Little Bribes

“Little Bribes“, from Death Cab for Cutie’s new EP, The Open Door

The Eiffel Tower built to smaller scale
The freshest oxygen I’d ever inhale
I tapped a bottle against the 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

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 spilt
You said that you were lonely
And then we kissed like lonely people do

You said this 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
And oh so empty were the faces
Of the dealers and the waitresses around

Empty …..