The Decemberists Songs - The Singer Addresses His Audience Lyrics

The Decemberists - The Singer Addresses His Audience

The Decemberists - The Singer Addresses His Audience Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World
Released: 2015

The Singer Addresses His Audience Lyrics

We know, we know, we belong to ya
We know you built your life around us
And would we change, we had to change some

We know, we know, we belong to ya
We know you threw your arms around us
In the hopes we wouldn't change
But we had to change some
You know, to belong to you

And we're aware that you cut your hair
In a style that our drummer wore
In a video
But with fame came a mountain claimed
For the evermore
You know

So when your bridal processional
Is a televised confessional
To the benefits of Axe shampoo
You know we did it for you
We did it all for you

'Cause we know, we know, we belong to ya
We know you built your life around us
And would we change, we had to change some
You know, to belong to you
You know, to belong to you
You know, to belong to you
You know, to belong to you

To belong, to belong, to belong
To belong, to belong, to belong
To belong, to belong, to belong
To belong, to belong, to belong
To belong, to belong, to belong
(To belong, to belong, to belong)
(To belong to you)
(To belong to you)
(To belong to you)
(To belong to you)

Writer/s: COLIN MELOY
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

The Singer Addresses His Audience Song Chart

The opening track of What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, this song derisively portrays a singer trapped in his creation by his fans, despite his desire to evolve. It's followed later on the album by "Anti-Summersong," which finds vocalist Colin Melroy referencing previous Decemberists tunes. "Those two songs were very self-reflexive," Meloy told The Guardian. "It was right after we'd finished touring and I was feeling almost embittered, and wanting to make those kind of statements. It felt therapeutic to me. The songs were about songs, about songwriting."

Colin Melroy was asked by American Songwriter magazine what he was thinking of when he penned this song. He replied: "I'm sort of sheepish to say that that's me in that song because in my mind it isn't me. I feel like I'm writing from the perspective of someone who isn't me, but maybe a bolder version of myself."

"In my head, it was the singer of a boy band who has only ever known celebrity. How do you square with your relationship with your audience? There is kind of a weird captive ownership. Everything you do, really, you have to do in the name of your audience," Melroy continued. "I feel like that's a relationship that every musician or performer has with their audience, but I think in that case it's one that has gone too far and he feels like he's too much in the ownership of his audience. And yet that's all he ever wanted, was to belong to somebody. I feel like he's sort of a tragic character."