Last updated Apr 22 2024

The Tortured Poets Department Lyric Book

by 李江源

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Prologue - “In Summation”

At this hearing
I stand before my fellow members
of the Tortured Poets Department
With a summary of my findings
A debrief, a detailed rewinding
For the purpose of warning
For the sake of reminding
As you might all unfortunately recall
I had been struck with a case
of a restricted humanity
Which explains my plea here today
of temporary insanity
You see, the pendulum swings
Oh, the chaos it brings
Leads the caged beast to do
the most curious things

Lovers spend years denying what’s ill fated
Resentment rotting away
galaxies we created
Stars placed and glued
meticulously by hand
next to the ceiling fan
Tried wishing on comets.
Tried dimming the shine.
Tried to orbit his planet.
Some stars never align.

And in one conversation, I tore down the whole sky
Spring sprung forth with dazzling freedom hues
Then a crash from the skylight
Bursting through
Something old, someone hallowed,
who told me he could be brand new
And so I was out of the oven
And into the microwave
Out of the slammer and into a tidal wave
How gallant to save the empress
from her gilded tower
Swinging a sword he could barely lift
But loneliness struck at that fateful hour
Low hanging fruit on his wine stained lips
He never even scratched the surface
of me.
None of them did.

“In summation, it was not a love affair!”
I screamed while bringing my fists
to my coffee ringed desk
It was a mutual manic phase.
It was self harm.
It was house and then cardiac arrest.
A smirk creeps onto this poet’s face
Because it’s the worst men that I write best.

And so I enter into evidence
My tarnished coat of arms
My muses, acquired like bruises
My talismans and charms
The tick, tick, tick of love bombs
My veins of pitch black ink
All’s fair in love and poetry

Sincerely,
The Chairman
of The Tortured Poets Department

Fortnight (feat Post Malone)

I was supposed to be sent away, but they forgot to come and get me
I was a functioning alcoholic till nobody noticed my new aesthetic
All of this to say, I hope you're okay, but you're the reason
And no one here's to blame, but what about your quiet treason?

And for a fortnight there, we were forever
Run into you sometimes, ask about the weather
Now you're in my backyard, turned into good neighbors
Your wife waters flowers
I wanna kill her

All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February
I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary

And I love you, it's ruining my life
I love you, it's ruining my life
I touched you for only a fortnight
I touched you
But I touched you

And for a fortnight there, we were forever
Run into you sometimes, ask about the weather
Now you're in my backyard, turned into good neighbors
Your wife waters flowers
I wanna kill her

And for a fortnight there, we were together
Run into you sometimes, comment on my sweater
Now you're at the mailbox, turned into good neighbors
My husband is cheating
I wanna kill him

I love you, it's ruining my life
I love you, it's ruining my life
I touched you for only a fortnight
I touched you
I touched you

I love you, it's ruining my life
I love you, it's ruining my life
I touched you for only a fortnight
I touched you
I touched you

Thought of calling ya, but you won't pick up
Another fortnight lost in America
Move to Florida, buy the car you want
But it won't start up till you touch, touch, touch me

Thought of calling ya, but you won't pick up
Another fortnight lost in America
Move to Florida, buy the car you want
But it won't start up till I touch, touch, touch you

The Tortured Poets Department

You left your typewriter at my apartment
Straight from the Tortured Poets Department
I think some things I never say
Like, "Who uses typewriters anyway?" But
You're in self-sabotage mode, throwing spikes down on the road
But I've seen this episode and still loved the show
Who else decodes you?

