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Lay of the Last Survivor Lyrics
she went out and found her father
face down on the ground
out in the cold
she walked her way around a hill
with the sun sinking
down into the snow
all the whitecaps of the waves
slap like last handclaps
and the dark water dies in a crash
is sucked back with a moan
and the smoke on the coast
oh, piled fathers
soft, sighing daughters
where does it go
its a dream now that ill describe
let your mind drift on down like so
to when the world was young
a big sky, blue of a dead bachelors tongue
a new bloom on the rose
so some line someone told says
even light can get old
theres a girl, she unfolds in her cell, all alone
and stands and beats her hands
and stares and gasps and chokes
and the air scrapes her throat
oh, slobbering lovers
drink-clinking brothers
they dont have to tell us because we know
what a way down
what a ride
what a slide, spin around
what a life to have known
what a time, and how i was singing out
in a crowd of the thousand
most frightening faces ive known
and when the lighthouse
lending us sight finally went out
what a fright we felt
in that night, friends
lets just shout it out
all the whys and dont knows
all the cries in our throats
and how right we felt
with our eyes tightly closed
holding something we broke
and then, whimpering sisters
sobbing well-wishers
its over, just let my hand go
face down on the ground
out in the cold
with the sun sinking
down into the snow
slap like last handclaps
and the dark water dies in a crash
is sucked back with a moan
and the smoke on the coast
oh, piled fathers
soft, sighing daughters
where does it go
let your mind drift on down like so
a big sky, blue of a dead bachelors tongue
a new bloom on the rose
even light can get old
theres a girl, she unfolds in her cell, all alone
and stands and beats her hands
and stares and gasps and chokes
and the air scrapes her throat
drink-clinking brothers
they dont have to tell us because we know
what a ride
what a slide, spin around
what a life to have known
what a time, and how i was singing out
in a crowd of the thousand
most frightening faces ive known
lending us sight finally went out
what a fright we felt
in that night, friends
lets just shout it out
all the whys and dont knows
all the cries in our throats
and how right we felt
with our eyes tightly closed
holding something we broke
sobbing well-wishers
its over, just let my hand go
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I don't hear that "[And]" in the live version that I have. The first missing part sounds like "bachelor's tongue". In the next part, I think it's "...drink-clinking brothers, they don't have to tell us, 'cause we know". At your next missing part, I hear, "... What a fright we felt in that night. Friends, just shout it all out, all the 'why's and 'no-no's, all the cries in your throat. And how right we felt..."
You did a great job of transcribing the lyrics! Thanks for doing so. We won't know the true and final lyrics until the album comes out, though. I can't wait. :)
Will introduces it with: "Well, I'm going to soldier on with the incredibly depressing songs for which I am so known and tolerated. This song is called Lay of the Last Survivor."
As for the title (and possibly the lyrics), it is probably a reference to the lines in Beowulf (2247-2266, http://www.heorot.dk/beo-ru.html) that are commonly referred to by the same title. I know little about Beowulf. This is what Wikipedia told me.
For some reason, at least live and acoustic, this song reminds me of I Came Here to Say I'm Going Away. I guess it's just the way it's sung.
-OFFICIAL LYRICS- *(Of course, some of them are a little different in the old live version. There is one part added.)
She went out and found her father face down on the ground out in the cold.
She walked her way around a hill with the sun sinking down into the snow.
All the whitecaps of the waves slap like last handclaps, and the dark water dies in a crash, is sucked back with a moan.
And the smoke on the coast -- oh, piled fathers, soft, sighing daughters, where does it go?
--
It's a dream, now, that I'll describe: let your mind drift on down, like so,
to when the world was young. A big sky, blue of a dead bachelor's tongue. A new bloom on the rose.
So some line someone told says even light can get old. There's a girl, she unfolds in her cell all alone and stands, and beats her hands, and stares, and gasps and chokes, and the air scrapes her throat --
Oh, slobbering lovers, drink-clinking brothers, they don't have to tell us, because we know.
--
What a way down. What a ride. What a slide spin-around. What a life to have known. What a time, and how I was singing out in a crowd of the thousand most frightening faces I've known
and when the lighthouse lending us sight finally went out, what a fright we felt in that night, friends. Let's just shout it out, all the whys and don't knows, all the cries in our throats, and how right we felt, with our eyes tightly closed, holding something we broke --
and then, whimpering sisters, sobbing well wishers, it's over. Just let my hand go.