-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- A-Punk --------
[Verse 1]
Johanna drove slowly into the city
The Hudson River all filled with snow
She spied the ring on His Honor's finger
Oh, oh, oh
A thousand years in one piece of silver
She took it from his lily-white hand
Showed no fear, she'd seen the thing
In the young men's wing at Sloan-Kettering

[Chorus]
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey!

[Verse 2]
His Honor drove southward, seeking exotica
Down to the pueblo huts of New Mexico
Cut his teeth on turquoise harmonicas
Oh, oh, oh
I saw Johanna down in the subway
She took an apartment in Washington Heights
Half of the ring lies here with me
But the other half's at the bottom of the sea

[Chorus]
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"

[Outro]
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- Bryn --------
[Verse 1]
Ion displacement won't work in the basement
Especially when I'm not with you
Here in the heartland, a feeling so startling
I don't know what I should do

[Chorus]
Oh, Bryn, you see through the dark
Right past the fireflies that sleep in my heart
You know it's easy to see
Wait for the season to come back to me

[Verse 2]
Nights by the ocean, a westerly motion
That moves California to sea
Eyes like a seagull, no Kansas-born beetle
Could ever come close to that free

[Chorus]
Oh, Bryn, you see through the dark
Right past the fireflies that sleep in my heart
You know it's easy to see
Wait for the season to come back to me

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- Campus --------
[Verse 1]
I wake up, my shoulders cold
I've got to leave here, before I go
I pull my shirt on, walk out the door
Drag my feet along the floor
I pull my shirt on, walk out the door
Drag my feet along the floor

[Pre-Chorus]
Then I see you, you're walking 'cross the campus
Cruel professor, studying romances

[Chorus]
How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again?
How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again?

[Verse 2]
Walk to class in front of ya
Spilled kefir on your keffiyah
You look inside and turn to the door
Drag your feet along the floor

[Pre-Chorus]
Then I see you, you're walking 'cross the campus
Cruel professor, studying romances

[Chorus]
How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again?
How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again?

[Bridge]
In the afternoon, you're out on the stone and grass
And I'm sleeping on the balcony after class
In the afternoon, you're out on the stone and grass
And I'm sleeping on the balcony after class

[Instrumental]

[Outro]
In the afternoon, you're out on the stone and grass
And I'm sleeping on the balcony after class
In the afternoon, you're out on the stone and grass
And I'm sleeping on the balcony after class

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa --------
[Verse 1]
As a young girl
Louis Vuitton
With your mother
On a sandy lawn
As a sophomore
With reggaeton
And the linens
You're sittin' on

[Chorus]
Is your bed made? Is your sweater on?
Do you want to fuck like you know I do?
Like you know I do, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

[Post-Chorus]
But this feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel too
But it feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel

[Verse 2]
Can you stay up
To see the dawn?
In the colors
Of Benetton

[Chorus]
Is your bed made? Is your sweater on?
Do you want to, like you know I do?
Like you know I do, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

[Post-Chorus]
Feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel too
But this feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel

[Bridge]
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh

[Chorus]
Is your bed made? Is your sweater on?
Do you wanna, like you know I do?
Like you know I do, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- I Stand Corrected --------
[Verse 1]
You've been checking on my facts
And I admit I have been lax
In double-screening what I say
It wasn't funny anyway

[Chorus]
I stand
Corrected
I stand
Corrected

[Verse 2]
No one cares when you are wrong
But I've been at this far too long
To act like that when we should be
In perfect harmony

[Chorus]
I stand
Corrected
I, oh, I stand
Corrected

[Bridge]
Lord knows I haven't tried, I'll take my stand
One last time
Forget the protocol, I'll take your hand
Right in mine

[Chorus]
I stand
Corrected
I, oh, I stand
Corrected

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- M79 --------
[Verse 1]
It's gonna take a little time while you're waiting like a factory line
I'll ride across the park, backseat on the 79
Wasted days, you've come to pass
So go, I know you would not stay
It wasn't true, but anyway
Pollination yellow cab

[Chorus]
Ohh, ohh

[Verse 2]
You walk up the stairs, see the French kids by the door
Up one more flight, see the Buddha on the second floor
Coronation rickshaw grab
So go, I know you would not stay
It wasn't true, but anyway
Racist dreams you should not have

[Chorus]
Ohh, ohh

[Bridge]
No excuse to be so callous
Dress yourself in bleeding madras
Charm your way across the Khyber Pass
Stay awake to break the habit
Sing in praise of Jackson Crowter
Watch your step along the arch of

[Instrumental]

[Outro]
No excuse to be so callous
Dress yourself in bleeding madras
Charm your way across the Khyber Pass
Stay awake to break the habit
Sing in praise of Jackson Crowter
Watch your step along the arch of glass

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- Mansard Roof --------
[Verse 1]
I see a mansard roof through the trees
I see a salty message written in the eaves
The ground beneath my feet, the hot garbage and concrete
And now the tops of buildings, I can see them too
I see a mansard roof through the trees
I see a salty message written in the eaves
The ground beneath my feet, the hot garbage and concrete
And now the tops of buildings, I can see them too

[Verse 2]
The Argentines collapse in defeat
The admiralty surveys the remnants of the fleet
The ground beneath their feet is a nautically mapped sheet
As thin as paper while it slips away from view

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- One (Blake's Got a New Face) --------
[Verse 1]
Occident out on the weekend
That's the way that we relax
English Breakfast tastes like Darjeeling
But she's too cute to even ask

[Chorus]
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)

[Post-Chorus 1]
Nastiness will cause your doom
Turn and walk back to your room

[Verse 2]
The precedent's already set now
You spend a week in Old San Juan
Spanish brownstone with chairs of leather
And Spanish waves to roll along

[Chorus]
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)

[Post-Chorus 2]
Majesty's not overheard
Cryptographs can't stand the word

[Ad lib]

[Chorus]
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, your collegiate grief has left you
Dowdy in sweatshirts, absolute horror

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- Oxford Comma --------
[Verse 1]
Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?
I've seen those English dramas too; they're cruel
So if there's any other way to spell the word
It's fine with me, with me

[Chorus 1]
Why would you speak to me that way?
Especially when I always said that I
Haven't got the words for you
All your diction dripping with disdain
Through the pain, I always tell the truth

[Verse 2]
Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?
I climbed to Dharamsala too, I did
I met the highest Lama
His accent sounded fine to me, to me

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Take your handbook, it's no trick
Take the chapstick, put it on your lips
Crack a smile, adjust my tie
Know your boyfriend, unlike other guys

[Chorus 2]
Why would you lie 'bout how much coal you have?
Why would you lie about something dumb like that?
Why would you lie 'bout anything at all?
First the window, then it's to the wall
Lil Jon, he always tells the truth

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Check your passport, it's no trick
Take the chapstick, put it on your lips
Crack a smile, adjust my tie
Know your butler, unlike other guys

[Chorus 3]
Why would you lie 'bout how much coal you have?
Why would you lie about something dumb like that?
Why would you lie 'bout anything at all?
First the window, then it's through the wall
Why would you tape my conversations?
Show your paintings at the United Nations
Lil Jon, he always tells the truth

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- The Kids Don't Stand a Chance --------
[Verse 1]
A devastating backstroke
All the way from France
With shiny, shiny cufflinks
A shirtsleeve to enhance
The pin-striped men of morning
Are coming forward to dance
With pure Egyptian Cotton
The kids don't stand a chance

[Verse 2]
You criticize the practice
By murdering their plants
Ignoring all the history
Denying them romance
The pin-striped men of morning
Are coming forward to dance
Forty-million dollars
The kids don't stand a chance

[Verse 3]
I didn't like the business
But that was at first glance
Your pillow feels so soft now
But still you must advance
The pin-striped men of morning
The partners in the dance
The paper's shot to pieces
The kids don't stand a chance

-------- 2008 Vampire Weekend --------
-------- Walcott --------
[Verse 1]
Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod
Out of Cape Cod tonight?
Walcott, Mystic Seaport is that way
Don't you know that your life could be lost
Out of Cape Cod tonight?

