"A Wolf Descends on the Spanish Sahara" as written by and Andrew/campbell Sudderth....
If you're keeping score then you're bound to win,
A birds eye view of a burning bridge,
You've gone through ghost towns settle past,
Hoping the risk was worth a cause,
Oh, sound off the false alarm,
But I'll make my own colleague from wood and from ivory,
And reap the rewards of proximity,
I'll assemble my equal from what I lack and require,
And gather what's left unaccompanied,
It smells like disaster,
It looks like a trap,
So go by the wayside,
And never look back,
If you could spare me forty winks,
While you cry wolf and I count sheep,
What good old ghosts in Kevlar vests,
With backbones like a jellyfish,
Oh, stomp on your land again,
But I'll make my own colleague from wood and from ivory,
And reap the rewards of proximity,
I'll assemble my equal from what I lack and require,
And gather what's left unaccompanied,
It smells like disaster,
It looks like a trap,
So go by the wayside,
And never look back,
If you are keeping score then you are bound to win,
A ring side seat at the main event,
Oh, stomp on your land again,
It smells like disaster,
It looks like a trap,
So go by the wayside,
And never look back.
A birds eye view of a burning bridge,
You've gone through ghost towns settle past,
Hoping the risk was worth a cause,
Oh, sound off the false alarm,
But I'll make my own colleague from wood and from ivory,
And reap the rewards of proximity,
I'll assemble my equal from what I lack and require,
And gather what's left unaccompanied,
It smells like disaster,
It looks like a trap,
So go by the wayside,
And never look back,
If you could spare me forty winks,
While you cry wolf and I count sheep,
What good old ghosts in Kevlar vests,
With backbones like a jellyfish,
Oh, stomp on your land again,
But I'll make my own colleague from wood and from ivory,
And reap the rewards of proximity,
I'll assemble my equal from what I lack and require,
And gather what's left unaccompanied,
It smells like disaster,
It looks like a trap,
So go by the wayside,
And never look back,
If you are keeping score then you are bound to win,
A ring side seat at the main event,
Oh, stomp on your land again,
It smells like disaster,
It looks like a trap,
So go by the wayside,
And never look back.
Lyrics submitted by bbrocker
"A Wolf Descends Upon the Spanish Sahara" as written by Brett Stowers Andrew Sudderth
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
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"If you're keeping score, then you are bound to win." If you are the only one playing, then you comprise all three parties: the score-keeper and the two competing sides. Clearly this is about being entirely alone.
"A birds eye view of a burning bridge." Apparently the person in the song has isolated himself, he has burned his bridge to company.
"You've gone through ghost towns set on pause, hoping the risk was worth the cause." The ghost towns could be old places that the person used to enjoy with others, or they could also be new places that still feel devoid of all humanity.
"Sound off the false alarm." The person apparently cries 'wolf' to himself frequently. He thinks he has found a companion who is worth the time to be friends with, a kindred spirit. But it is just a false alarm.
"but i make my own colleague from wood and from ivory, and reap the rewards of proximity. i will assemble my equal from what i like and require. and gather whats left of the company"
This chorus is makes it evident that companion this person has found is not a companion at all. It's a very dubious relationship, because the person has taken all of the things that he wants to be and all of the things that he loves about himself and attributed them to the 'false alarm' companion. He is making the mistake of trying to find himself instead of another.
"It smells like disaster, it looks like a trap." It smells like disaster, because it is. This person will be devastated to find that his false companion is not at all like the mental construction the person has attributed to the companion. It's like when you are dating someone that you really thought was interesting, then you realize that all the interesting things about that person were actually just interesting things about yourself that you chose to see in the other person.
"So go by the way side and never look back" Looks like the person is only going to get lonelier.
"If you could spare me forty winks" I have no idea on this line.
"while you cry wolf, and i count sheep" See my previous 'cry wolf' statement. I think the counting sheep refers to the fact that the most common way to deal with loneliness is to sleep it away.
"what good are ghosts in kevlar vests with backbones like a jellyfish" Indeed, such ghost would have all the worst parts of human beings and none of the good parts. This is how the person in the song views all the people he has met. How dismal.
"Stomp on your land again"
"If you're keeping score then you're bound to win, a bird's eye view of the main event"
I'm not sure about these last two lines.
If you're keeping score,
then you are bound to win.
A birds eye view of a burning bridge.
You've gone through ghost towns
set on pause
hoping the risk
was worth the cause(?)
