if i lose you
if i lose you
if i lose you
if i lose you
uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, mmm
if i, if i, if i, if i, if i
b-b-b-b-baby g g g, so g g g, you you you
if i lose you
if i lose you
uh huh, uh huh
if i lose you in the street
if i lose you in the street
if i lose you in the street at night
if i lose you in the street
if i lose, don't be sad
if i lose you in the street
if i lose you in the street, hey
if i lose you in the street
g g come here come here come
feel for you
kiss me, break my mind, close the door
black steel, break my mind, close the door
black steel, the sight of you falling out
the sight of you
if i lose you in the street, six
if i lose you in the street
i say, i say, i say, i say, i say, i say
wassup, wassup with you?
wassup with your friends?
high hills, high hills
oh i, m b v m b v m b v m b v m b v more m b v hi fi
i wanna see you
stand up, stand up, stand up
in the high hills
don't trade, don't don't i don't trade
don't trade, don't don't i don't trade
may i, may i walk with you?
may i walk with you? uh-oh
in the time takes to slide it back
in the time it changes, recorded at the automat
san francisco mixed with uh-oh
in the time takes to slide it back
in the time it changes shhhhh
emotional chi, emotional chi
come on baby, don't fuss
in the time takes to slide it back
say a what say a what eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
in the time takes to slide it back
questions say what
i like you mostly late at night
hold tight, hold tight, hold tight with a tight
budokan warp, budokan warp, we warp
b b b b b freestyle
i like you mostly late at night
break my mind, break my mind
in the time takes to slide it back
raining in my room, sweet and sleepy
wassup wassup
i can remember i can remember four
we can we can we can we can three
keep us together keep us together keep us together
in the time takes sliding back
in the time takes sliding back
in the time takes sliding back
forever
you can be me, swim
the face of you,
ok the face, we can take it back
i can take you the hills
days like television
days like television
d-d-d-d-d-days like television
face of you, the face of you
in the time takes to slide it back
in the time takes to slide it back
the face of you, for, that's all
should i wait for you s f l
should i wait for you?
should i wait for you?
come on, should i?
never forget who you are
there's no reason
d-d-d-d-d-d-d girls
there's no reason wassup
responsibility, free
in the time takes sliding back
in the time
responsibility, girls
d-d-d-d-d-d-d break
wassup
i don't trade
wassup
i don't trade
yeah yeah
i don't trade
wassup
contact, contact, just sweet remember contact
boom, contact, contact
that's the way, your first, your last, your only contact
uh-oh, uh-oh, contact
the first, the last, the only
bounce, twirl
i don't trade
i don't trade
yeah yeah
in the time takes sliding back
in the time takes sliding back
je danse, je suis
in the time takes sliding back
contact
je suis, je danse
d-d-d-d with a bit of freestyle
in the time takes sliding back
in the time takes sliding back
should i?
time takes sliding back
contact
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
contact
he's the shaker, baby
in the time takes sliding back
twelve o'clock
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
contact, swallow
twelve o'clock, one o'clock, no pretending
virginia, looking at it last night
virginia plain
recorded at the power plant, yeah
vacant together, vacant together, eyes vacant
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
no pretending, contact, you and me
contact, you and me
wassup, contact
he's the shaker
watch him, i can't stand the way, i don't like it
contact
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
i can't stand the way, i don't like it
contact
i don't like twelve o'clock either
contact
shake it, don't go vacant on me
don't go vacant on me
waiting, contact, shaking, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
watch him, contact, shake it, baby
he's the shaker, baby
don't go vacant, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
i can't stand the rain, i don't like it at all
if i lose you
if i lose you
if i lose you
uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, mmm
if i, if i, if i, if i, if i
b-b-b-b-baby g g g, so g g g, you you you
if i lose you
if i lose you
uh huh, uh huh
if i lose you in the street
if i lose you in the street
if i lose you in the street at night
if i lose you in the street
if i lose, don't be sad
if i lose you in the street
if i lose you in the street, hey
if i lose you in the street
g g come here come here come
feel for you
kiss me, break my mind, close the door
black steel, break my mind, close the door
black steel, the sight of you falling out
the sight of you
if i lose you in the street, six
if i lose you in the street
i say, i say, i say, i say, i say, i say
wassup, wassup with you?
wassup with your friends?
high hills, high hills
oh i, m b v m b v m b v m b v m b v more m b v hi fi
i wanna see you
stand up, stand up, stand up
in the high hills
don't trade, don't don't i don't trade
don't trade, don't don't i don't trade
may i, may i walk with you?
may i walk with you? uh-oh
in the time takes to slide it back
in the time it changes, recorded at the automat
san francisco mixed with uh-oh
in the time takes to slide it back
in the time it changes shhhhh
emotional chi, emotional chi
come on baby, don't fuss
in the time takes to slide it back
say a what say a what eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
in the time takes to slide it back
questions say what
i like you mostly late at night
hold tight, hold tight, hold tight with a tight
budokan warp, budokan warp, we warp
b b b b b freestyle
i like you mostly late at night
break my mind, break my mind
in the time takes to slide it back
raining in my room, sweet and sleepy
wassup wassup
i can remember i can remember four
we can we can we can we can three
keep us together keep us together keep us together
in the time takes sliding back
in the time takes sliding back
in the time takes sliding back
forever
you can be me, swim
the face of you,
ok the face, we can take it back
i can take you the hills
days like television
days like television
d-d-d-d-d-days like television
face of you, the face of you
in the time takes to slide it back
in the time takes to slide it back
the face of you, for, that's all
should i wait for you s f l
should i wait for you?
