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The Bed Song Lyrics
Exhibit A: We are friends in a sleeping bag
Splitting the heat we have one filthy pillow to share
And your lips are in my hair
Someone upstairs has a rat that we laughed at
And people are drinking and singing Van Halen and Slayer
On a ukulele tear
Exhibit B: Well, we found an apartment
It's not much to look at - a futon on a floor
Torn-off desktop for a door
All the decor's made of milk crates and duct tape
And if we have sex they can hear us through the floor
But we don't do that anymore
And I lay there wondering what is the matter
Is this a matter of worse or of better
You took the blanket so I took the bed sheet
But I would have held you if you'd only let me
Exhibit C: Look how quaint and how quiet and private
Our pay checks have bought us a condo in town
It's the nicest flat around
You picked a mattress and had it delivered
And I walked upstairs and the sight of it made my heart pound
And I wrapped my arms around me
And I stood there wondering what is the matter
Is this a matter of worse or of better
You walked right past me and straightened the covers
But I would still love you if you wanted a lover
And you said all the money in the world
Won't buy a bed so big and wide
To guarantee that you won't accidentally touch me in the night
Exhibit D: now we're both mostly paralyzed
Don't know how long we've been lying here in fear
Too afraid to even feel
I find my glasses and you turn the light out
Roll off on your side like you've rolled away for years
Holding back those king-sized tears
And I still don't ask you what is the matter
Is this a matter of worse or of better
You take the heart failure, I'll take the cancer
I've long since stopped wondering why you don't answer
Exhibit E: you can certainly see
How fulfilling a life from the cost and size of stone
Of our final resting home
We got some nice ones right under a cherry tree
You and me lying the only way we know
Side by side and still and cold
And I finally ask you what was the matter
Was it a matter of worse or of better
You stretch your arms out and finally face me
You say I would have told you if you'd only asked me
if you'd only asked me
if you'd only asked me
Splitting the heat we have one filthy pillow to share
And your lips are in my hair
Someone upstairs has a rat that we laughed at
And people are drinking and singing Van Halen and Slayer
On a ukulele tear
It's not much to look at - a futon on a floor
Torn-off desktop for a door
All the decor's made of milk crates and duct tape
And if we have sex they can hear us through the floor
But we don't do that anymore
Is this a matter of worse or of better
You took the blanket so I took the bed sheet
But I would have held you if you'd only let me
Our pay checks have bought us a condo in town
It's the nicest flat around
You picked a mattress and had it delivered
And I walked upstairs and the sight of it made my heart pound
And I wrapped my arms around me
Is this a matter of worse or of better
You walked right past me and straightened the covers
But I would still love you if you wanted a lover
Won't buy a bed so big and wide
To guarantee that you won't accidentally touch me in the night
Don't know how long we've been lying here in fear
Too afraid to even feel
I find my glasses and you turn the light out
Roll off on your side like you've rolled away for years
Holding back those king-sized tears
Is this a matter of worse or of better
You take the heart failure, I'll take the cancer
I've long since stopped wondering why you don't answer
How fulfilling a life from the cost and size of stone
Of our final resting home
We got some nice ones right under a cherry tree
You and me lying the only way we know
Side by side and still and cold
Was it a matter of worse or of better
You stretch your arms out and finally face me
You say I would have told you if you'd only asked me
if you'd only asked me
if you'd only asked me
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I'm surprised nobody's mentioned this, but Neil Gaiman says some interesting things about this song. http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2012/05/preamble-to-photograph.html
I think the line "Is this a matter of worse or of better" is a reference to the part in marriage vows that talks about being with each other for better or for worse. Amanda's trying to figure out how to categorize the communication breakdown between her partner and her- if it's for better, then that's just how the relationship is supposed to be and she shouldn't worry, and if it's for worse, then it's a rough spot that they should try to confront. She repeats it so much because she can't find a way to categorize the problem but wants to be able to have a reason to stay with her partner (the relationship is falling apart but neither of them will leave)
Thank you very much. I'd completely neglected the possibility of that allusion.