Sound off the false alarm
but i make my own colleague from wood and from ivory,
and reap the rewards of proximity.
i will assemble my equal
from what i like and require.
and gather whats left of the company
It smells like disaster
it looks like a trap.
so go by the way side
i'll never look back
if you could spare me forty winks
while you cry wolf, and i count sheep
what good are ghosts in kevlar vests
with backbones like a jellyfish
the rest of it is right, but it's a tough one to decipher, and you got some parts i was scratching my head over, i'm not even sure these are all right. but yes, it is an amazing song, i wish they had more new ones on this album. LOVE this song
then you are bound to win.
A birds eye view of a burning bridge.
You've gone through ghost towns.
settle past
hoping the risk
was worth the cause
Sound off the false alarm
but ill make my own carving from wood and ivory.
and reap the rewards of proximity.
but ill assemble my equal
from what i lack and require
and gather whats left of this company
It smiles like disaster
and barks like a tramp.
so go far away from it
and never look back
if you could spare me forty winks
why you cry wolf
and i count sheep
what good are ghosts in kevlar vests
with backbones like
the a jellyfish
stomp on your land again.
but ill make my own carving from wood and ivory.
and reap the rewards of proximity.
but ill assemble my equal
from what i lack and require
and gather whats left of this company
It smiles like disaster
and barks like a tramp.
so go far away from it
and never look back
if you are keeping score then you are bound to win a ring side seat at the main event.
stomp on your land again
It smiles like disaster
and barks like a tramp.
so go far away from it
and never look back
this is what i always hear
Also, where did you get "barks like a tramp" in my opinion, "looks like a trap" is one of the clearest lines on the song. Also, it fits better with "it smells like disaster" which itself is already a commonly used phrase, as opposed to "it smiles like disaster"
anyways, good song
very cryptic album though
Then you're bound to win
A bird's-eye-view of a burning bridge
You've gone through ghost towns
Set on fire
Hoping the risk was worth the cause
-Seems to me, this verse is about playing your cards right and you'll win[keeping score being playing cards correctly], but you hope that the cause's reasoning overwrites each risk you take.
-"burning bridge"? Could be that the thing you finally win turns out to be something that wasn't what you expected, or is obsolete.
-The 'you've gone through ghost towns set on fire' part is a head-scratcher, except that there's a risk in going through anything set on fire.
[oh] Sound off the false alarm [oh-ooh-oh]
But I'll make my own colleague from wood and from ivory
And reap the rewards of proximity
I'll assemble my equal from what I lack and require
And gather what's left unaccompanied.
-I think that the refrain's about making a puppet or scapegoat [make my own colleague from wood and from ivory] because you make most puppets out of wood, and the ivory could be embellishments[ivory is expensive and rare. so could any embellishments]. The colleague bit could be about pretending to care about someone and callign them your colleague or friend.
-The second part[I'll assemble my equeal from what I lack and require, and gather what's left unaccompanied] is about using the "puppet/colleague" to get close to your target, and then doing the deed yourself, or "gather what's left unaccompanied".
It smells like disaster
It looks like a trap
So go by the wayside
And never look back
-The first half[it smells like disaster, it looks like a trap] could be about something being suspicious, then
-the second half[so go by the wayside and never look back] would be about deciding it was *too* suspicious, and taking a different route to your goal[go by the wayside], not even considering what would've happened had you not taken the alternative route[and never look back]
If you could spare me forty winks
While you cry wolf and I count sheep
What good are ghosts in Kevlar vests
With backbones like a jellyfish
-The first couple lines are probably talking about using the colleague as a scapegoat[which i mentioned earlier], hence the "while you cry wolf" and "I count sheep". Counting sheep being relax or fall asleep.
-the last two lines are talking about how easy it was to get past the security guards[ghost in kevlar vests] or persuade a metaphorical guard, because they are a coward[with backbones like a jellyfish]
[oh] stomp on your land again [oh-ooh-oh]
-this could be about being able to do something illegal again and again without getting caught [stomp on your land = illegal deed]
[[insert refrain here, with same plausible lyric translation]]
[oh]stomp on your land again[oh-ooh-oh]
-again, doing something illegal over and over.
If you're keeping score then you're bound to win
A ring-side seat at the main event.
-'If you're keeping score then you're bound to win' - again, play your cards right and you'll win.
-'ring-side seat at the main event' being the better prize than the unexpected/obsolete one[burning bridge]
Just my thoughts. Probably incorrect, and not quite fit-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle in the context used, but my thoughts all the same.