Mary, this station is playing every sad song
I remember like we were alive
I heard and sung them all from inside of these walls
In a prison cell, where we spent those nights
And they burned up the diner where I always used to find her
Licking young boys' blood from her claws
And I learned about the blues from this kitten I knew
Her hair was raven and her heart was like a tomb
My heart's like a wound
And I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my first wife
Everybody leaves and I'd expect as much from you
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life
Everybody leaves, so why, why wouldn't you?
Mary, I worried and stalled every night of my life
Better safe than making the party
And I never had a good time, I sat by my bedside
With papers and poetry about Estella
With great expectations
We had the greatest of expectations
And I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my first wife
Everybody leaves and I'd expect as much from you
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life
Everybody leaves, so why, why wouldn't you?
It's funny how the night moves
Humming a song from 1962
We were always waiting
Always waiting
We were always waiting for something to happen
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my first wife
Everybody leaves and I'd expect as much from you
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life
Everybody leaves and why, why wouldn't you?
I remember like we were alive
I heard and sung them all from inside of these walls
In a prison cell, where we spent those nights
And they burned up the diner where I always used to find her
Licking young boys' blood from her claws
And I learned about the blues from this kitten I knew
Her hair was raven and her heart was like a tomb
My heart's like a wound
And I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my first wife
Everybody leaves and I'd expect as much from you
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life
Everybody leaves, so why, why wouldn't you?
Mary, I worried and stalled every night of my life
Better safe than making the party
And I never had a good time, I sat by my bedside
With papers and poetry about Estella
With great expectations
We had the greatest of expectations
And I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my first wife
Everybody leaves and I'd expect as much from you
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life
Everybody leaves, so why, why wouldn't you?
It's funny how the night moves
Humming a song from 1962
We were always waiting
Always waiting
We were always waiting for something to happen
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my first wife
Everybody leaves and I'd expect as much from you
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life
Everybody leaves and why, why wouldn't you?
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This was the song that sold me on Gaslight. I read "Great Expectations" when I was in high school. I really felt for Pip, and his unachievable love. And then I reached a point in my life that saw my benefactor become someone I didn't expect.
It's funny how life unfolds. There's a great duality to the lyric "Everybody leaves, so why wouldn't you?". It could mean "I fully expect to you leave" (to all the bad girls he's dated) or it might mean disbelief: "why haven't you abandoned me yet?"
I like to believe in the latter, but then again, I'm a romantic. Brian Fallon's voice is that of romantic, because it's so human. My Papers and Poetry about Estella will define and haunt me the rest of my life.