That's not my beautiful house! Or is it? Today we may find ourselves comparing two sublime songs, two houses, one brand new and a classic from the Talking Heads Remain in Light album of 1980. Also wonderfully clean, crisp and upbeat, Byrne's new song is from his forthcoming American Utopia, and echoes a similarly existential and playful idea of what is real or dream, that "we are tourists in this life" not unlike "water flowing underground", but enlarging it to a collective experience rather than of the earlier song's more isolated, anxious individual co-written with producer Brian Eno and TH's Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and Tina Weymouth. Same as it ever was from one perspective, but also as new, different and original, clever, and also encouraging us to get up and dance.
[Verse 1]
I wish I was a camera
I wish I was a postcard
I welcome you to my house
You didn't have to go far
A house and a garden
There are, there's plants and trees
Make a, a closer inspection
If you get, get down on your knees
[Chorus]
Now everybody's coming to my house
And I'm never gonna be alone
And everybody's coming to my house
And they're never gonna go back home
[Verse 2]
I'm pointing and describing
And I can be your guide
The skin is just a roadmap
The view is very nice
Imagine looking at a picture
Imagine driving in a car
Imagine rolling down the window
Imagine opening the door
[Chorus]
Everybody's coming to my house
Everybody's coming to my house
I'm never gonna be alone
And they're never gonna go back home
[Bridge]
We're only tourists in this life
Only tourists but the view is nice
And we're never gonna go back home
No we're never gonna go back home (all right)
We're only tourists in this life
Only tourists but the view is nice
[Chorus]
Now everybody's coming to my house
And I'm never gonna be alone
And everybody's coming to my house
And they're never gonna go back home
[Outro]
Everybody's coming to my house
Everybody's coming to my house
I'm never gonna be alone
And I'm never gonna go back home.
[Verse 1]
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?"
[Chorus]
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
[Verse 2]
And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?"
And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?"
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house"
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"
[Chorus]
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
[Bridge]
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
[Verse 3]
Water dissolving and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean
[Chorus]
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
[Verse 4]
And you may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?"
And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?"
And you may ask yourself, "Am I right? Am I wrong?"
And you may tell yourself, "My God! What have I done?"
[Chorus]
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
[Bridge]
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was and look where my hand was
Time isn't holding up, time isn't after us
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Letting the days go by, same as it ever was
[Outro]
Here a twister comes, here comes the twister
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Once in a lifetime, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by.
Want to suggest songs for Song of the Day or to say anything about it? Does this song make you think of something else? Then feel free to comment below, on the contact page, or on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube. Please subscribe, follow and share.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained inAbout/FAQs ...