NUR EIN
almost 5 years agopassed
3:15
The Only Way Out
Crown Shy image
Crown Shy

Entry from The Only Way Out in Nur Ein XVI.

Downward Modulation

LyricsShow lyrics

Crown Shy

It feels strange to think of my body
Falling into dust next to yours
But I feel the bones in my body
Sighing like gray-muzzled dogs
I never wanted to get a tattoo
Afraid of ruining some future perfect self
But time comes in and drags its needle on my skin
What am I preserving but the suit that I'll be buried in?

Every day, my back's in pain
And it feels tedious to mention, but I'll mention it again
I play guitar with boxing gloves
Trying to write myself a song about the sweetness of my blood

But the only way out is through
The only way out is through
The only way out is the way that you came here
Flashing through darkness like tunnels and train cars
Going a little too fast to see everything passing

It feels strange to think of your body
Falling into dust next to mine
We while it away in subdivided days
Believing we always have more time
I came across an old picture of us
Taken in the roses, in the hills
Our smiles were clear and the tattoo of twenty years
Hadn't torn our tender surfaces to ink us with our tired tears

Every day, my back's in pain
And it feels tedious to talk about, but here we go again
I hold your hand with boxing gloves
Trying to write you a song about the sweetness of our love

But the only way out is through
The only way out is through
The only way out is the way that you came here
Flashing through darkness like tunnels and train cars
Going a little too fast to see everything passing

Reviews

3 posted notes

Pigfarmer Jr

Forum post

Good vocal and melody. I like this mix a lot. Your lyric was excellent. That line "suit that I'll be buried in" is a great example of too many syllables in a line working so marvelously. I love it. (Used for effect instead of laziness like me.) This was my favorite song after a couple of listens.
Challengewise: Modulated down the second time through the V/Ch. Well done. It maybe loses a bit of energy but more than makes up for it with the gorgeous vocals at the end.

JonPorobil

Forum post

I could listen to you sing sweetly about decomposing for hours... and in fact I might! These lyrics are striking, this comparison of a long-term partner to a tattoo, some indelible mark on your skin and your life, aging along with you. And if there's one constant of Miscellaneous Owl/Crown Shy, it's the beautifully precise vocals. I love the roving bassline. The line "I play guitar with boxing gloves" gets me every time. The handclaps in the interlude between the verses were an unexpected but welcome changeup. I think the weak link of this song might be the structure. The two-part chorus doesn't leave much room for additional musical variation. I suppose that part of the theme of this song is the eventual anticlimactic decay of our bodies and lives, so maybe it makes sense for the chorus to repeat only once and have the song taper off instead of going for the big finish.

vowlvom

Forum post

there's a very warm quality to the music here, it has a lo-fi quality that I find very appealing - very tape-y. I don't find all of the lyrics to flow quite as well as your songs usually do, the words crammed into the last line of each verse slightly jar on me each time - but that's stretching for a critique, the lyrics otherwise are beautiful. Cuts off too abruptly at the end, let it ring!

Crown Shy - The Only Way Out | Nur Ein