Well, it would've been
Could've been worse than you would ever know
Oh, the dashboard melted
But we still have the radio

Oh, it should've been
Could've been worse than you would ever know
Well, you told me about nowhere
Well, it sounds like someplace I'd like to go

Oh, it could've been
Should've been worse than you would ever know
Well, the windshield was broken
But I love the fresh air ya know
(The dashboard melted, but we still have the radio)

Oh, it would've been
Could've been worse than you would ever know, oh!
(The dashboard melted, but we still have the radio)
Oh, we talked about nothing
Which was more than I wanted you to know-oh-oh-oh-oh
Now here we go!

Oh, it would've been
Could've been worse than it had even gone
Well, the car was on blocks, but I was already where I want
(It was impossible, we ran it good, we ran it good)

Why should we ever even ever really even get to know?
(It was impossible, we ran it good, we ran it good)
Oh, if the world don't like us
It'll shake us just like we were a co-oh-oh-oh-old
Now here we go!

Well, we scheme, and we scheme, but we always blow it
We've yet to crash, but we still might as well enjoy it
Standing at a light switch to each east and west horizon
Every dawn you're surprising
And the evening was consoling
Saying, "See, it wasn't quite as bad as"

Well, it would've been
Could've been worse than you would ever know

I was patiently erasing and recording the wrong episodes
After you had proved my point wrong
It wasn't like I'd let it go, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
I just wanted to catch the last laugh of this show

Yeah, it would've been
Could've been worse than you would ever know
Oh, the dashboard melted, but we still have the radio
(The dashboard melted, but we ran it good, we ran it good)

Hard-wired to conceive, so much we'd have to stow it
Even needs have needs, tiny giants made of tinier giants
Don't wear eyelids so I don't miss the last laugh of this show
(The dashboard melted, but we still have the radio)

Oh, we could've been
Should've been worse than you would ever know
(The dashboard melted, but we still have the radio)
Well, you told me about nowhere
Well, it sounds like someplace I'd like to go-oh-oh-oh-oh
Now here we go!

Well, we scheme, and we scheme, but we always blow it
We've yet to crash, but we still might as well enjoy it
Standing at a light switch to each east and west horizon
Every dawn you're surprising
And the evening was consoling
Saying, "See, it wasn't quite as bad as"

Oh, it would've been
Could've been worse than you would ever know


Lyrics submitted by karlgetsalong, edited by TheDistantPanic, dodgerblue

Dashboard Lyrics as written by Isaac K. Brock Joe Plummer

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Dashboard song meanings
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    General Comment

    I'm not sure why people think this song isn't "dark", just because it's more upbeat than some things from MM's earlier catalog. The way I see it, the singer is unrealistically trying to pull some good out of a situation that is frantic, chaotic, and sure to end very, very badly.

    Try to picture the song, extrapolating a little: You're going down an almost empty highway in an old car, broken windshield, accelerator stuck to the floor, the brakes don't work, there's smoke coming from the engine, you can't see the dashboard. The car's doing 90 and getting faster. The one thing that still works? The shitty ancient car radio, and there's some pop song blasting and you just try to focus on the music and scream along, pretending that you're not about to careen off the road. I can see it as a metaphor for a really fucked up situation/relationship that's ending badly in a hurry. Seems dark enough for me.

    TheTANKon February 28, 2007   Link

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