And who's gonna hold you like me?
And who's gonna know you, if not me?
I laughed in your face and said
"You're not Dylan Thomas
I'm not Patti Smith
This ain't the Chelsea Hotel
We're modern idiots"
And who's gonna hold you like me?
Nobody
No-fucking-body
Nobody

You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate
We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist
I scratch your head, you fall asleep
Like a tattooed golden retriever
But you awaken with dread, pounding nails in your head
But I've read this one where you come undone
I chose this cyclone with you

And who's gonna hold you like me? (Who's gonna hold you? Who's gonna hold you?)
And who's gonna know you like me? (Who's gonna know you?)
I laughed in your face and said
"You're not Dylan Thomas
I'm not Patti Smith
This ain't the Chelsea Hotel
We're modern idiots"
And who's gonna hold you like me? (Who's gonna hold you? Who's gonna hold you?)
No-fucking-body (Who's gonna hold you? Who's gonna hold you?)
Nobody (Who's gonna hold you? Gonna love you? Gonna troll you?)
Nobody

Sometimes I wonder if you're gonna screw this up with me
But you told Lucy you'd kill yourself if I ever leave
And I had said that to Jack about you, so I felt seen
Everyone we know understands why it's meant to be
'Cause we're crazy
So tell me
Who else is gonna know me?
At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finger and put it on the one
People put wedding rings on, and that's the closest I've come
To my heart exploding

Who's gonna hold you?
Me
Who's gonna know you?
Me
"And you're not Dylan Thomas
I'm not Patti Smith
This ain't the Chelsea Hotel
We're two idiots"
Who's gonna hold you?

Who's gonna hold you? (Who's gonna hold you?)
Who's gonna hold you? (Who's gonna hold you?)
Who's gonna hold you?
Who's gonna hold you?
Who's gonna hold you? Gonna know you? Gonna troll you?

You left your typewriter at my apartment
Straight from the Tortured Poets Department
Who else decodes you?

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

Oh, here we go again
The voices in his head
Called the rain to end our days of wild
The sickest army doll
Purchased at the mall
Rivulets descend my plastic smile

But you should've seen him
When he first got me

My boy only breaks his favorite toys, toys, oh
I'm queen of sand castles he destroys, oh, oh
'Cause it fit too right
Puzzle pieces in the dead of night
I should've known it was a matter of time
Oh, oh, my boy only breaks his favorite toys, oh, oh-oh-oh

There was a litany of reasons why
We could've played for keeps this time
I know I'm just repeating myself
Put me back on my shelf
But first, pull the string
And I'll tell you that he runs
Because he loves me (He loves me)

'Cause you should've seen him
When he first saw me

My boy only breaks his favorite toys, toys, oh
I'm queen of sand castles he destroys, oh, oh
'Cause I knew too much
There was danger in the heat of my touch
He saw forever so he smashed it up
Oh, oh, my boy only breaks his favorite toys, oh, oh-oh-oh

Once I fix me, he's gonna miss me
Once I fix me, he's gonna miss me

Just say when, I'd play again
He was my best friend
Down at the sandlot
I felt more when we played pretend
Than with all the Kens
'Cause he took me out of my box
Stole my tortured heart
Left all these broken parts
Told me I'm better off
But I'm not
I'm not
I'm not

Down Bad

Did you really beam me up?
In a cloud of sparkling dust
Just to do experiments on
Tell me I was the chosen one
Show me that this world is bigger than us
Then sent me back where I came from
For a moment, I knew cosmic love

Now I'm down bad, crying at the gym
Everything comes out teenage petulance
"Fuck it if I can't have him"
"I might just die, it would make no difference"
Down bad, waking up in blood
Staring at the sky, come back and pick me up
Fuck it if I can't have us
I might just not get up
I might stay down bad

Fuck it if I can't have him
Down bad
Fuck it if I can't have him

Did you take all my old clothes?
Just to leave me here naked and alone
In a field in my same old town
That somehow seems so hollow now
They'll say I'm nuts if I talk about the existence of you
For a moment, I was heaven struck

Now I'm down bad, crying at the gym (Crying at the gym)
Everything comes out teenage petulance
"Fuck it if I can't have him" (Fuck it if I can't have him)
"I might just die, it would make no difference"
Down bad, waking up in blood (Waking up in blood)
Staring at the sky, come back and pick me up
Fuck it if I can't have us
I might just not get up
I might stay down bad

