I heard the Cityscape Skins are kinda kicking it again
Heard they finally got some discipline
Running up the score and stocking up like it's World War IV
I heard that some are getting sprung and some are back in
You know it's always back and forth
And most of them are dead
And some don't even live here anymore

So when I brought you back here for Christmas
I didn't think we would see them
I guess I should've explained

There was a side of this city I didn't want you to see
There's just these guys that I know, we go back pretty deep
And I hope this whole thing didn't frighten you
There were times that it terrified me
I know what they said, I don't know if it's true
I hope this whole thing didn't frighten you

They're building a bunker down by the river
And someone said that that's where they've been getting together
They got masks for the gas, they're sleeping in their bulletproof vests
I guess Shepard came out of St. Cloud with a little ideology
Some new way of thinking, man
A view to the future
Jesus, this might be a mess

For me, it was mostly the music
I couldn't go to the shows with
I guess I should've explained

There was a side of this city I didn't want you to see
There's just these guys that I know, we go back pretty deep
I saw you look at his shoes, I saw you look at their teeth
I could tell this whole thing kind of frightened you
So you tapped me on the arm like you wanted to cruise
I could tell this whole thing kind of frightened you

They never care if it's true
As long as they got something to prove
And they always got something to prove

And the room full of dudes
And they cranked up the tunes
And I could tell this whole thing kind of frightened you

There was a side of this city I didn't want you to see
There's just these guys that I know, we go back pretty deep
I saw you look at his shoes, I saw you look at their teeth
I could tell this whole thing kind of frightened you
So you tapped me on the arm like you wanted to cruise
I could tell this whole thing kind of frightened you


Lyrics submitted by Stiggler23, edited by thoman8r

I Hope This Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You Lyrics as written by

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I Hope This Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You song meanings
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3 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    Lyrics are rough but I think most of them are correct.

    As far as the song goes, sounds like a guy taking his girlfriend back to his old stomping grounds and running into his old gang, the Cityscape Skins which have made appearances in other Hold Steady songs. They're starting to cause trouble again and he didn't think they would still be around. No idea who the "he" could be though. Possibly Gideon since he was part of the gang?

    Stiggler23on February 02, 2014   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    yeah i think the narrator being gideon makes a lot of sense. there's always this sense that gideon was never a full cityscape skin, he just had the tattoos, or at least it was all in the past for him; same here where he's justifying it by saying they were just a crew to go to shows with.

    what i'm wondering is whether this establishes a link between the skins and the camps down by the banks of the river? except it's a bunker? red herring? i never read the two as especially connected before.

    mostly i like the awkwardness of the transition from the verses, which are totally standard craig finn half-talking-half-singing riffing on whatever and spitting nonsequiturs, to the choruses which are pretty full-on stadium rock. it's a pretty perfect combination and i'm now realizing the faux-stadium verses on (e.g.) parts of Heaven is Whenever are part of why i don't listen to that album much.

    anonymiadon February 12, 2014   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion

    I think this song is a continuation of Ask Her For Adderall

    DIDO2SPACon April 09, 2014   Link

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