And here I dreamt I was a soldier
And I marched the streets of Birkenau
And I recall in spring
The perfume that the air would bring
To the indolent town
Where the barkers call the moon down
The carnival was ringing loudly now
And just to lay with you
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
Save lay my rifle down

And try one, and try two
I guess it always comes down to
Alright, it's okay
Guess it's better to turn this way
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey

And I am nothing of a builder
But here I dreamt I was an architect
And I built this balustrade
To keep you home, to keep you safe
From the outside world
But the angles and the corners
Even though my work is unparalleled
They never seemed to meet
This structure fell about our feet
And we were free to go

And try one, and try two
Guess it always comes down to
Alright, okay
Guess it's better to turn this way
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey

And here in Spain I am a Spaniard
I will be buried with my marionettes
Countess and courtesan
Have fallen 'neath my tender hand
When their husbands were not around
But you, my soiled teenage girlfriend
Oh, while you furrow like the lioness
And we are vagabonds
We travel without seat belts on
To live this close to death

And try one, and try two
I guess it always comes down to
Alright, it's okay
Guess it's better to turn this
But I won, so you lose
Guess it always comes down to
Alright, it's okay
Guess it's better to turn this way
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey


Lyrics submitted by sarahsavedlatin

Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect Lyrics as written by Colin Meloy

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect song meanings
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    General Comment

    i think its about.....wow i really dont know...at the beginning i thought that he was just saying that even though he wasn't a 'insert whatever' he tried to be one as best as he could....but that really doesnt tie into the rest of the song...so..yeah

    Abex22on May 09, 2004   Link

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