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The Eiffel tower built to smaller scale
The freshest oxygen I'd ever inhale
I tapped a bottle against a safety rail, killing time
And you were like a walking compliment
Tall in stature and exceptionally read
In dummy glasses and a cardigan
Oh, come on
And oh so empty were the faces of the dealers and the waitresses around
You said that all these things you've learned to ignore
The hidden cameras on the casino floor
And what gets paid for behind hotel doors
Oh, come on
You pretend every slot machine is a robot amputee waving hello
The people stare into their eyes and they feed them little bribes and then they go
The never-ending twilight
In a basement where the sun has never split
You said that you were lonely
And then we kissed like lonely people do
You said the city has a beating heart
That pushes people down the boulevard
And they're all hoping for a wish fulfilled
In a desert for a dollar bill
Those foolish dreams, you know they plague me still
Oh, come on
And oh so empty were the faces
Of the dealers and the waitresses around [X2]
They're empty
The freshest oxygen I'd ever inhale
I tapped a bottle against a safety rail, killing time
And you were like a walking compliment
Tall in stature and exceptionally read
In dummy glasses and a cardigan
Oh, come on
And oh so empty were the faces of the dealers and the waitresses around
You said that all these things you've learned to ignore
The hidden cameras on the casino floor
And what gets paid for behind hotel doors
Oh, come on
You pretend every slot machine is a robot amputee waving hello
The people stare into their eyes and they feed them little bribes and then they go
The never-ending twilight
In a basement where the sun has never split
You said that you were lonely
And then we kissed like lonely people do
You said the city has a beating heart
That pushes people down the boulevard
And they're all hoping for a wish fulfilled
In a desert for a dollar bill
Those foolish dreams, you know they plague me still
Oh, come on
And oh so empty were the faces
Of the dealers and the waitresses around [X2]
They're empty
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The Eiffel Tower built to smaller scale
The freshest oxygen I'd ever inhale
I tapped a bottle against the safety rail killing time
To me, Im thinking of a guy just taking in the environment of Las Vegas life. How manufactured it is. And "the freshest oxygen id ever inhale" is sarcastic to me. He doesn't enjoy what he is seeing.
And then this girl walks in that can find the humor and beauty in anything. Obviously, there are thousands of people around who are gambling, drinking, paying for sex... and she turns it into something more tollerable... robots.
And I love the line, so empty were the faces of the dealers and the waitresses around. It just makes this girl stick out in the crowd even more. The one person who can make you look at the world a little differently. And even though you are surrounded by mundane - or sinful - or chaotic - or whatever you want to use to describe the scene of the song, this one person jumps out and shows you a glimmer of happiness or hope.
I dont really see this as a guy waiting for a prostitute or anything. I just see it as him bumping into someone he can relate to in a way, someone that reminds him that life is not always bad.
anyway, that's my opinion. I like the other insights on the song as well.
it's not about a hooker, it's just about two people who have no business hooking up doing it anyway, which again, everyone who lives/works in vegas has seen 1,000 or more times. the "empty" part still fits--screwing someone in las vegas because you're lonely is not much of a solution to any of life's problems...
the reality, of course, is that they've seen this transaction a thousand or more times, which makes it even more mundane. in the end, he's just another horny dude looking to dust off a few hundred on the Strip, fulfilling one of any number of dreams people visit Las Vegas to try to fulfill. the fact that the last word of the song is "empty" tells you exactly how the encounter went for him. this song is Vegas to a T--look, spend, touch, taste--but don't feel anything while you do it.
that's it. the usual dark, clever sexuality from an unbelievably amazing band.
definitely my favorite line!
I love the whole EP.. it really expresses how he feels inside
Come on Death Cab!!
This video to the song rocks my face off: vimeo.com/…