[Verse 2]
Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod
Out of Cape Cod tonight?
Walcott, the bottleneck is a shit show
Hyannisport is a ghetto
Out of Cape Cod tonight

[Bridge]
The lobster's claw is sharp as knives
Evil feasts on human lives
The Holy Roman Empire roots for you

[Verse 3]
Walcott, all the way to New Jersey
All the way to the Garden State
Out of Cape Cod tonight
Walcott, fuck the women from Wellfleet
Fuck the bears out in Provincetown
Heed my words and take flight

[Outro]
Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod
Out of Cape Cod tonight?
Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod
Out of Cape Cod tonight?
Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod
Out of Cape Cod tonight?
Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod
Out of Cape Cod tonight?

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- California English --------
[Verse 1]
Wouldn’t ever gag you with a spoon, my only true love
Never really heard you speak that way, it’s unworthy of
Funny how that little college girl called language corrupt
Funny how the other private schools had no Hapa Club
Someone took a trip before you came to ski in the Alps
Your father moved across the country just to sunburn his scalp
Contra Costa, Contra Mundum, contradict what I say
Living like the French Connection, but we’ll die in LA

[Chorus]
Blasted from a disconnected light switch
Through the condo that they’ll never finish
Bounced across a Saudi satellite dish
And through your brain to California English

[Verse 2]
No one sits inside a freezing flat and stays there ‘til May
Leafing through a stack of A-Zs to surf the UK
Waiting with the wind against your face and gel in your hair
Shivering in little undershirts, but don’t seem to care

[Chorus]
Blasted from a disconnected light switch
Through the condo that they’ll never finish
Bounced across a Saudi satellite dish
And through your brain to California English

[Bridge]
Sweet carob rice cake, she don’t care how the sweets taste
Fake Philly cheese steak but she use real toothpaste
'Cause if that Tom’s don’t work, if it just makes you worse
Would you lose all of you faith in the good Earth?
And if it’s all a curse, and we’re just getting worse
Baby, please don’t lose your faith in the good earth

[Chorus]
Blasted from a disconnected light switch
Through the condo that they’ll never finish
Bounced across a Saudi satellite dish
And through your brain to California English
Blasted from a disconnected light switch
Through the condo that they’ll never finish
Bounced across a Saudi satellite dish
And through your brain to California English

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- Cousins --------
[Verse 1]
You found a sweater on the ocean floor
They're gonna find it if you didn't close the door
You and the smart ones sit outside of their sight
In a house on a street they wouldn't park on at night
Dad was a risk-taker, his was a shoe maker
You, "Greatest Hits 2006" little list-maker
Heard codes in the melodies, you heeded the call
Oh, you were born with ten fingers and you're gonna use them all

[Verse 2]
Interesting colors I discovered myself
If your art life is gritty, you'll be toasting my health
If an interest in culture should be lining the walls
When your birthright is interest, you could just accrue it all

[Chorus]
Me and my cousins and you and your cousins
It's a line that's always running
Me and my cousins and you and your cousins
I can feel it coming

[Bridge]
You could turn your back on the bitter world
You could turn your back on the bitter world
You could turn your back on the bitter world
You could turn your back on the bitter world

[Chorus]
Me and my cousins and you and your cousins
It's a line that's always running
Me and my cousins and you and your cousins
I can feel it coming
Me and my cousins and you and your cousins
It's a line that's always running
Me and my cousins and you and your cousins
I can feel it coming

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- Diplomat's Son --------
[Verse 1: Ezra Koenig]
It's not right, but it's now or never
And if I wait, could I ever forgive myself?
On a night when the moon glows yellow in the riptide
With the light from the TVs buzzing in the house

[Pre-Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
'Cause I'm gonna cut it where I can
And then I'm gonna duck out behind them
If I ever had a chance, it's now then
But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you
To offer it to you would be cruel
When all I want to do is use, use you

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
Oh-oh, oh-oh

[Verse 2: Ezra Koenig]
Dressed in white with my car keys hidden in the kitchen
I could sleep wherever I lay my head
And the sight of your two shoes sitting in the bathtub
Let me know that I shouldn't give up just yet

[Pre-Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
'Cause I'm gonna take it from Simon
And then I'm gonna duck out behind them
If I ever had a chance, it's now then
But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you
To offer it to you would be cruel
When all I want to do is use, use you

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
Oh-oh, oh-oh

[Bridge: Rostam Batmanglij]
I know, you'll say I'm not doing it right
But this is how I want it
I can't go back to how I felt before
There's–

[Verse 3: Ezra Koenig]
That night I smoked a joint with my best friend
We found ourselves in bed, when I woke up, he was gone

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81

[Instrumental Break]

[Outro: Ezra Koenig]
Looking out at the ice cold water all around me
I can't feel any traces of that other place
In the dark, when the wind comes racing off the river
There's a car, all black with diplomatic plates

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- Giving Up the Gun --------
[Chorus]
Your sword's grown old and rusty
Burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy
Forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time
You're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes
That now you're giving up the gun

[Verse 1]
When I was seventeen, I had wrists like steel
And I felt complete
And now my body fades behind a brass charade
And I'm obsolete
But if the chance remained to see those better days
I'd cut the cannons down
My ears are blown to bits from all the rifle hits
But I still crave that sound

[Chorus]
Your sword's grown old and rusty
Burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy
Forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time
You're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes
That now you're giving up the gun

[Verse 2]
I heard you play guitar down at a seedy bar
Where skinheads used to fight
Your Tokugawa smile and your garbage style
Used to save the night
You felt the coming wave, told me we'd all be brave
You said you wouldn't flinch
But in the years that passed, since I saw you last
You haven't moved an inch

[Chorus]
Your sword's grown old and rusty
Burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy
Forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time
You're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes
That now you're giving up the gun

[Bridge]
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
(I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on)

[Chorus]
Your sword's grown old and rusty
Burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy
Forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time
You're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes
That now you're giving up the gun

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- Holiday --------
[Verse 1]
Holiday, oh, a holiday
And the best one of the year
Dozing off underneath my sheets
While I cover both my ears

[Chorus]
But if I wait for a holiday
Could it stop my fear?
To go away on a summer's day
Never seemed so clear

[Verse 2]
Holiday, still so far away
Our republic on the beach
I can't forget just how bad it gets
When I'm counting on my teeth

[Chorus]
But if I wait for a holiday
Could it stop my fear?
To go away on a summer's day
Never seemed so clear

[Bridge]
A vegetarian since the invasion
She'd never seen the word 'bombs'
She'd never seen the word 'bombs'
Blown up to 96-point Futura
She'd never seen an AK
In a yellowy Day-Glo display
A T-shirt so lovely, it turned all the history books grey

[Verse 3]
I got wheels, I got Cutter spray
And a healthy sense of worth
Half of me is the gasoline
But the other half's the surf

[Chorus]
So if I wait for a holiday
Could it stop my fear?
To go away on a summer's day
Never seemed so clear

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- Horchata --------
[Verse 1]
In December, drinking horchata
I'd look psychotic in a balaclava
Winter's cold is too much to handle
Pincher crabs that pinch at your sandals

[Verse 2]
In December, drinking horchata
Look down your glasses at that Aranciata
With lips and teeth to ask how my day went
Boots and fists to pound on the pavement

[Chorus]
Here comes a feeling you thought you'd forgotten
Chairs to sit and sidewalks to walk on

[Verse 3]
You'd remember drinking horchata
You'd still enjoy it with your foot on Masada
Winter's cold is too much to handle
Pincher crabs that pinch at your sandals

[Chorus]
Here comes a feeling you thought you'd forgotten
Chairs to sit and sidewalks to walk on
Oh, you had it but oh, no, you lost it
Looking back, you shouldn't have fought it

[Verse 4]
In December, drinking horchata
I'd look psychotic in a balaclava
Winter's cold is too much to handle
Pincher crabs that pinch at your sandals
Years go by and hearts start to harden
Those palms and firs that grew in your garden
Are falling down and nearing the rosebeds
The roots are shooting up through the tool shed
Those lips and teeth that asked how my day went
Are shouting up through cracks in the pavement

[Chorus]
Here comes a feeling you thought you'd forgotten
Chairs to sit and sidewalks to walk on
Oh, you had it but oh, no, you lost it
You understood so you shouldn't have fought it
Here comes a feeling you thought you'd forgotten
Chairs to sit and sidewalks to walk on
Here comes a feeling you thought you'd forgotten
Chairs to sit and sidewalks to walk on

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- I Think Ur a Contra --------
[Verse 1]
I had a feeling once
That you and I
Could tell each other everything
For two months
But even with our oath
With truth on our side
When you turn away from me
It’s not right

[Chorus]
I think you're a contra
I think you're a contra
I think you're a contra
I think you're a contra

[Verse 2]
My revolution thoughts
Your little arrows of desire
I want to trace them to the source
And the wire
But it’s not useful now
Since we’ve both made up our minds
You’re going to watch out for yourself
And so will I

[Chorus]
I think you're a contra
And I think that you’ve lied
Don’t call me a contra
Till you’ve tried

[Bridge]
You wanted good schools and friends with pools
You’re not a contra
You wanted rock and roll, complete control
Well, I don’t know

[Verse 3]
Never pick sides
Never choose between two
Well, I just wanted you
I just wanted you
You said, "Never pick sides
Never choose between two"
Well, I just wanted you
I just wanted you

[Chorus]
I think you're a contra
And I think that you’ve lied
Don’t call me a contra
Till you’ve tried

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- Run --------
[Verse 1]
Every dollar counts
And every morning hurts
We mostly work to live
Until we live to work

[Chorus]
She said
"You know
There's nowhere else to go"
But chang-
-ing roles
It struck me that the two of us could run

[Verse 2]
Worlds away from cars
And all the Stars and Bars
Where a little bit of condensation means so much
And a little bit of change is all your little fingers touch

[Chorus]
I said
"You know
There's nowhere else to go"
But chang-
-ing roles
It struck me that the two of us could run

[Bridge]
'Cause, honey, with you-ooh-ooh-ooh
Is the only honest way to go
And I could take two-ooh-ooh-ooh
But I really couldn't ever know
Honey, with you-ooh-ooh-ooh
And a little bata radio
We could try

[Verse 3]
So lead my feet away
'Cause all they do is stay
And I don't think your eyes
Have ever looked surprised

[Chorus]
She said
"You know
There's nowhere else to go"
But with
Her fund
It struck me that the two of us could run

[Outro]
'Cause, honey, with you-ooh-ooh-ooh
Is the only honest way to go
And I could take two-ooh-ooh-ooh
If I really couldn't ever know
Honey, with you-ooh-ooh-ooh
And a battered radio
We could try, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- Taxi Cab --------
[Verse 1]
Unsentimental, traveling around
Sure of myself, sure of it now
But you were standing there so close to me
Like the future was supposed to be
In the aisles of the grocery
And the blocks uptown
I remember, remember it well
But if I'd forgotten, could you tell?
In the shadow of your first attack
I was questioning and looking back
You said, "Baby, we don't speak of that"
Like a real aristocrat

[Verse 2]
Compound to compound, lazy and safe
Wanted to leave it, wanted to wait
When the taxi door was open wide
I pretended I was horrified
By the uniform and gloves outside
Of the courtyard gate
You're not a victim, but neither am I
Nostalgic for garbage, desperate for time
I could blame it on your mother's hair
Or the colors that your father wears
But I know that I was never fair
You were always fine


[Verse 3]
Unsentimental, traveling around
Sure of myself, sure of it now
You were standing there so close to me
Like the future was supposed to be
In the aisles of the grocery
And the blocks uptown
I remember, remember it well
And if I'd forgotten, could you tell?
In the shadow of your first attack
I was questioning and looking back
You were standing on another track
Like a real aristocrat

-------- 2010 Contra --------
-------- White Sky --------
[Verse 1]
An ancient business, a modern piece of glasswork
Down on the corner that you walk each day in passing
The elderly sales clerk won't eye us with suspicion
The whole, immortal corporation's given its permission

[Verse 2]
A little stairway, a little piece of carpet
A pair of mirrors that are facing one another
Out in both directions, a thousand little Julias
That come together in the middle of Manhattan

[Pre-Chorus]
You waited since lunch
It all comes at once

[Chorus]
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

[Verse 3]
Around the corner, the house that modern art built
A house for modern art to keep it out the closets
The people who might own it, the sins of pride and envy
And on the second floor, the Richard Serra Skate Park

[Pre-Chorus]
You waited since lunch
It all comes at once

[Chorus]
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

[Verse 4]
Sit on the park wall, ask all the right questions
"Why are the horses racing taxis in the winter?"
Look up at the buildings, imagine who might live there
Imagining your wolfords in a ball upon the sink there

[Pre-Chorus]
You waited since lunch
It all comes at once

[Chorus]
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh, ah-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

[Outro]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Diane Young --------
[Verse 1]
You torched a Saab like a pile of leaves
I'd gone to find some better wheels
Four, five meters runnin' 'round the bend
When the government agents surround you again

[Chorus]
If Diane Young won't change your mind
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on time

[Verse 2]
Out of control but you're playing a role
Do you think you can go til the 18th hole
Or will you flip-flop the day of the championship?
Try to go it alone on your own for a bit

[Chorus]
If Diane Young won't change your mind
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on time

[Bridge]
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on
Baby, baby, baby, it’s a light on
Baby, baby, baby, it’s a lifetime
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on
Time, time, time, time, t-time, time
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on time
Ooh, you let 'em go
Di-Di, Di-Di-Di-Di

[Chorus]
If Diane Young won't change your mind
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on time

[Verse 3]
Irish and proud, baby, naturally
But you got the luck of a Kennedy
So grab the wheel, keep on holdin' it tight
'Til you're tottering off into that goodnight

[Chorus]
If Diane Young won't change your mind
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on time

[Bridge]
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on
Baby, baby, baby, it’s a light on
Baby, baby, baby, it’s a lifetime
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on
Time, time, time, time, t-time, time
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on time

[Verse 4]
Nobody knows what the future holds
And it’s bad enough just getting old
Live my life in self-defense
You know I love the past, ’cause I hate suspense

[Chorus]
If Diane Young won't change your mind
Baby, baby, baby, baby, right on time

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Don't Lie --------
[Verse 1]
One look sent knees to the ground
Young bloods can't be settling down
Young hearts need the pressure to pound
So hold me close, my baby

