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Through crooked teeth and mouthed up ties
They spit you up river just like all those lions
That walked the banks
They said, "Paint me that river
And would you use only blues?
Brilliant big black mouth
Lengths of pines that route the river through
Through and through"
Fashion, fashion ballrooms of dead leaves
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
"Paint me that arm that lies directly over mountains
Where the glaciers climb so tall
One absent of the scars, passing boats and ships and oars
Tend to leave, the veins will be the tributaries
With all the sounds of the ocean, the ocean"
Fashion, fashion ballrooms of dead leaves
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
Fashion, fashion ballrooms of dead leaves
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
I am but a man
But a proud, proud man
But a proud, proud man
Silver bells that line the way
Baited trails
We'll find you there
Silver bells (silver bells)
That line the way (that line the way)
Baited trails (baited trails)
We'll find you there
I am but a man (but a man)
But a proud, proud man
But a proud, proud man
They spit you up river just like all those lions
That walked the banks
They said, "Paint me that river
And would you use only blues?
Brilliant big black mouth
Lengths of pines that route the river through
Through and through"
Fashion, fashion ballrooms of dead leaves
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
"Paint me that arm that lies directly over mountains
Where the glaciers climb so tall
One absent of the scars, passing boats and ships and oars
Tend to leave, the veins will be the tributaries
With all the sounds of the ocean, the ocean"
Fashion, fashion ballrooms of dead leaves
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
Fashion, fashion ballrooms of dead leaves
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
We'd like to watch the ghosts dance
I am but a man
But a proud, proud man
But a proud, proud man
Silver bells that line the way
Baited trails
We'll find you there
Silver bells (silver bells)
That line the way (that line the way)
Baited trails (baited trails)
We'll find you there
I am but a man (but a man)
But a proud, proud man
But a proud, proud man
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I really like this song because it's filled with metaphors that can be taken so many ways. Plus this is the song that got me hooked on Portugal. the man, and the music video is awesome.
I think of fall for the chorus "Fashion Fashion ballrooms of the leaves, We'd like to watch the ghosts dance." I think of the leaves blowing around on the ground and the "ghosts" that move those leaves as they dance
The other part that I like about this song is the reversed wording in the first two lines or so "mouthed up ties" = tied up mouths maybe "spit you up river" = spit up that river for you
but like I said this can be taken so many ways