Thank you very much. I'd completely neglected the possibility of that allusion.
the version i have goes: "singing van halen and slayer" - not sure if this song has been around for a while and she changed the lyrics for the official release or what, but there is definitely a version where she sings that.
also, i always thought she was saying "someone upstairs has a RAT that we laughed at" - like, they could hear it skittering across the floor? and i also thought she was saying "ukulele tear" instead of dare... yeah, sorry to post nothing but corrections. this song is beautiful. the deterioration of a relationship, scene by scene. not sure why she calls them "exhibits" though, as if it were a trial.
oh, jeez, 2009 - i'm dumb and should have looked at the dates before i posted. anyway, i submitted the new lyrics for review - i don't mean to step on any toes or anything, i just think a lot more people will be coming here looking for the lyrics to the album version.
oh, jeez, 2009 - i'm dumb and should have looked at the dates before i posted. anyway, i submitted the new lyrics for review - i don't mean to step on any toes or anything, i just think a lot more people will be coming here looking for the lyrics to the album version.
I think the second half of the first verse goes:
"Someone upstairs has a rap that we laugh at And people are drinking and singing about Scarborough Fair On a ukulele dare"
Such a beautiful song. Amanda manages to imbue such simple images and incidents with such power.
i reckon you're close
i reckon you're close
"someone upstairs has a rap that we laugh at and people are drinking and singing the scarborough fair on a ukelele dare."
"someone upstairs has a rap that we laugh at and people are drinking and singing the scarborough fair on a ukelele dare."
scarborough fair is a traditional english ballad about a pair of young lovers, the man sets a series of tasks for his lady that are impossible; making a shirt for him with no seam, washing it in a well with no water. it's supposedly an adaption of an old scottish song about an elf.
scarborough fair is a traditional english ballad about a pair of young lovers, the man sets a series of tasks for his lady that are impossible; making a shirt for him with no seam, washing it in a well with no water. it's supposedly an adaption of an old scottish song about an elf.
this song is stunning. i guess it's not too difficult to pick apart; i think most of us can...
this song is stunning. i guess it's not too difficult to pick apart; i think most of us can say we've been there; in a situation where things go so long without being said that they eventually blow out of proportion and finally lose all meaning, and the humanity of it whereby we'll let something go because we're too afraid to communicate.
communication is often a strong vein in amandas songs.
Ah, thank you very much. Lyrics have been corrected.
Ah, thank you very much. Lyrics have been corrected.
And I can very much agree that I certainly have been in a similar situation.
And I can very much agree that I certainly have been in a similar situation.
This song kills me - very painful listening to it. The arrangement, her voice, pace of the song all paint a melancholy life.. so sad.
Its a warning to us all to live our lives and love our loved ones.
i know i'm an idiot, but i like this song very much and i fancy i understand each "exhibit" as much as the disconnected/average listener can, except the repeated line "Is it a matter of worse or of better?" what is amanda getting at with that? my only guess at its meaning: she is wondering of her lover if he likes their current situation and noncommunication or hates it as much as she does.
maybe "likes" is the wrong word. perhaps saying he is "content" with their combined silence is a better way to put it.
maybe "likes" is the wrong word. perhaps saying he is "content" with their combined silence is a better way to put it.
On "Is this a matter of worse or of better?" -- To me, this has always felt like the narrator is unsure whether the lack of intimacy in the relationship is a sign of a good thing, and is just how long-term relationships mature; or if it's a sign of a bad thing, and maybe the partner wants out and just isn't saying so. I know I have had similar thoughts in relationships in the past: you become so comfortable with one another that you start taking each other for granted. I think if a relationship continues on long enough, this is somewhat inevitable if the people involved don't actively work against it. I like how this song reserves judgment, though, and merely reinforces the importance of communication. Still makes me break down every time.
I love how it's portrayed like evidence."Exhibit a, exhibit b."
The whole thing is absolutely brilliant. As they get older, their relationship with material things gets grander, but the relationship between the two people gets worse and worse because they aren't communicating. Also, as the beds get bigger and the space between them grows in both the literal and metaphysical sense. Boom.
Amanda Palmer is a genius.
It's pretty obvious that it's about a degrading relationship, but it's more important to ask why. She says "And I still don't ask you what is the matter " Basically saying there's no communication or trust between the two, or the trust has faded away. "And I finally ask you what was the matter... You say I would have told you if you'd only asked me" It becomes clear that if she asked him sooner, if she tried to communicate and get close to him before this all started, none of it would happen, and they wold die happily together. I'm obsessed with honesty and loyalty so this song means so much to me.
"Is this a matter of worse or of better?" To me means she is wondering " is this how things are supposed to be?"... and if so are things going well or are they going badly?
Often times in relationships it's hard to tell. In theory things seem to be going well for them- they are gaining material success and moving up the socioeconomic ladder ( they make a good "team" so to speak) quite possibly a " for better" situation. But on the other hand they are growing apart emotionally and that can be very painful "for worse".