • Hannah from Hampshire, EnglandI think this song is about child abuse as well. Some one is creeping into your room like a nightmare except it's real
  • Emma from San Deigo, Cai love this song and the cure!
    so yeah now it makes sense why is says "spiderman is having you for dinner tonight"
  • Paul Marlo from Perth, Australiaa masterpiece!
  • Shane from Perth, Wayerr page's guitar skills in this song are amazing
    and plants incredable vocal skills melt into this song perfectly
  • Jim from Dayton, OhJimmy Page and Robert Plant played this often during their mid-90's tours. Plant referred to The Cure as "one of the most underrated rock bands to come out of England,".

    Incidentally, the Page/Plant touring band included ex-Cure guitarist Porl Thompson who played the familiar opening notes to this song.
  • K from Victorville, CaThis song was based on the poem "The Spider And The Fly" by Mary Howitt. It seems Robert Smith is often inspired by literature.
  • Bridgett from Fort Worth, TxThis is a great song. I love the use of the more classic instruments in this song.
  • Maxime from Wetteren, BelgiumI'm also thinking its about child abuse....
    Its about a person, wich he is afraid of, creeping to his bed, and touching him in ways he doesnt like, nightmares.
    The line "dont strugle like that or I will only love you more", made me even more think that ...
    For me, its totally about a dark person creeping into your bedroom at night, as your a kid, and who touches you, creeps, hurts, a true nightmare...
  • Rachel from London, EnglandFor me, it represents a deeper fear or pain, which never seems to go away. "the spiderman is always hungry".
  • Peter from Fort Worth, Txthis video has robert smith looking almost dead and really creepy...
  • Jebus from London, EnglandI always thought this song was about child abuse. i mean the line "dont strugle like that i will only love you more", the whole song seems to be about it. well thats how i persived it.
  • Charlotte Smith from El Paso, Txsomeone gave robert a shock when he was young, and scared him about his 'nightmares.'











  • Ak from Reston, Valol this song is kinda creepy. but its still fun
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