Friday Sessions #111: ‘Save some face, you know you’ve only got one’ – ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ The Killers
The Killers formed in Las Vegas back in 2001, are now referred to as one of the biggest rock bands of the 21st century selling millions of records worldwide. This week’s Friday Session focuses on their track ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ which opens with a great line…
Today’s lyric: ‘Save some face, you know you’ve only got one’
When someone talks about ‘saving face’ (or ‘losing face’) in English, the ‘face‘ refers to one’s reputation and the respect of others. The origin of this phrase supposedly traces back to the 1800s and British traders in China, when describing means of humiliation or control. Micheal Keevak’s book titled ‘On Saving Face: A Brief History of Western Appropriation’ presents background on the social etiquette/ behaviour and diplomacy when the face is described as ‘an extremely complex and varied notion in all East Asian cultures.’
Check the following examples which are very common in the English language used today:
- They made a big mistake, but they prefer to keep quiet and save face than to admit it was their fault.
- If he wants to save face, he should consider quitting now before it’s too late.
- At the risk of losing face, she published a statement to stop the rumours.
Lyrics:
Save some face, you know you’ve only got one
Change your ways while you’re young
Boy, one day you’ll be a man
Oh girl, he’ll help you understand
Smile like you mean it
Smile like you mean it
Looking back at sunsets on the East side
We lost track of the time
Dreams aren’t what they used to be
Some things slide by so carelessly
Smile like you mean it
Smile like you mean it
And someone is calling my name
From the back of the restaurant
And someone is playing a game
In the house that I grew up in
And someone will drive her around
Down the same streets that I did
On the same streets that I did
Smile like you mean it
Smile like you mean it
Smile like you mean it
Smile like you mean it
Oh no, oh no no no
Oh no, oh no no no