Frozen into coats
White girls of the north
Filed past one, five and one
They are the fabled lambs
A Sunday ham
The ancient snow

And they could float above the grass
In circles if they tried
A latent power I'm known to hide
To keep some hope alive
That a girl like I could ever try
Could ever try

So we just skirt the hallway signs
A phantom and a fly
Follow the lines and wonder why
There's no connection
And weakened falling eyes
In cheap shots from the tribe
And we're off to Nemarca' porch again

Another afternoon
Of the goat-head tunes and pilfered booze
We wander through her Momma's house
The milk from the window lights
Family portrait, circa '95

This is that foreign land
With the sprayed-on tans
And it all feels fine
Be it silk or slime

So, when they tap our Monday heads
Two zombies walk in our stead
This town seems hardly worth our time
And we'll no longer memorize or rhyme
Too far along in our crime
Stepping over what now towers to the sky
With no connection

So, when they tap our Sunday heads
Two zombie walk in our stead
This town seems hardly worth the time
And we'll no longer memorize or rhyme
Too far along in our crime
Stepping over what now towers to the sky
With no connection


Lyrics submitted by heyheyhey111, edited by Gryphoning, augustgw, DumbBunnies

Phantom Limb Lyrics as written by James Mercer

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Phantom Limb song meanings
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  • +2
    General Comment

    In answer to shout-outoutout's comment:

    " did anyone think about the title?

    a 'phantom limb' is a sensation that people get when an arm,leg,ect. has been amputated, but they can still feel it. the person still thinks it's a working body part, even when it isn't there. but i don't know where that might fit in.

    maybe the song is about missing an old girlfriend he left behind, & he can still 'feel' her presence?"

    Okay, now all you have to do is think a little bit more.

    Phantom, meaning a ghost or something not there.

    Limb, meaning a projecting body part, such as an arm, a leg, as is most common usage of the term....OR....

    Okay, put those two together, so you have a limb that is not there. This song is about two lesbians who are not accepted because of their choice in engage in a same-sex relationship.

    Can you think of a limb that would be sorely missed in an ashamed, troubled lesbian relationship?

    IF the incredebly dim have not gotten it yet, it's a penis.

    Which, in my opinion, is one of the most cleverly coded titles in song history. Mercer is a birlliant, brilliant man.

    meg9502on February 06, 2007   Link

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