tied this letter to a red balloon
flew this letter off across the rooves
along with all the plans i made
over crippled cranes and twisted steel
deadlines overgrown and missing wheels
a 'told you so' communique
told you so
the biggest of mistakes can be forgiven
but a snowball of little white lies will crush your house
from the razor wire an oily rag
and it's what you made the nation's flag
pray you never sleep again
oh and laughable the crying shame
oh the mark i made against your name
i hope this finds you less than sane
told you so
for you to think that history's rewritten
you'd have to think the dead will be forgotten
your snowball of little white lies has crushed our house
when the pills you take
no longer help you
fading in your garden chair
a hundred and two
you'll see the light dim
you'll lose the birdsong
you'll hear the voices you've been holding off for so long
buzzing 'round you
and then a hurricane
a hundred thousand souls
and every one in pain
they'll come and visit you
we'll come and visit you
never sleep again
flew this letter off across the rooves
along with all the plans i made
over crippled cranes and twisted steel
deadlines overgrown and missing wheels
a 'told you so' communique
told you so
the biggest of mistakes can be forgiven
but a snowball of little white lies will crush your house
from the razor wire an oily rag
and it's what you made the nation's flag
pray you never sleep again
oh and laughable the crying shame
oh the mark i made against your name
i hope this finds you less than sane
told you so
for you to think that history's rewritten
you'd have to think the dead will be forgotten
your snowball of little white lies has crushed our house
when the pills you take
no longer help you
fading in your garden chair
a hundred and two
you'll see the light dim
you'll lose the birdsong
you'll hear the voices you've been holding off for so long
buzzing 'round you
and then a hurricane
a hundred thousand souls
and every one in pain
they'll come and visit you
we'll come and visit you
never sleep again
Lyrics submitted by Songmeaningsuser
Snowball Lyrics as written by Mark Ellis Potter Guy Edward John Garvey
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is my transcription, which I posted on the message board of one of the more-frequented Elbow fansites not long after the Help album was released in 2005. Seems like it soon spread to all the lyric sites.
Guy Garvey said in an interview around the time that the song 'Leaders of the Free World' was like a clip round the ear for the crooked politicians taking us into wars that only benefit them and their big business bedfellows. He said he was so angry at them that it seemed better to belittle them than attack them. I think all that anger with them comes out in this song. I particularly like the ideas about the presence of their victims following them around and haunting them until their dying days. Pray you never sleep again.