Palms are fitted black and finely tuned
To triggers, cause bodies that tremble

But this mud looks shallow from the beach
When we hide behind such ugly faces
And the dark eyed woman lifts her head
"Why do we hide behind such ugly faces?"

Child-bearing games
From the streets down to the shores
They're playing as waterways open
In an obscene gaping gasp

But this mud looks shallow from the beach
When we hide behind such ugly faces
And the dark eyed woman lifts her head
"Why do we hide behind such ugly faces?"

"Rally all your men (rally all your men)
There is work to be done" (there's work to be done)
Still we don't have the time for speaking out of place

He won't come down (he won't come down)
He won't come down (he won't come down)

When lengths of snakes match each silent syllable
"With eyes like these"
Face glistening with suspense of a scalpel blade
Clockwork, calculating surgical precision

But this mud looks shallow from the beach
When we hide behind such ugly faces
And the dark eyed woman lifts her head
"Why do we hide behind such ugly faces?"

"Rally all your men (rally all your men)
There is work to be done" (there's work to be done)
Still we don't have the time for speaking out of place

He won't come down (he won't come down)
He won't come down (he won't come down)
He won't come down (he won't come down)
He won't come down (he won't come down)

La, la, la da da
La, la, la da da
La, la, la da da
La, la, la da da
La, la, la da da
La, la, la da da
La, la, la da da
La, la, la da da

Palms are fitted black and finely tuned
To stomachs that swallowed whole that bayou

But this mud looks shallow from the beach
When we hide behind such ugly faces
And the dark eyed woman lifts her head
"Why do we hide behind such ugly faces?"


Lyrics submitted by constant

How the Leopard Got Its Spots Lyrics as written by John Baldwin Gourley

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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How The Leopard Got Its Spots song meanings
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26 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment
    I understand what your thoughts on this song being about drugs, but the entire album is not about drugs. Not every song is about drugs, you're just stuck in that frame of mind so START THINKING! I'm guessing parts of this as some natural disaster. Maybe the tsunami, or hurricane katrina. My other guess is a war of somekind or a siege of some sort. palms are fitted black finely tuned to triggers that cause bodies to tremble- Black tactical gloves wrapped around guns He won't come down - suggests that the head of the operation whether criminal or governmental won't sway
    mongoos3on March 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    amazing song.
    usedloveon December 24, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    this is an amazing song. are the lines in quotes directly from the book, or are they just being said?
    heart_beat_fasterron February 12, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    the lines are quoted just like that in the cd booklet
    poweroffon February 21, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    i cant believe this contains members from Anatomy Of A ghost. Totally different sound and everything. i thought this band was weird, but their original and i like almost every song. truely a find. they need more exposure, awesome band!!
    Drew1185on February 28, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    very good song... i can't stop hearing it..
    hintion June 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    All of their music is Glorious. Yes they do sound entirely different. And they even hold the same singer/song writer. It's pretty shocking, but so great.
    akgrown507on June 21, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    am i the only one that thinks portugal. the man is mars volta like... if so sorry, i just listen to both and i hear the same kind of experimental sounds
    JBlake27on August 09, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    When I first heard this album at the very start of the year (one of my first grabs in January), my first thought was "hey, At the Drive-In reformed after all the members learned from their experiences." Needless to say, I was pleased by it, even if over time I've really just gotten more of that "mars volta without the pretention" vibe.
    Nodimaon August 23, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    In case no one has noticed, the opening riff to this song is the almost the exact replica of the opening riff to the Refused song Summer Holidays vs Punk Routine
    linkslaysallon October 25, 2006   Link

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