Like I lost my twin
Fuck it if I can't have him (Down bad)
Down bad
Waving at the ship
Fuck it if I can't have him

I loved your hostile takeovers
Encounters closer and closer
All your indecent exposures
How dare you say that it's-
I'll build you a fort on some planet
Where they can all understand it
How dare you think it's romantic
Leaving me safe and stranded
'Cause fuck it, I was in love
So fuck you if I can't have us
'Cause fuck it, I was in love

Now I'm down bad, crying at the gym (Crying at the gym)
Everything comes out teenage petulance
"Fuck it if I can't have him" (Can't have him)
"I might just die, it would make no difference"
Down bad, waking up in blood (Waking up in blood)
Staring at the sky, come back and pick me up
Fuck it if I can't have us
I might just not get up
I might stay down bad

Like I lost my twin
Fuck it if I can't have him (Down bad)
Down bad
Waving at the ship
Fuck it if I can't have him

Like I lost my twin
Fuck it if I can't have him
Down bad
Waving at the ship
Fuck it if I can't have him

So Long, London

So long, London (So long, London)
So long, London (So long, London)
So long, London (So long, London)

I saw in my mind fairy lights through the mist
I kept calm and carried the weight of the rift
Pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away
My spine split from carrying us up the hill
Wet through my clothes, weary bones caught the chill
I stopped trying to make him laugh, stopped trying to drill the safe
Thinking how much sad did you think I had
Did you think I had in me?
Oh, the tragedy

So long, London
You'll find someone

I didn't opt in to be your odd man out
I founded the club she's heard great things about
I left all I knew, you left me at the house by the Heath
I stopped CPR, after all, it's no use
The spirit was gone, we would never come to
And I'm pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free

For so long, London
Stitches undone
Two graves, one gun
I'll find someone

And you say I abandoned the ship
But I was going down with it
My white-knuckle dying grip
Holding tight to your quiet resentment
And my friends said it isn't right to be scared
Every day of a love affair
Every breath feels like rarest air
When you're not sure if he wants to be there
So how much sad did you think I had
Did you think I had in me?
How much tragedy?
Just how low did you think I'd go
Before I'd self-implode?
Before I'd have to go be free?

You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues?
I died on the altar waiting for the proof
You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days
And I'm just getting color back into my face
I'm just mad as hell 'cause I loved this place

For so long, London (So long, London)
Had a good run (Had a good run)
A moment of warm sun (Moment of warm sun)
But I'm not the one (I'm not the one)

So long, London (So long, London)
Stitches undone (Stitches undone)
Two graves, one gun (Two graves, one gun)
You'll find someone (You'll find)

But Daddy I Love Him

I forget how the West was won
I forget if this was ever fun
I just learned these people only raise you to cage you
Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best
Clutching their pearls, sighing, "What a mess"
I just learned these people try and save you
'Cause they hate you

Too high a horse
For a simple girl to rise above it
They slammed the door on my whole world
The one thing I wanted

Now I'm running with my dress unbuttoned
Screaming, "But Daddy, I love him!
I'm having his baby"
No, I'm not, but you should see your faces
I'm telling him to floor it through the fences
No, I'm not coming to my senses
I know he's crazy but he's the one I want

Dutiful daughter, all my plans were laid
Tendrils tucked into a woven braid
Growing up precocious sometimes means not growing up at all
He was chaos, he was revelry
Bedroom eyes like a remedy
Soon enough the elders had convened
Down at the city hall

"Stay away from her"
The saboteurs protested too much
Lord knows the words we never heard
Just screeching tires and true love

And I'm running with my dress unbuttoned
Screaming, "But Daddy, I love him!
I'm having his baby"
No, I'm not, but you should see your faces
I'm telling him to floor it through the fences
No, I'm not coming to my senses
I know he's crazy but he's the one I want