[Pre-Chorus]
Don't lie, I want him to know
God's loves die young; is he ready to go?
It's the last time running through snow
Where the vaults are full and the fire is bold

[Chorus]
I want to know, does it bother you?
The low click of a ticking clock
There's a lifetime right in front of you
And everyone I know

[Verse 2]
Young turks, young Saturday nights
Young hips shouldn't break on the ice
Old flames, they can't warm you tonight
So keep it cool, my baby

[Pre-Chorus]
Don't lie, I want him to know
Dial up, three rings and return him his gold
It's the last time running through snow
Where the vaults are full and the fire is bold

[Chorus]
I want to know, does it bother you?
The low click of a ticking clock
There's a headstone right in front of you
And everyone I know

[Pre-Chorus]
Don't lie, I want 'em to know
God's love die young, are you ready to go?
It's the last time running through snow
Cause the fire can't last and the winter's cold

[Chorus]
I want to know, does it bother you?
The low click of a ticking clock
There's a lifetime right in front of you
And everyone I know

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Everlasting Arms --------
[Verse 1]
I took your counsel and came to ruin
Leave me to myself, leave me to myself
I took your counsel and came to ruin
Leave me to myself, lead me to myself

[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, I was made to live without you
But I’m never gonna understand, never understand
Oh, I was born to live without you
But I’m never gonna understand, never understand

[Chorus]
Hold me in your everlasting arms
Looked up full of fear, trapped beneath a chandelier
That’s going down

[Verse 2]
I thought it over and drew the curtain
Lead me to my cell, lead me to my cell
I hummed the Dies Irae as you played the Hallelujah
Lead me to my cell, don't leave me in my cell

[Pre-Chorus]
If you’d been made to serve a master
You'd be frightened by the open hand, frightened by the hand
Could I have been made to serve a master?
Well, I’m never gonna understand, never understand

[Chorus]
Hold me in your everlasting arms
Looked up full of fear, trapped beneath the chandelier
That’s going down
Hold me in your everlasting arms
Looked up full of fear, trapped beneath the chandelier
That’s going down
Hold me in your everlasting arms

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Finger Back --------
[Verse 1]
Bend my finger back, snap! Wrap it in a paper towel
Break a twig in half and set it straight
Beat me with a wood bat, hit me with a canister
That's fired while the soldiers drive away
Bend my finger back, snap
On and on and on and on for days
Hit me with a wood bat, hit me like a Yankee
Like a son of freedom, never as a slave

[Chorus]
It's etiquette, you idiot, spend time behind the line
Show sympathy to LA where the sun don't ever shine
Everybody wants you, but baby, you are mine
And baby, you're not anybody's fool

[Verse 2]
Bless me with a heart attack, a real crise cardiaque
And show me where to find the surgeon’s knife
Eviscerate me now, hack! Take me to my punishment
The punishment I needed all my life
Bend my finger back, snap!
On and on and on and on with strife
Listen to my bum rap, listen to the evidence
Exonerating me from being right

[Chorus]
It's etiquette, you idiot, spend time behind the line
Show sympathy to LA where the sun don't ever shine
Everybody wants you, but baby, you are mine
And baby, you're not anybody's fool

[Post-Chorus]
You know that I’ve been wicked and the road to hell is wide
Cursed by curiosity that made us go inside
Everyone was charming but we took 'em for a ride
Baby, you’re not anybody’s fool

[Verse 3]
Bend my finger back, snap! Pack it in a paper towel
Break a twig in half and set it straight
Beat me with a wood bat, hit me with a canister
That's fired while the soldiers drive away
Bend my finger back, snap!
On and on and on and on for days
Hit me with a wood bat, hit me like a Yankee
Like a son of freedom, never as a slave

[Chorus]
It's etiquette, you idiot, spend time behind the line
Show sympathy to LA where the sun don't ever shine
Everybody wants you, but baby, you are mine
And baby, you're not anybody's fool

[Post-Chorus]
The harpsichord is broken and the television's fried
The city's getting hotter like a country in decline
Everyone's a coward when you look them in the eyes
But baby, you're not anybody's fool

[Spoken Interlude]
Sing "Next Year in Jerusalem"
You know, the one at 103rd and Broadway?
'Cause this Orthodox girl fell in love
With the guy at the falafel shop
And why not? Should she have averted her eyes
And just stared at the laminated poster of the Dome of the Rock?

[Bridge]
And then blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood
And then blood, blood, blood
And then blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood
And then blood, blood, blood, blood, blood

[Outro]
Remembrances of holy days in Tarrytown and Rye
I don’t wanna live like this, but I don’t wanna die
Condolences to gentle hearts who couldn’t bear to try
I don’t wanna live like this, but I don’t wanna die
Remembrances of holy days in Tarrytown and Rye
I don’t wanna live like this, but I don’t wanna die

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Hannah Hunt --------
[Verse 1]
A gardener told me some plants move
But I could not believe it
'Til me and Hannah Hunt
Saw crawling vines and weeping willows
As we made our way from Providence to Phoenix

[Verse 2]
A man of faith said hidden eyes
Could see what I was thinking
I just smiled and told him
That was only true of Hannah
And we glided on through Waverly and Lincoln

[Chorus]
Our days were long, our nights no longer
Count the seconds, watching hours
Though we live on the US dollar
You and me, we got our own sense of time

[Verse 3]
In Santa Barbara, Hannah cried
"I miss those freezing beaches"
And I walked into town
To buy some kindling for the fire
Hannah tore the New York Times up into pieces

[Chorus]
If I can't trust you then damn it, Hannah
There's no future, there's no answer
Though we live on the US dollar
You and me, we got our own sense of time

[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus]
If I can't trust you then damn it, Hannah
There's no future, there's no answer
Though we live on the US dollar
You and me, we got our own sense of time

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Hudson --------
[Verse 1]
Hudson died in Hudson Bay
The water took its victim's name
Now river's rise told Riverside
To change their names again

[Verse 2]
A stranger walked in through the door
Said, "All apartments are pre-war"
We laughed and asked him for his name
He stayed until the end
We watched the Germans play the Greeks
We marked the 99-year lease
Our fathers signed
Which I declined to try and comprehend

[Chorus]
Over and over again, all these never-ending visions
Over and over again like a prize that's changing hands
The time has come, the clock is such a drag
All you who changed your stripes can wrap me in the flag

[Verse 3]
The legendary wooden gate
The first established real estate
Is lost in time like all the crimes
That won this pleasant land (land, land, land)

[Chorus]
Over and over again, all these never-ending visions
Over and over again like a prize that's changing hands
The time has come, the clock is such a drag
All you who changed your stripes can wrap me in the flag

[Verse 4]
Hudson died on Hudson Bay
But I was born on Sutton Place
The rising tide helped me decide
To change my name again
Some men tend to linger on
And some make haste from Babylon
Some will roam their ruined home
Rejoicing 'til the end

[Chorus]
Over and over again, all these never-ending visions
Over and over again like a prize that's changing hands
The time has come, the clock is such a drag
All you who changed your stripes can wrap me in the flag

[Outro]
The lines are drawn, the map is such a drag
All you who changed your stripes can wrap me in the flag

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Obvious Bicycle --------
[Verse 1]
Morning’s come, you watch the red sun rise
The LED still flickers in your eyes
Oh, you ought to spare your face the razor
Because no one’s gonna spare their time for you
No one’s gonna watch you as you go
From a house you didn’t build and can’t control
Oh, you ought to spare your face the razor
Because no one’s gonna spare their time for you
You ought to spare the world your labor
It’s been twenty years and no one’s told the truth

