Status

Elliott Smith Song

Written By

Elliott Smith

Recording Sessions

Fall 1993 (Gonson Residence, Portland, OR - Roman Candle Electric Sessions)

Availability of Official Release

Roman Candle

Lyrics

Last call
He was sick of it all
Asleep at home
Told you off and goodbye
Well you know one day it’ll come to haunt you
That you didn’t tell him quite the truth
You’re a crisis
You’re a icicle
You’re a tongueless talker
You don’t care what you say
You’re a jaywalker and you just just walk away
And that’s all you do
The clap of the fading out sound of your shoes
Made him wonder who he thought that he knew

Last call
He was sick of it all
The endless stream of reminders
Made him so sick of you sick of you sick of you
Sick for your sound
Sick of you coming around
Trying to crawl under my skin
When I already shed my best defense
It comes out all around that you won
And I think i’m all done
You can switch me off safely
While I’m lying here waiting for sleep to overtake me

Yeah yeah you’re still here but just check to make sure
All you aspired to do was endure
You can’t ask for more ask for none
Knowing you’ll never get that which you ask for
So you cast your shadow everywhere like the man in the moon
You start to drink you just want to continue
It’ll all be yester year soon
You start to drink you just want to continue
It’ll all be yester year soon

Church bells and now i’m awake and i guess it must be some kind of Holiday
I can’t seen to join in the celebration
But I’ll go to the service
And I’ll go to pray
And I’ll sing the praises of my maker’s name
Like I was as good as she made me
And I wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
I wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
I wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
I wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
I wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
I wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
I wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
I wanted her to tell me that she would never wake me
I’m lying here waiting for sleep to overtake me

First known live performance

1995-03-08 (Club Congo, Tempe, AZ, USA)

Notes

Verse “Church bells and now I’m awake and I guess it must be some kind of Holiday” also appears in the earlier song Shiva Opens Her Arms.
Verse “Made him wonder who he thought that he knew” was sometimes changed to “Now I know that you’ve been thoroughly amused” when played live.

Audio