I'll tell you something right now
I'd rather burn my whole life down
Than listen to one more second of all this bitching and moaning
I'll tell you something about my good name
It's mine alone to disgrace
I don't cater to all these vipers dressed in empath's clothing

God save the most judgmental creeps
Who say they want what's best for me
Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I'll never see
Thinking it can change the beat
Of my heart when he touches me
And counteract the chemistry
And undo the destiny
You ain't gotta pray for me
Me and my wild boy and all this wild joy
If all you want is gray for me
Then it's just white noise
And it's just my choice

There's a lot of people in town that I
Bestow upon my fakest smiles
Scandal does funny things to pride
But brings lovers closer
We came back when the heat died down
Went to my parents and they came around
All the wine moms are still holding out
But fuck 'em, it's over

Now I'm dancing in my dress in the sun, and
Even my daddy just loves him
I'm his lady
And oh my God, you should see your faces
Time, doesn't it give some perspective?
And no, you can't come to the wedding
I know he's crazy, but he's the one I want

I'll tell you something right now, you ain't gotta pray for me
Me and my wild boy and all of this wild joy
He was chaos, he was revelry
If all you want is gray for me
Then it's just white noise, and it's my choice

Screaming, "But Daddy, I love him!
I'm having his baby"
No, I'm not, but you
Should see your faces
But oh my God, you should see your faces
He was chaos, he was revelry

Fresh Out the Slammer

Now, pretty baby, I'm runnin' back home to you
Fresh out the slammer, I know who my first call will be to
Fresh out the slammer, oh

Another summer, takin' cover
Rollin' thunder, he don't understand me
Splintered back in winter, silent dinners, bitter
He was with her in dreams
Gray and blue and fights and tunnels
Handcuffed to the spell I was under
For just one hour of sunshine
Years of labor, locks and ceilings
In the shade of how he was feelin'
But it's gonna be alright, I did my time

Now, pretty baby, I'm runnin' back home to you
Fresh out the slammer, I know who my first call will be to
Fresh out the slammer, oh

Camera flashes, welcome bashes
Get the matches, toss the ashes off the ledge
As I said in my letters, now that I know better
I will never lose my baby again
My friends tried but I wouldn't hear it
Watched me daily disappearing
For just one glimpse of his smile
All those nights you kept me going
Swirled you into all of my poems
Now we're at the starting line, I did my time

Now, pretty baby, I'm runnin'
To the house where you still wait up and that porch light gleams
To the one who says I'm the girl of his American Dreams
And no matter what I've done, it wouldn't matter anyway
Ain't no way I'm gonna screw up, now that I know what's at stake
Here
At the park where we used to sit on children's swings
Wearing imaginary rings
But it's gonna be alright, I did my time

Florida!!! (feat Florence + The Machine)

You can beat the heat
If you beat the charges too
They said I was a cheat
I guess it must be true
And my friends all smell like weed or little babies
And this city reeks of driving myself crazy

Little did you know, your home's really only a town you're just a guest in
So you work your life away just to pay for a timeshare down in Destin

Florida!
Is one hell of a drug
Florida!
Can I use you up?

And the hurricane with my name, when it came
I got drunk and I dared it to wash me away
Barricaded in the bathroom with a bottle of wine
Well, me and my ghosts, we had a hell of a time
Yes, I'm haunted, but I'm feeling just fine
All my girls got their lace and their crimes
And your cheating husband disappeared, well
No one asks any questions here
So I did my best to lay to rest
All of the bodies that have ever been on my body
And in my mind, they sink into the swamp
Is that a bad thing to say in a song?

Little did you know, your home's really only the town you'll get arrested
So you pack your life away just to wait out the shitstorm back in Texas

Florida!
Is one hell of a drug
Florida!
Can I use you up?

I need to forget, so take me to Florida
I've got some regrets, I'll bury them in Florida
Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable
At least the dolls are beautiful, fuck me up, Florida!

I need to forget, so take me to Florida
I've got some regrets, I'll bury them in Florida
Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable
What a crash, what a rush, fuck me up, Florida!