[Chorus]
So listen, oh
So listen, oh
Don’t wait
Don’t wait
So listen, oh
So listen, oh
Don’t wait
Don’t wait

[Verse 2]
So keep that list of who to thank in mind
And don’t forget the rich ones who were kind
Oh, you ought to spare your face the razor
Because no one’s gonna spare their time for you
Why don’t you spare their world a traitor?
Take your wager back and leave before you lose

[Chorus]
So listen, oh
So listen, oh
Don’t wait
Don’t wait

[Bridge]
So while the sun’s coming out
Cover ground, cover ground
And if you find some love for these clowns
Turn around, turn around
I’ll be half-asleep on the floor of a high school gym
Thinking of you and wondering if anyone else could begin

[Pre-Chorus]
To listen
Listen
Don’t wait
Don’t wait

[Chorus]
So listen, oh
So listen, oh
Don’t wait
Don’t wait

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Step --------
[Intro]
Every time I see you in the world, you always step to my girl

[Verse 1]
Back, back, way back I used to front like Angkor Wat
Mechanicsburg, Anchorage and Dar es Salaam
While home in New York was champagne and disco
Tapes from L.A. slash San Francisco
But actually Oakland and not Alameda
Your girl was in Berkeley with her Communist reader
Mine was entombed within boombox and Walkman
I was a hoarder, but girl, that was back then

[Chorus]
The gloves are off, the wisdom teeth are out
What you on about?
I feel it in my bones
I feel it in my bones
I'm stronger now, I'm ready for the house
Such a modest mouse
I can't do it alone
I can't do it alone

[Refrain]
Every time I see you in the world
You always step to my girl

[Verse 2]
Ancestors told me that their girl was better
She's richer than Croesus, she's tougher than leather
I just ignore all the tales of her past life
Stale conversation deserves but a bread knife
And punks who would laugh when they saw us together
Well, they didn't know how to dress for the weather
I can still see them there, huddled on Astor
Snow falling slow to the sound of the master

[Chorus]
The gloves are off, the wisdom teeth are out
What you on about?
I feel it in my bones
I feel it in my bones
I'm stronger now, I'm ready for the house
Such a modest mouse
I can't do it alone
I can't do it alone

[Bridge]
Wisdom's a gift, but you'd trade it for youth
Age is an honor, it's still not the truth
We saw the stars when they hid from the world
You cursed the sun when it stepped to your girl
Maybe she's gone and I can't resurrect her
The truth is she doesn't need me to protect her
We know the true death, the true way of all flesh
Everyone's dying, but girl, you're not old yet

[Chorus]
The gloves are off, the wisdom teeth are out
What you on about?
I feel it in my bones
I feel it in my bones
I'm stronger now, I'm ready for the house
Such a modest mouse
I can't do it alone
I can't do it alone
The gloves are off, the wisdom teeth are out
What you on about?
I feel it in my bones
I feel it in my bones
I'm stronger now, I'm ready for the house
Such a modest mouse
I can't do it alone
I can't do it alone

[Outro]
Every time I see you in the world
You always step to my girl

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Unbelievers --------
[Verse 1]
Got a little soul
The world is a cold, cold place to be
Want a little warmth
But who’s going to save a little warmth for me?
We know the fire awaits unbelievers
All of the sinners the same
Girl, you and I will die unbelievers
Bound to the tracks of the train

[Verse 2]
If I’m born again
I know that the world will disagree
Want a little grace
But who’s gonna say a little grace for me?

[Pre-Chorus]
We know the fire awaits unbelievers
All of the sinners the same
Girl, you and I will die unbelievers
Bound to the tracks of the train

[Chorus]
I’m not excited, but should I be?
Is this the fate that half of the world has planned for me?
I know I love you, and you love the sea
But what holy water contains a little drop, little drop for me?

[Verse 3]
See the sun go down
It’s going on down and the night is deep
Want a little light
But who’s gonna save a little light for me?

[Pre-Chorus]
We know the fire awaits unbelievers
All of the sinners the same
Girl, you and I will die unbelievers
Bound to the tracks of the train

[Chorus]
I’m not excited, but should I be?
Is this the fate that half of the world has planned for me?
I know I love you, and you love the sea
But what holy water contains a little drop, little drop for me?

[Instrumental Bridge]

[Chorus]
I’m not excited, but should I be?
Is this the fate that half of the world has planned for me?
I know I love you, and you love the sea
But what holy water contains a little drop, little drop for me?

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Worship You --------
[Verse 1]
Only in the way You want it
Only on the day You want it
Only with the understanding:
Every single day You want it
Only in the way You want it
Only on the day You want it
Only with the understanding:
Every single day you want it
You, You

[Verse 2]
City with the weight upon it
City in the way you want it
City with the safety
Of a never-ending blessing on it
City with the weight upon it
City in the way you want it
City with the safety
Of a never-ending blessing on it
You, You

[Chorus]
We worshipped You, Your red right hand
Won't we see you once again?
In foreign soil, in foreign land
Who will guide us through the end?

[Verse 3]
Calling on a change, You want it
Calling on the same, You want it
Calling for the misery to always be explained
You want it
Calling on a change, You want it
Calling on the same, You want it
Calling for the misery to always be explained
You want it
You, You

[Verse 4]
Energetic praise You wanted
Any kind of praise You wanted
Little bit of light
To get us through the final days You wanted
Energetic praise You wanted
Any kind of praise You wanted
Little bit of light
To get us through the final days You wanted
You, too

[Chorus]
We worshipped You, Your red right hand
Won't we see You once again?
In foreign soil, in foreign land
Who will guide us through the end?
We worshipped You, Your red right hand
Won't we see You once again?
In foreign soil, in foreign land
Who will guide us through the end?

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Ya Hey --------
[Verse 1]
Oh, sweet thing
Zion doesn't love You
And Babylon don't love You
But You love everything
Oh, You saint
America don't love You
So I could never love You
In spite of everything

[Pre-Chorus]
In the dark of this place
There's the glow of Your face
There's the dust on the screen
Of this broken machine
And I can't help but feel
That I've made some mistake
But I let it go
Ya Hey, Ya Hey, Ya Hey

[Chorus]
Through the fire and through the flames
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Deo)
You won't even say Your name
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Deo)
Through the fire and through the flames
You won't even say Your name
Only "I am that I am"
But who could ever live that way?
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
Ut Deo, Ya Hey
Ut Deo, Deo

[Verse 2]
Oh, the motherland don't love You
The fatherland don't love You
So why love anything?
Oh, good God
The faithless, they don't love You
The zealous hearts don't love You
And that's not gonna change

[Pre-Chorus]
All the cameras and files
All the paranoid styles
All the tension and fear
Of a secret career
And I can't help but feel
That You seen the mistakes
But You let it go
Ya Hey, Ya Hey, Ya Hey

[Chorus]
Through the fire and through the flames
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Deo)
You won't even say Your name
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Deo)
Through the fire and through the flames
You won't even say Your name
You say, "I am that I am"
But who could ever live that way?
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
Ut Deo, Ya Hey
Ut Deo, Deo

[Spoken]
Outside the tents
On the festival grounds
As the air began to cool
And the sun went down
My soul swooned
As I faintly heard the sound
Of You spinning "Israelites"
Into "19th Nervous Breakdown"