should i wait for you?
come on, should i?
never forget who you are
there's no reason
d-d-d-d-d-d-d girls
there's no reason wassup
responsibility, free
in the time takes sliding back
in the time
responsibility, girls
d-d-d-d-d-d-d break
wassup
i don't trade
wassup
i don't trade
yeah yeah
i don't trade
wassup
contact, contact, just sweet remember contact
boom, contact, contact
that's the way, your first, your last, your only contact
uh-oh, uh-oh, contact
the first, the last, the only
bounce, twirl
i don't trade
i don't trade
yeah yeah
in the time takes sliding back
in the time takes sliding back
je danse, je suis
in the time takes sliding back
contact
je suis, je danse
d-d-d-d with a bit of freestyle
in the time takes sliding back
in the time takes sliding back
should i?
time takes sliding back
contact
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
contact
he's the shaker, baby
in the time takes sliding back
twelve o'clock
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
contact, swallow
twelve o'clock, one o'clock, no pretending
virginia, looking at it last night
virginia plain
recorded at the power plant, yeah
vacant together, vacant together, eyes vacant
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
no pretending, contact, you and me
contact, you and me
wassup, contact
he's the shaker
watch him, i can't stand the way, i don't like it
contact
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
i can't stand the way, i don't like it
contact
i don't like twelve o'clock either
contact
shake it, don't go vacant on me
don't go vacant on me
waiting, contact, shaking, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
watch him, contact, shake it, baby
he's the shaker, baby
don't go vacant, baby
he's the shaker, baby
he's the shaker, baby
i can't stand the rain, i don't like it at all
Lyrics submitted by rhythmsuicide
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however, the lyrics make absolutely no fucking sense. this band is hilarious and awesome.
- "high heels" makes more sense than "high hills", especially in the line "stand up in the high heels".
- "and the time ticks slightly back" fits my interpretation below more than "in the time takes sliding back". Especially with the later line "twelve o'clock"
Sounds to me like the lyrics are running in reverse, starting with the relationship that's fallen apart, and winding back the clock to reveal previous stages in the relationship. Starts with "if i lose you in the street", the fear that it's over. Moves backward into a fight "wassup with your friends?", then back into the spawning of doubt: "raining in my room, sweet and sleepy/keep us together". Moves back again into some sweeter, personal relationship references: "forever
you can be me, swim". Toward the end we have "contact", possibly the lovers' first contact.
I would agree with startingfromrocks comment about all the music references. In my interpretation they fit in with the soundtrack running through the relationship, mixtapes, songs that mean something to the lovers etc.
or, even more explicitly, it's about fellatio: kind of boring for the woman, sometimes.
There's loads of music references in the song: "MBV" = My Bloody Valentine, "black steel" = the song by Public Enemy (or Tricky), "i like you mostly late at night" = Robert Wyatt lyric (from Sea Song), "Virginia plain" = the Roxy Music song, "recorded at the automat, san franscisco mixed with uh oh" = the automat was a recording studio in san fransisco where many bands such as The Clash and Echo And The Bunnymen made albums, "recorded at the power plant" = a liner note about a recording studio(?), "i can't stand the rain" - the song by Anne Peebles (or Missy Elliott), "raining in my room" - the song by Swell Maps, theres probably loads more. Perhaps "i don't trade" refers to trading records?
I think as with most of the LWB lyrics, this seems to be a jumble of really personal references, things that friends might have said, bits taken from the paper or popular culture and really lovely poetic asides - like reading someones notebooks or picking through their brains. But i might be completely wrong of course. Regardless, this song is wicked!
I can read this song to be about prostitutes. The relationship stuff sounds good too.
I don't really read any explicit references to oral sex, except the word "swallow".
I can see how the musical references fit into waiting/boredom, like thoughts going through someone's head during sex :)
at the end: "waiting, contact, shake it baby / watch him, contact, shake it baby"
This sums up the three stages of finding a john
waiting ("days like television" and the references to time ticking or sliding).
contact
shaking it ("bounce, twirl", "kiss me come here, close the door")
I could imagine some kind of mixed up conversation between girls and a pimp. A lot of the lines are encouraging something to happen.
--
In the live version it sounds like she says "If the high heels don't trade, don't trade!"
I knew she was saying "If I lose ya" but it also sounded like "Fallujah," the site of a bloody campaign in 2004 in the US-Iraq War (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…), and so also "if I lose ya in the street" it sounded like it could be "a Fallujan street." The combat in Fallujah was in an urban area, so if you were there fighting, it would be in the streets.
Then, toward the end, she starts saying "Contact!" which is what you might shout if you spot an enemy soldier (see this use: articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/18/world/…). She also seems to be getting upset and possibly inconsolable toward the end of the song.
So it sort of sounded to me like the song could be about the speaker losing someone she cares about in the Fallujan streets--buuuut it's not.
It could still be about someone dying to enemy gunfire somewhere, but, alas, the Fallujah angle is gone.