It's one hell of a drug
It's one hell of a drug
Love left me like this
And I don't want to exist
So take me to Florida

Little did you know, your home's really only a town you're just a guest in
So you work your life away just to pay for a timeshare down in Destin (Take me to Florida)
Little did you know, your home's really only the town you'll get arrested (Take me to Florida)
So you pack your life away just to wait out the shitstorm back in Texas (Take me to)

Florida!
Is one hell of a drug
(Take me to) Florida!
Can I use you up?
Florida!
Is one hell of a drug
Florida!
Go on, fuck me up

Guilty as Sin?

Drowning in the Blue Nile
He sent me "Downtown Lights"
I hadn't heard it in a while
My boredom's bone-deep
This cage was once just fine
Am I allowed to cry?

I dream of cracking locks
Throwing my life to the wolves or the ocean rocks
Crashing into him tonight, he's a paradox
I'm seeing visions, am I bad?
Or mad? Or wise?

What if he's written "mine" on my upper thigh only in my mind?
One slip and falling back into the hedge maze
Oh, what a way to die
I keep recalling things we never did
Messy top lip kiss, how I long for our trysts
Without ever touching his skin
How can I be guilty as sin?

I keep these longings locked
In lowercase, inside a vault
Someone told me there's no such thing as bad thoughts
Only your actions talk

These fatal fantasies giving way to labored breath
Taking all of me, we've already done it in my head
If it's make-believe
Why does it feel like a vow we'll both uphold somehow?

What if he's written "mine" on my upper thigh only in my mind?
One slip and falling back into the hedge maze
Oh, what a way to die
My bedsheets are ablaze, I've screamed his name
Building up like waves crashing over my grave
Without ever touching his skin
How can I be guilty as sin?

What if I roll the stone away?
They're gonna crucify me anyway
What if the way you hold me is actually what's holy?
If long-suffering propriety is what they want from me
They don't know how you've haunted me so stunningly
I choose you and me religiously

What if he's written "mine" on my upper thigh only in my mind?
One slip and falling back into the hedge maze
Oh, what a way to die
I keep recalling things we never did
Messy top lip kiss, how I long for our trysts
Without ever touching his skin
How can I be guilty as sin?

He sent me "Downtown Lights"
I hadn't heard it in a while
Am I allowed to cry?

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

The "Who's Who" of "Who's That?"
Is poised for the attack
But my bare hands paved their paths
You don't get to tell me about "sad"

If you wanted me dead
You should've just said
Nothing makes me feel more alive

So I leap from the gallows, and I levitate down your street
Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream
"Who's afraid of little old me?"
You should be

The scandal was contained
The bullet had just grazed
At all costs, keep your good name
You don't get to tell me you feel bad

Is it a wonder I broke? Let's hear one more joke
Then we could all just laugh until I cry

So I leap from the gallows, and I levitate down your street
Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream
"Who's afraid of little old me?"
I was tame, I was gentle till the circus life made me mean
Don't you worry, folks, we took out all her teeth
Who's afraid of little old me?
Well, you should be, you should be, you should be (You should be, you should be)
You should be, you should be, you should be (You should be, you should be)

So tell me everything is not about me
But what if it is?
Then say they didn't do it to hurt me
But what if they did?
I want to snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me
You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me
So all you kids can sneak into my house, with all the cobwebs
I'm always drunk on my own tears, isn't that what they all said?

That I'll sue you if you step on my lawn
That I'm fearsome, and I'm wretched, and I'm wrong
Put narcotics into all of my songs
And that's why you're still singing along

So I leap from the gallows, and I levitate down your street
Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream
"Who's afraid of little old me?"
I was tame, I was gentle till the circus life made me mean
Don't you worry, folks, we took out all her teeth
Who's afraid of little old me?
Well, you should be, you should be, you should be (You should be, you should be)

'Cause you lured me, and you hurt me, and you taught me (You should be, you should be)
You caged me, and then you called me crazy
I am what I am 'cause you trained me
So who's afraid of me?
So who's afraid of little old me?
Who's afraid of little old me?