[Chorus]
Through the fire and through the flames
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Deo)
You won't even say Your name
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Ya Hey)
(Ut Deo, Deo)
Through the fire and through the flames
You won't even say Your name
Only "I am what I am"
But who could ever live that way?
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
Ut Deo, Ya Hey
Ut Deo, Deo
Through the fire and through the flames
You won't even say Your name
Only "I am that I am"
But who could ever live that way?
(Ya Hey, Ya Hey)
Ut Deo, Ya Hey
Ut Deo, Deo

-------- 2013 Modern Vampires of the City --------
-------- Young Lion --------
[Verse]
You take your time, young lion
You take your time, young lion
You take your time, young lion
You take your time, young lion

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------

-------- 2021 --------
[Intro: Jenny Lewis]
Boy, boy

[Verse: Ezra Koenig & Jenny Lewis]
2021, will you think about me?
I could wait a year, but I shouldn't wait three (Boy)
I don't wanna be (Boy)
2021, will you think about us?
Copper goes green, steel beams go rust (Boy)
It's a matter of (Boy)

[Refrain: Jenny Lewis]
Boy, boy
Boy, boy

[Verse: Ezra Koenig & Jenny Lewis]
2021, will you think about me?
I could wait a year, but I couldn't wait three (Boy)
I don't wanna be (Boy)
2021, will you think about us?
Copper goes green, steel beams go rust (Boy)
It's a matter of (Boy)

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Bambina --------
[Verse 1: Ezra Koenig]
No time to discuss it
Can't speak when the waves reach our house upon the dunes
Time cannot be trusted
When the police come, they always come too soon
Life felt like heaven today
Like a foreign car though we are American-made
I thought I'd probably stay
But before I know, I know

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
My Christian heart cannot withstand
The thundering arena
I'll see you when the violence ends
For now, ciao ciao, Bambina

[Verse 2: Ezra Koenig]
No signs of injustice
No signs, but the flames that are filling up the room
Fire cannot be trusted
When the engines come, they always come too soon

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
My Christian heart cannot withstand
The thundering arena
I'll see you when the violence ends
For now, ciao ciao, Bambina
My Christian heart cannot withstand
The thundering arena
I'll see you when the violence ends
For now, ciao ciao, Bambina

[Outro:  Ariel Rechtshaid]
Uh, to an extent, yeah

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Big Blue --------
[Chorus]
Big blue, for once in my life, I felt close to you
I was so overcome with emotion
When I was hurt and in need of affection
When I was tired and I couldn't go home
Then you offered protection
So am I learning my lesson?
Or am I back on my own?

[Chorus]
Big blue, for once in my life, I felt close to you
I was so overcome with emotion
When I was hurt and in need of affection
When I was tired and I couldn't go home
Then you offered protection
So am I learning my lesson?
Or am I back on my own?

[Chorus]
Big blue, for once in my life, I felt close to you
I was so overcome with emotion
When I was hurt and in need of affection
When I was tired and I couldn't go home
Then you offered protection
So am I learning my lesson?
Or am I back on my own?

[Chorus]
Big blue, for once in my life, I felt close to you
I was so overcome with emotion
When I was hurt and in need of affection
When I was tired and I couldn't go home
Then you offered protection
So am I learning my lesson?
Or am I back on my own?

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Flower Moon (Ft. Steve Lacy) --------
[Verse: Ezra Koenig & Steve Lacy]
Flower moon cursed the night
If the sun don't make things right
Then it's gonna take a year
Gonna take a year
Flower moon, sacred sign
Coca-Cola and red wine
Now's the time to disappear
Gonna take a year

[Chorus: Steve Lacy, Ezra Koenig & Steve Lacy]
It was the right place, wrong time
Another night at the borderline
Another night in the sway of the flower moon
It was the right week on a cursed day
Another chapter was underway
Another year in the light of the flower moon
It was the right place, wrong time
Another night at the borderline
Another night in the sway of the flower moon
It was the right week on a cursed day
Another chapter was underway
Another year in the light of the flower moon

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Steve Lacy]
It was the right place, wrong time
Another night at the borderline
Another night in the sway of the flower moon
It was the right week on a cursed day
Another chapter was underway
Another year in the light of the flower moon

[Bridge: Danielle Haim]
A shift in weight
A simple twist of fate
Suddenly, it's much too late
The rising tide's already lapping at the gate

[Verse: Ezra Koenig & Steve Lacy]
Flower moon cursed the night
If the sun don't make things right
Then it's gonna take a year
Gonna take a year
Flower moon, sacred sign
Coca-Cola and red wine
Now's the time to disappear
Gonna take a year

[Outro: Steve Lacy]
Flower moon cursed the night
If the sun don't make things right
Then it's gonna take a year
Gonna take a year

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Harmony Hall --------
[Verse 1]
We took a vow in summertime
Now we find ourselves in late December
I believe that New Year's Eve
Will be the perfect time for their great surrender
But they don't remember

[Pre-Chorus]
Anger wants a voice, voices wanna sing
Singers harmonize 'til they can't hear anything
I thought that I was free from all that questionin'
But every time a problem ends, another one begins

[Chorus]
And the stone walls of Harmony Hall bear witness
Anybody with a worried mind could never forgive the sight
Of wicked snakes inside a place you thought was dignified
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die

[Verse 2]
Within the halls of power lies a nervous heart that beats
Like a Young Pretender's
Beneath these velvet gloves I hide
The shameful, crooked hands of a moneylender
'Cause I still remember

[Pre-Chorus]
Anger wants a voice, voices wanna sing
Singers harmonize 'til they can't hear anything
I thought that I was free from all that questionin'
But every time a problem ends, another one begins

[Chorus]
And the stone walls of Harmony Hall bear witness
Anybody with a worried mind could never forgive the sight
Of wicked snakes inside a place you thought was dignified
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die

[Instrumental Bridge]

[Chorus]
And the stone walls of Harmony Hall bear witness
Anybody with a worried mind could never forgive the sight
Of wicked snakes inside a place you thought was dignified
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die

[Chorus]
And the stone walls of Harmony Hall bear witness
Anybody with a worried mind could never forgive the sight
Of wicked snakes inside a place you thought was dignified
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Hold You Now (Ft. Danielle Haim) --------
[Verse 1: Ezra Koenig]
I know the reason why you think you gotta leave
Promises of future glory don't make a case for me
I did my best and all the rest is hidden by the clouds
I can't carry you forever, but I can hold you now

[Verse 2: Ezra Koenig]
Leaving on your wedding day, all calm and dressed in white
All I'll keep's the memory of one last crooked night
The pews are getting filled up, the organ's playing loud
I can't carry you forever, but I can hold you now
Alright

[Chorus: Choir of All Saints]
God, yu tekem laef blong mi
Mi mi givim nao long yu
Mbae mi givim evride
Blong leftemap nem blong yu

[Verse 3: Danielle Haim]
I know the reason why you think I oughta stay
Funny how you're telling me on my wedding day
Crying in those rumpled sheets like someone's 'bout to die
You just watch your mouth when talking 'bout the father of the bride

[Verse 4: Danielle Haim]
Why's your heart grown heavy, boy, when things were feeling light?
Turning this June morning into some dark judgment night
This ain't the end of nothing much, it's just another round
I can't carry you forever, but I can hold you now

[Chorus: Choir of All Saints]
God, yu tekem laef blong mi
Mi mi givim nao long yu
Mbae mi givim evride
Blong leftemap nem blong yu

[Outro: Ezra Koenig]
Alright

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- How Long? --------
[Verse 1]
Tough choice? Don't make me laugh
My life's a joke, your life's a gas
You broke my heart at midnight mass
Now I'm the ghost of Christmas past
The only choice you gave to me
Is one I took reluctantly
'Cause when we play democracy
You always take immunity

[Chorus]
How long 'til we sink to the bottom of the sea?
How long, how long?
How long 'til we sink and it's only you and me?
How long, how long?

