We should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
We should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on

I killed my dinner with karate
Kick 'em in the face, taste the body
Shallow work is the work that I do
Do you want to sit at my table?
My fighting fame is fabled
And fortune finds me fit and able
And you do say oh oh
That you do pray oh oh
And you say
That you're ok

And do you want to run with my pack?
Do you want to ride on my back?
Pray that what you lack does not distract
And even when you run through my mind
Something else is in front, oh, you're behind
And I don't have to remind you
To stick with your kind
And you do say oh oh
That you do pray oh oh
And you say
That you're ok

And even when you touch my face
You know your place
And even when you touch my face
You know your place

And we should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
And we should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on


Lyrics submitted by Mopnugget

The Book of Right-On Lyrics as written by Joanna Newsom

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

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The Book of Right-On song meanings
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    General Comment

    The song is about an introduction to a difficult-to-break-into group- yes, possibly so. But I don't believe she is singing as herself, but rather satirizing a character who can be quite cruel, egotistical and shallow. One great example of this is "even when you touch my face, you know your place." Sure, you can be my lover, but I'm #1. It can be more overtly comical, too: "even when you run through my mind, something else is in front, oh you're behind." And of course "I killed my dinner with karate." Ridiculous.

    "And you do say that you do pray, and you say that you're OK". This character is thinking "how can you be OK if you are praying?", not realizing that people do not just pray to beg.

    To me, the song is part funny, part serious. I'm glad she framed it in this way, though, because it is not only fun, but a lot easier to swallow.

    musicsnobon November 30, 2008   Link

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