I Guess We Lost - Okkervil River

Lists of swinging fists nobody saw

That were slicing through air at the foot of a stair of a bar

Make beds of busted heads pillowed and puffed

In some quiet corner of the emergency ward they left us

So we always demurred with an ill-advised word from some enemy’s ill-equipt

tongue

Sizzled and burned at our backs so we learned to dodge

Guess we lost

Staring down the cliffs with my crew-cut

I had turned twenty-three and believed I was dangerous

Lists of swinging hips down in the clubs

They were holding a swerve, I am perfectly sure, for us

And a photograph says what a photograph is, holy shit were our faces so young

All pissed and thin-lipped as you tippled and tripped, it was fun

Guess we’re done

Lies and flying flies supping up blood

We fall down, slidding down, slipping, slamming the ground 'cause we’re fucked

And so I went down to the mystic,

All headached and heartsick, and lying with the beggars and bums

Paid his price and he slurred,

«My advice is to turn and to run.»

Well I guess we’re dumb

So let’s just gather 'round partygoers, that’s if you’re still living

And I wasted, washed up, watered down, and not dead, and death wishing

And those trumpets won’t blow, the professional driver got lost

And all of those rulers and priests, from the highest to least, have been lined

up and shot

How I pray and I hope 'till it leads to some moment where all of it just blew

apart

How I wished and I scheemed, and from whisper to scream,

How I wanted to just hold your heart

In the palm of my hand and just watch as it slows, and it,

Stops

Call the cops

It was star-crossed, we’d gone numb

Wasn’t the last fun?

Well I guess we lost

I guess we’re done