[Post-Chorus]
How long? (La-la-la-la-la-la-la)
How long? (La-la-la-la)
How long? (La-la-la-la-la-la-la)
How long? (La-la-la-la-la)

[Verse 2]
What's the point of getting clean?
You'll wear the same old dirty jeans
What's the point of being seen?
Those eyes are cruel, those eyes are mean
What's the point of human beings?
A Sharpie face on tangerines
Why's it felt like Halloween since Christmas 2017?

[Chorus]
How long?
How long, how long?
How long 'til we sink and it's only you and me?
How long, how long?

[Post-Chorus]
How long? (La-la-la-la-la-la-la)
How long? (La-la-la-la)
How long? (La-la-la-la-la-la-la)
How long? (La-la-la-la-la)

[Verse 3]
Getting to the top
Wasn't supposed to be this hard
The house is on Mulholland Drive
The car's on Sunset Boulevard
The registration's here with me
Neither of us has the key
We can live down in the flats
The hills will fall eventually

[Chorus]
How long 'til we sink to the bottom of the sea?
How long, how long?
How long 'til we sink and it's only you and me?
How long, how long?

[Post-Chorus]
How long? (La-la-la-la-la-la-la)
How long? (La-la-la-la)
How long? (La-la-la-la-la-la-la)
How long? (La-la-la-la-la)

[Outro]
How long?
How long?
How long?
How long?

How long 'til we sink to the bottom of the sea?
How long, how long?

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Jerusalem, New York, Berlin --------
[Verse 1: Ezra Koenig]
I know I loved you then
I think I love you still
But this prophecy of ours
Has come back dressed to kill
Three stones on a mountain
Three small holes in a field
You've given me the big dream
But you can't make it real

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
O, wicked world
Just think what could have been
Jerusalem, New York, Berlin
All I do is lose, but baby
All I want's to win
Jerusalem, New York, Berlin

[Verse 2: Ezra Koenig]
A hundred years or more
It feels like such a dream
An endless conversation
Since 1917
Now the battery is too hot
It's burning up in its tray
Young marriages are melting
And dying where they lay

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
O, wicked world
Just think what could have been
Jerusalem, New York, Berlin
All I do is lose but baby
All I want's to win
Jerusalem, New York, Berlin

[Verse 3: Ezra Koenig]
Our tongues will fall so still
Our teeth will all decay
A minute feels much longer
With nothing left to say
So let them win the battle
But don't let them restart
That genocidal feeling
That beats in every heart

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
O, wicked world
Just think what could have been
Jerusalem, New York, Berlin
All I do is lose but baby
All I want's to win
Jerusalem, New York, Berlin

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Married in a Gold Rush (Ft. Danielle Haim) --------
[Verse 1: Ezra Koenig]
Something's happening in the country
And the government’s to blame
We got married in a gold rush
And the rush has never felt the same

[Verse 2: Danielle Haim]
Shared a moment in a café
Shared a kiss in pouring rain
We got married in a gold rush
And the sight of gold will always bring me pain

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
I don't wanna hear the rumors, please don't say it loud
I just wanna go out tonight and make my baby proud
Boy, who’s your baby?
Girl, if you don't know by now
There's two seats on the midnight train
The gold won't weigh us down

[Verse 3: Ezra Koenig, Danielle Haim & Both]
Hanging gardens turned to desert
All that loving turned to hate
We got married in a gold rush
And those wedding bells were ringing out our fate

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig, Danielle Haim & Both]
I don't wanna hear the rumours, please don't say it loud
I just wanna go out tonight and make my baby proud
Boy, who's your baby?
Girl, if you don't know by now
There’s two seats on the midnight train
The gold won’t weigh us down

[Verse 4: Ezra Koenig, Danielle Haim & Both]
The rush is on to somewhere else, we're running out of time
Everything was ours, now it’s just an empty mine
Animals don't understand the words on the danger sign
For them, it's just some shade from the morning shine
I thought you might learn the language
I thought you might learn to sing
We were born before the gold rush
So why can't I remember anything?
I want to put things back together
I wanna give, don’t wanna take
Time to disavow the gold rush
And the bitterness that's flourished in its wake

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig, Danielle Haim & Both]
I don't wanna hear the rumours, please don't say it loud
Please don't say it loud
I just wanna go out tonight and make my baby proud
Boy, who's your baby?
Girl, if you don't know by now
There's two seats on the midnight train
The gold won't weigh us down
I don't wanna hear the rumours, please don't say it loud
Please don't say it loud
I just wanna go out tonight and make my baby proud
Boy, who's your baby?
Girl, if you don't know by now
There's two seats on the midnight train
The gold won't weigh us down

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- My Mistake --------
[Verse 1]
Skin under sun
Summer breeze, summer break
Oh, I was young then
Hadn't made my mistake
Unaware of the fall
Unaware of my fate
There was peace in the valley
'Til I made my mistake

[Chorus]
Quick in the night
As the storm took its shape
Caught at the border
As I made my escape
It was cold, it was dark
You were cruel, you were fake
Hoping for kindness
Was my greatest mistake

[Verse 2]
I was young then
Hadn't made my mistake
There was choice to get out
Or remain in this state
There was springtime and future
'Til I made my mistake

[Chorus]
Quick in the night
As the storm took its shape
Caught at the border
As I made my escape
It was cold, it was dark
I was foolish and lame
Hoping for kindness
Was my greatest mistake

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Rich Man --------
When I was young, I was told I'd find
One rich man in ten has a satisfied mind
And I’m the one

A hundred to one says I wouldn't react
But I'm the one in a hundred who would swing right back
Yes, I’m the one

Thousands of steps and staircases to climb
Thousands of men you'd most likely decline
And yet I'm the one

Ten thousand to one, could I possibly bet?
I'm compelled by your love and I haven't lost yet
Clearly, you're the one

One in a million don't mean what it meant
And these millions of gold coins don't gleam when they’re spent
You’re left with none

Ten million dollars could win the whole lot
But if ten million dollars is all that you got
You won't be the one

Hundreds of millions of papers to sign
Hundreds of millions of souls left behind
And yet, we’re the ones

A billion to one, don't the odds make you sick?
To be one in a billion's a terrible trick
You're the wretched one

When I was young, I was told I’d find
One rich man in ten has a satisfied mind
And I'm the one

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Spring Snow --------
[Verse 1]
The snow fell last night
Your flight couldn't leave
Come back to the bed
Let's take this reprieve
It felt like the end
The end's been delayed
You're here in my arms
So what should I say?

[Verse 2]
The words of a song
The prayers that we pray
The lock on the door
Won't keep them away
The snow slows them down
If just for a day
But here comes the sun
Those toxic old rays

[Bridge]
Trains start to move
Bells start to ring
The seasons we had
Don't mean anything

[Outro]
Trains start moving
Bells start to ring
The seasons we had
Don't mean anything

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Stranger --------
[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
I-I-I, things have never been stranger
I-I-I, things are gonna stay strange
I-I-I, I remember life as a stranger
I-I-I, but things change
Ooh, ooh-ooh
Darling

[Verse 1: Ezra Koenig]
Another night indoors, another sign of life-ife
Wobbling up through the floor
You and Kidada
Ooh, I might get low, low, low
But now I'm too high to know
The sound of you and your sister
I couldn't face these days alone
You got the right light, candles burning
We don't need the moon anymore
I used to look for an answer
I used to knock on every door
But you got the wave on, music playing
Don't need to look anymore

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
I-I-I, things have never been stranger
I-I-I, things are gonna stay strange
I-I-I, I remember life as a stranger
I-I-I, but things change

[Verse 2: Ezra Koenig]
You and Kidada
Ooh, the lights get low, low, low
And I got nowhere to go
I used to freeze on the dance floor
I watched the icebergs from the shore
But you got the heat on, kettle screaming
Don't need to freeze anymore
Ooh-ooh, darling
I might get

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
I-I-I, things have never been stranger
I-I-I, things are gonna stay strange
I-I-I, I remember life as a stranger
I-I-I, but things change

[Bridge: Ezra Koenig]
Who knows the reason that kindness lost its hold?
Those better angels confined to minor roles
I left the wilding, wilding, wilding days of old
Your house is warmer the wilderness is cold

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
Things have never been stranger
Things are gonna stay strange
I-I-I, I remember life as a stranger
I-I-I, but things change

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
Ooh
Things have never been stranger
Things are gonna stay strange
Oh, I remember life as a stranger
I-I-I, but things change

[Outro: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
Ooh
Things have never been stranger (Ooh)
Things are gonna stay strange (Ooh)
I remember life as a stranger
I-I-I

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Sunflower (Ft. Steve Lacy) --------
[Verse 1: Ezra Koenig]
Sunflower in the morning
Standing in the garden
All before you wake
No power can compel you
Out into the daylight
Let that evil wait

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
Strange thought upon the pillow
"What day demands a date?"
Well, I don't know

[Scatting: Steve Lacy]

[Verse 2: Ezra Koenig]
Sunflower in the evening
Standing in the garden
Taking up that space
No power can compel me
Back into the daylight
Let that evil wait

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig]
Strange thought upon the pillow
"What day demands a date?"
Well, I don’t know

[Scatting: Steve Lacy]

[Outro: Ezra Koenig]
You know

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Sympathy --------
[Intro: Steve Lacy]
I think I take myself too serious
It's not that serious

[Verse 1]
Alone in someone's bedroom, she firmly took my hand
The isolation ended, I began to understand
In the ping-pong match of constant desire
I was never gonna get ahead
'Cause I was looking in the mirror

[Chorus]
Now we've got that sympathy
What I'm to you, you are to me
Let's go

[Verse 2]
Judeo-Christianity, I'd never heard the words
Enemies for centuries, until there was a third
In the ping-pong match of constant desire
I was never gonna get ahead
'Cause I was looking in the mirror

[Chorus]
Now we've got that sympathy
What I'm to you, you are to me
Let's go

[Verse 3]
Diego Garcia, surrounded by the waves
Lonely in the ocean, but in every other way
It was full of love
In the warmest fellow-feeling

[Chorus]
Now we've got that sympathy
What I'm to you, you are to me
Let's go

[Verse 4]
I didn't have your sympathy, but I knew where to start
Explaining to you patiently that the one who broke my heart
Would have broken yours
And thrown the pieces in the river

[Chorus]
Now we've got that sympathy
What I'm to you, you are to me
Let's go

[Bridge]
Sympa—
Sympa—
Let's go
Sympa—
Let's go
Sympa—
Let's go
Sympa—

[Verse 5]
Desperate for an enemy, but too afraid to kill
Use the pain of someone else and triumph for their will
And spill the blood
Of the arrogant mosquitoes

[Chorus]
Now we've got that sympathy
What I'm to you, you are to me
Let's go

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- This Life --------
[Verse 1]
Baby, I know pain is as natural as the rain
I just thought it didn't rain in California
Baby, I know love isn't what I thought it was
'Cause I've never known a love like this before ya
Baby, I know dreams tend to crumble at extremes
I just thought our dream would last a little bit longer
There's a time when every man draws a line down in the sand
We're surviving, we're still living, are we stronger?

[Chorus]
You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you
You've been cheating on me
But I've been cheating through this life
And all its suffering
Oh Christ
Am I good for nothing?

[Verse 2]
Baby, I know hate is always waiting at the gate
I just thought we locked the gate when we left in the morning
And I was told that war is how we landed on these shores
I just thought the drums of war beat louder warnings

[Chorus]
You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you
You've been cheating on me
But I've been cheating through this life (You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you)
And all its suffering (You've been cheating on me
I've been cheating through)
Oh Christ (You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you)
Am I good for nothing? (You've been cheating on me
I've been cheating through)

[Verse 3]
Baby, I know death probably hasn't happened yet
'Cause I don't remember living life before this
And darling, our disease is the same one as the trees
Unaware that they've been living in a forest

[Chorus]
You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you
You've been cheating on me
But I've been cheating through this life (You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you)
And all its suffering (You've been cheating on me
I've been cheating through)
Oh Christ (You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you)
Am I good for nothing? (You've been cheating on me
I've been cheating through)
This life (You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you)
And all its suffering (You've been cheating on me
I've been cheating through)
Oh Christ (You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you)
Am I good for nothing?

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- Unbearably White --------
[Verse 1]
Baby, I love you, but that's not enough
And pulling away has been unbearably buff
I ran up the mountain, out of your sight
The snow on the peak was just unbearably white

[Verse 2]
The city was freezing, an elegant floe
The wind at the doorway was unbearably cold
You walked to the bedroom and sat down to write
The page in your notebook was unbearably white

[Chorus]
There's an avalanche coming
Don't cover your eyes
It's what you thought that you wanted
It's still a surprise
It's hard on the body
It's hard on the mind
To learn what kept us together, darling
Is what kept us alive

[Verse 3]
Sooner or later, the story gets told
To tell it myself would be unbearably bold
Presented with darkness, we turn to the light
Could've been smart, we're just unbearably bright

[Chorus]
There's an avalanche coming
Don't cover your eyes
It's what you thought that you wanted
It's still a surprise
It's hard on the body
It's hard on the mind
To learn what kept us together, darling
Is what kept us alive

[Bridge]
Call it a day, call it a night
Callous and cold and just unbearably white
Call it a day, call it a night
Callous and cold and just unbearably white
Call it a day, call it a night
Callous and cold and just unbearably white

[Verse 4]
Baby, I love you, but that's not enough
And pulling away has been unbearably buff
I ran up the mountain, out of your sight
The snow on the peak was just unbearably white

[Outro]
Call it a day, call it a night
Callous and cold and just unbearably white
Call it a day, call it a night

-------- 2019 Father of the Bride --------
-------- We Belong Together (Ft. Danielle Haim) --------
[Verse 1: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
We go together like sound and sight
Black and white, day and night
We go together like left and right
Oh, we go together
We go together like give and take
Pains and aches, real and fakeWe go together, don't be opaque
It's clear we go together

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
We belong together (Can you say what you mean?)
We belong together (Can you mean what you say?)
Baby, there's no use in being clever (Can you mean what you say?)
Baby, it don't mean we'll stay together

[Verse 2: Ezra Koenig, Danielle Haim & Both]
We go together like pots and pans
Surf and sand, bottles and cans
We go together like lions and lambs
Oh, we go together
We go together like Keats and Yeats
Bowls and plates, days and dates
We stay united like these old states
It's how we go together

[Chorus: Ezra Koenig, Ezra Koenig & Danielle Haim]
We belong together
We belong together
Baby, there's no use in being clever
Baby, it don't mean we'll stay together

[Outro: Ezra Koenig]
Hallelujah, you're still mine
All I did was waste your time
If there's not some grand design
How'd this pair of stars align?