Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Oslo in the summertime; nobody can fall asleep, staring out the window from my bed.
At 4 A.M., the sun is up. Look, the sky is peppered with sea birds and with crows all cackling.
Up in treten Heimdalsgate, me and Nina making fun of footballers in Rudolf Nilsen Plass.
I practice my Norwegian on poor befuddled waitresses, who shake their heads completely at a loss.
Oslo in the summertime -- the streets are strangely quiet 'cause everyone's away on holiday.
Oslo in the summertime; Pakistani children play locked inside of the courtyard all day.
Pretty people everywhere, sun-lamp tans and flaxen hair -- just tell the American not to stare.
At 4 A.M., the sun is up. Look, the sky is peppered with sea birds and with crows all cackling.
Up in treten Heimdalsgate, me and Nina making fun of footballers in Rudolf Nilsen Plass.
I practice my Norwegian on poor befuddled waitresses, who shake their heads completely at a loss.
Oslo in the summertime -- the streets are strangely quiet 'cause everyone's away on holiday.
Oslo in the summertime; Pakistani children play locked inside of the courtyard all day.
Pretty people everywhere, sun-lamp tans and flaxen hair -- just tell the American not to stare.
Lyrics submitted by testemunha
Oslo in the Summertime Lyrics as written by Kevin Barnes
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The song has a really alienating feel to it imo. To me the narrator feels extremely uncomfortable in this unfamiliar and strange place. "the sun is up at 4am" "nobody can fall asleep" "just tell the american not to stare" "i practice my norwegian on poor befuddled waitresses who shake their head completely at a loss." The lyrics and sound of the song lead me to believe that the narrator really does not enjoy it. I was told that the reason for Barnes' depression during the recording of Hissing Fauna in Norway was at least partly due to culture shock, and that's what this song sounds like to me. I dunno, I was just lying down listening to the Sunlandic Twins by myself in that lethargic and tired mood where I was bored but at the same time didn't feel like doing anything, and the song seemed to match my mood perfectly. When I hear the line "staring out the window from my bed" I think of that.