3:56
Wincing the Night Away, 2007
Written by James Mercer
The lyrics of this track are addressed to an unspecified "you." Image-laden and quite abstruse ("You're Himmler in your coat / You don't know how long I have been / Watching the lantern dim"), they're not about Australia but rather vaguely admonishing the listener to enjoy life before they (society, the government, your own fears?) break you down. As with so many pop songs, the message is to seize the day: "You'll be damned to pining through the windowpanes / You know you'd trade your life for any ordinary Joe / Well, do it now or grow old." Melodically, it's nervy and kinetic, built on a wiry, almost staccato guitar line that snaps and jitters rather than jangles. The rhythm section drives the song forward with a clipped urgency, giving it a restless, post-punk-adjacent pulse that feels familiar but not relaxed.
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