Missed the Boat

~Modest Mouse

While we're on the subject, could we change the subject now?
I was knocking on your ear's door, but you were always out.
Looking towards the future, we were begging for the past
well we know we'd had the good things, but those never seem to last,
oh please just last.

Everyone's unhappy everyone's ashamed,
well we all just got caught looking at somebody else's page.
Well nothin' ever went quite exactly as we'd planned,
our ideas held no water but we'd use 'em like a dam.

Oh and we carried it all so well
as if we'd got a new position.
Oh and I'll laugh all the way to hell
saying "Yes this is a fine promotion".
Oh and I'll laugh all the way to hell.

Of course everyone goes crazy over such and such and such,
well we'd made ourselves a pillar, but just used it as a crutch.
We were certainly uncertain at least I'm pretty sure I am,
well we didn't need the water, but we still built that good goddamn!

Oh and I know this of myself,
I assume as much for other people.
Oh and I know this of myself,
we've listened to more of life's end gong than the sound of life's sweet bells.

Was it even worth it? Was there all that much to gain?

Well we knew we'd missed the boat and we'd already missed the plane.
We didn't read the invite we just danced at our own wake.
All our favorites were playin' so we could shake, shake!

Shake, Shake, Shake!

Tiny curtains opened then, we heard the tiny clap of little hands,
a tiny man would tell a little joke and get a tiny laugh from all them folks,
sitting drifting round on bubbles then (thinking it was us that carried them),
when we finally got it figured out, that we'd truly missed the boat.

Oh and we carried it off so well
as if we got a new position.
Oh and we owned all the tools ourselves
without the skills to make a shelf with.
Oh what useless tools ourselves.

--from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank