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Portrait Lyrics

Tell me how you wanna be portrayed, now
You can have it all, you know that you can have it all
And I love you, yeah, I love you
Donatello, Frida Kahlo, Holbein
You can have it all, you know that you can have it all
And I love you, yeah I love you

Now paint me a picture
Or draw yourself drawing a piece of paper with pencil
‘Cause you can’t afford to misrepresent me
I want an imitation of reality

Gather oil, kings, and other things
That you know my good
You might tell me what colors
Do you think would bring out my good nature
The establishments good nature

I'm the aristocracy
Now listen to me, yeah,
Your whores come and go to sit with me
I wanna be seen in a hundred years
As you see me now, so don’t hesitate
Paint my portrait
So paint me now

You didn’t want to know, you didn’t want to see
You threw it in a fire, you threw it in a fire
And then you took my eyes, so I could never be
The painter of your boy
And then I go:
King for king, oh, king, bring the guillotine

You didn’t want to know, you didn’t want to see
You threw it in a fire, you threw it in a fire
And then you took my eyes, so I could never be
The painter of your boy
And then I go:
King for king, oh, king, bring the guillotine
Bring the guillotine
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Cover art for Portrait lyrics by alt-J

I think this is about a painter who loves the king and wants to paint his portrait. When he does, the king dislikes it and takes out the painters eyes which leaves him begging for death. The first part is the painter talking to the king the middle is the king talking to the painter and the end is the painter. Where he says so I could never be the painter of your boy I think it might be so I could never be the painter of your por- like portrait.

[Edit: Adding on]

 
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