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

The smoke cloud billows out his mouth
Like a freight train through a small town
The jokes that he told across the bar
Were revolting and far too loud

They shake their heads, saying, "God help her" when I
Tell 'em he's my man
But your good Lord doesn't need to lift a finger
I can fix him, no really I can
And only I can

The dopamine races through his brain
On a six-lane Texas highway
His hand, so calloused from his pistol
Softly traces hearts on my face
And I could see it from a mile away
A perfect case for my certain skillset
He had a halo of the highest grade
He just hadn't met me yet

They shake their heads, saying, "God help her" when I
Tell 'em he's my man
But your good Lord doesn't need to lift a finger
I can fix him, no really I can
And only I can

Good boy, that's right
Come close, I'll show you heaven
If you'll be an angel all night
Trust me, I can handle me a dangerous man
No really I can

They shook their heads, saying, "God help her" when I
Told 'em he's my man (I told 'em he's my man)
But your good Lord didn't need to lift a finger
I can fix him, no really I can (No really I can)

Whoa, maybe I can't

loml

Who's gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames
If we know the steps anyway?
We embroidered the memories of the time I was away
Stitching, "We were just kids, babe"
I said, "I don't mind, it takes time"
I thought I was better safe than starry-eyed
I felt aglow like this
Never before and never since

If you know it in one glimpse, it's legendary
You and I go from one kiss to getting married
Still alive, killing time at the cemetery
Never quite buried
In your suit and tie, in the nick of time
You lowdown boy, you standup guy, you
Holy Ghost, you told me I'm
The love of your life

You said I'm the love of your life
About a million times

Who's gonna tell me the truth, when you blew in with the winds of fate
And told me I reformed you?
When your Impressionist paintings of Heaven turned out to be fakes
Well, you took me to hell too
And all at once, the ink bleeds
A conman sells a fool a get-love-quick scheme
But I felt a hole like this
Never before and ever since

If you know it in one glimpse, it's legendary
What we thought was for all time was momentary
Still alive, killing time at the cemetery
Never quite buried
You cinephile in black and white
All those plot twists and dynamite
Mr. Steal Your Girl, then make her cry
You said I'm the love of your life

You shit-talked me under the table, talking rings and talking cradles
I wish I could un-recall how we almost had it all
Dancing phantoms on the terrace, are they second-hand embarrassed
That I can't get out of bed 'cause something counterfeit's dead?
It was legendary
It was momentary
It was unnecessary, should've let it stay buried

Oh, what a valiant roar
What a bland goodbye
The coward claimed he was a lion
I'm combing through the braids of lies
"I'll never leave"
"Never mind"
Our field of dreams, engulfed in fire
Your arson's match, your somber eyes
And I'll still see it until I die
You're the loss of my life

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

I can read your mind
"She's having the time of her life"
There in her glittering prime
The lights refract sequin stars
Off her silhouette every night
I can show you lies

'Cause I'm a real tough kid
I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it"
And I did
Lights, camera, bitch, smile
Even when you want to die
He said he'd love me all his life
But that life was too short
Breaking down, I hit the floor
All the pieces of me shattered
As the crowd was chanting "More!"
I was grinning like I'm winning
I was hitting my marks
'Cause I can do it with a broken heart

I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday
Every day
I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me
Like the plague
I cry a lot, but I am so productive
It's an art
You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart

I can hold my breath
I've been doing it since he left
I keep finding his things in drawers
Crucial evidence, I didn't imagine the whole thing
I'm sure I can pass this test

'Cause I'm a real tough kid
I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it"
And I did
Lights, camera, bitch, smile
In stilettos for miles
He said he'd love me for all time
But that time was quite short
Breaking down, I hit the floor
All the pieces of me shattered
As the crowd was chanting "More!"
I was grinning like I'm winning
I was hitting my marks
'Cause I can do it with a broken heart

I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday
Every day
I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me
Like the plague
I cry a lot, but I am so productive
It's an art
You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart

You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart
You know you're good, and I'm good
'Cause I'm miserable!
And nobody even knows!
Try and come for my job

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

Was any of it true?
Gazing at me starry-eyed
In your Jehovah's Witness suit
Who the fuck was that guy?
You tried to buy some pills
From a friend of friends of mine
They just ghosted you
Now you know what it feels like

And I don't even want you back, I just want to know
If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal
And I don't miss what we had, but could someone give
A message to the smallest man who ever lived?

