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It Kills Lyrics
What you gonna do?
I don't know, my friend
But I'm open to suggestion if you'll proffer two cents
Give me something I can hang my coat on, yeah!
Nine times out of ten
I'm not the guidance type
I've been sitting on a fencepost for the brunt of my life
And now I need some help to find out what I feel, it kills
It kills the time
Until you fill your heart, you'll see
There's more to you than what you think and need
Where you gonna go?
I don't know, my friend
But I'll take this road forever or until it does end
Here or there or someplace else, man, anywhere!
Maybe to the west
Where they don't fall down
In a canyon of a valley in a twenty-horse town
A voluntary rest home where they lecture you, it kills
It kills the time
Until you fill your heart, you'll see
there's more to you than what you think and need
We can share our bland opinions
About the quality of air
and all will be right
All will be right on top
There's a place in old dominion
Near that courthouse by the square
Where all will be right
All will be right on top of the day
I don't know, my friend
But I'm open to suggestion if you'll proffer two cents
Give me something I can hang my coat on, yeah!
I'm not the guidance type
I've been sitting on a fencepost for the brunt of my life
And now I need some help to find out what I feel, it kills
Until you fill your heart, you'll see
There's more to you than what you think and need
I don't know, my friend
But I'll take this road forever or until it does end
Here or there or someplace else, man, anywhere!
Where they don't fall down
In a canyon of a valley in a twenty-horse town
A voluntary rest home where they lecture you, it kills
Until you fill your heart, you'll see
there's more to you than what you think and need
About the quality of air
and all will be right
All will be right on top
Near that courthouse by the square
Where all will be right
All will be right on top of the day
Song Info
Submitted by
ttiballi On Apr 02, 2006
More Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Cold Son
Jenny and the Ess-Dog
Post-Paint Boy
Jo-Jo's Jacket
Senator
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
This is a shockingly straight-forward song for a guy who hung the lyric "go back to those gold sounds and keep my advent to yourself" on us. It's also the best Malkmus song (musically) since Terror Twilight IMHO.
I think the song is about coming to terms with your own humility and limitations. It's about an aging smartass learning to get over himself and wake up to the spirtual and emotional world around him.
I always thought it was "a voluntary rest home with an extra you". I don't have the album sleeve, so I don't know what's official or not, though.
The words sung at the end are probably:
"Don't cater to The throng in your head Lead with your heart Open instead Transi-i-tion is where we make it happen Transition is where we make it happen And how it starts It's not an art You come apart You be reborn into a form Of what you are and what you were And what you're gonna be"
according to this "acoustic session" from a radio thing where he sings it plainly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DL23GLfmBo . in that performance, these words are there too:
"What can I say Some people stain Get way inside Under your brain And no one wants to be a nervous actor No one wants to be a nervous actor"
I think It Kills cannibalized Nervous Actor, so