Bait and Switch Lyrics

Lyric discussion by treant 

Cover art for Bait and Switch lyrics by Shins, The

Here are the lyrics as I hear them:

I finally had all my ducks in a row Peace and quiet, a means of subtraction And how she got in, I'm not sure that I know But two weeks on and my spine was in traction My eyes in a basket

My gut in my heart and so out of phase And that kind of girl, she ain't nobody's daughter I'm just not used to these powerful waves She's shining the brass and I'm taking on water What am I to do now?

I call on a beautiful witch With a moral compass, bait and switch

Hide from my psychic derailer Drive this car to sea Spend the night as high as I can in a towering hemlock

But it's no use, it can always be found A creature of habit has no real protection I'll tell her I'll leave if she don't settle down Just easier to lie on closer inspection, like everyone else does

Then rub a terrible charm Hold it smoking in my eyes I'm just a simple man Cursed with an honest heart Watch me go and tear it all apart

Then rub a terrible charm Hold it smoking in my eyes I'm just a simple man Cursed with an honest heart Watch me go and tear it all apart

As for interpretation, it's very straightforward: the narrator, who was just living a simple life, meets a girl who captivates him but disrupts his safe routine in the process. He seems to conclude that he will inevitably go with the girl, despite the consequences.