You hung me on your wall
Stabbed me with your push pins
In public, showed me off
Then sank in stoned oblivion
'Cause once your queen had come
You'd treat her like an also-ran
You didn't measure up
In any measure of a man

And I don't even want you back, I just want to know
If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal
And I don't miss what we had, but could someone give
A message to the smallest man who ever lived?

Were you sent by someone
Who wanted me dead?
Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?
Were you writing a book?
Were you a sleeper cell spy?
In fifty years will all this be declassified?
And you'll confess why you did it
And I'll say, "Good riddance"
'Cause it wasn't sexy once it wasn't forbidden
I would've died for your sins
Instead I just died inside
And you deserve prison, but you won't get time
You'll slide into inboxes and slip through the bars
You crashed my party and your rental car
You said normal girls were "boring"
But you were gone by the morning
You kicked out the stage lights, but you're still performing
And in plain sight you hid
But you are what you did
And I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive
The smallest man who ever lived

The Alchemy

This happens once every few lifetimes
These chemicals hit me like white wine

What if I told you I'm back?
The hospital was a drag
Worst sleep that I ever had
I circled you on a map
I haven't come around in so long
But I'm coming back so strong

So when I
Touch down, call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team
Ditch the clowns, get the crown, baby, I'm the one to beat
'Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

Hey, you
What if I told you we're cool?
That child's play back in school is forgiven under my rule
I haven't come around in so long
But I'm making a comeback to where I belong

So when I
Touch down, call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team
Ditch the clowns, get the crown, baby, I'm the one to beat
'Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

These blokes warm the benches, we been on a winning streak
He jokes that it's heroin but this time with an "E"
'Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

Shirts off, and your friends lift you up over their heads
Beer sticking to the floor, cheers chanted 'cause they said
There was no chance, tryna be the greatest in the league
Where's the trophy?
He just comes running over to me

Touch down, call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team
Ditch the clowns, get the crown, baby, I'm the one to beat
'Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

These blokes warm the benches, we been on a winning streak
He jokes that it's heroin but this time with an "E"
'Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

This happens once every few lifetimes
These chemicals hit me like white wine

Clara Bow

"You look like Clara Bow
In this light, remarkable
All your life, did you know
You'd be picked like a rose?"

"I'm not trying to exaggerate
But I think I might die if it happened
Die if it happened to me
No one in my small town
Thought I'd see the lights of Manhattan"

"This town is fake, but you're the real thing
Breath of fresh air through smoke rings
Take the glory, give everything
Promise to be dazzling"

"You look like Stevie Nicks
In '75, the hair and lips
Crowd goes wild at her fingertips
Half moonshine, a full eclipse"

"I'm not trying to exaggerate
But I think I might die if I made it
Die if I made it
No one in my small town
Thought I'd meet these suits in L.A.
They all wanna say"

"This town is fake, but you're the real thing
Breath of fresh air through smoke rings
Take the glory, give everything
Promise to be dazzling"

"The crown is stained, but you're the real queen
Flesh and blood amongst war machines
You're the new God we're worshipping
Promise to be dazzling"

Beauty is a beast that roars
Down on all fours
Demanding, "More"
Only when your girlish glow
Flickers just so
Do they let you know?
It's hell on earth to be heavenly
Them's the breaks, they don't come gently

"You look like Taylor Swift
In this light, we're loving it
You've got edge she never did
The future's bright, dazzling"