Elliott Smith - King's Crossing (Alternate Lyrics)

This is the live version with different lyrics. It's very rare! The song starts at 1:30.

LYRICS:

the problem i have with the soul contraption
swallowed up slowly like a bad reaction
all around what you do and say while the symptom falls further away
you live in silence but you can't describe it
so what's the point of talking at all?
the store bought injury.. the family cane
just another boy bad at the game
this is when you need a friend to keep you moving around
'cause all your thinking has made you slow
you might be stopping out.. you know
frustrated fireworks inside your head
there's a wet fuse smoking.. you caught instead
what you're dealing.. but it's just a start
was a time since your problem was a poison dart
and you act like a cowboy.. putting arrows in my hat
i'm a hardboiled hero and i'm not so bad
but i didn't know when to run from this
a proud fan is gonna see you shatter
i know that there really isn't anything the matter
nothing is gonna be crying words.. they only want their voice to be heard
they use it sometimes to show that they're around
or they build you up a theory like the walls of a town
a tired and ancient ruler right now.. the neighborhood slaves are hardly skilled
open your parachute and drop your weight
float on down to the center and investigate
i did my self requirement.. better cop out hard
or i'll leave right now
'cause this feeling of loving.. i felt it in my chest
like the nighttime footsteps of an unknown guest
i know it wasn't me.. i wasn't moving..
i felt thunder.. the rain was pouring
i know it must be something wrong all this is restoring
you don't have to live in a life's mistake
stay in the center and wait
stay in the center and wait
stay in the center and wait

Category:

Music

Tags:

• 2000-05-09
• elliott
• smith
• king's
• crossing
• live
• rare
• alternate
• power
• outage

[Damonf888]

How did you manage to get the full lyrics of this, just out of interest? It's extremely hard to make out from around the halfway point.

[blueapparition7]

ask "snowballinhell" from sweetaddy, she wrote the lyrics, not me

[Lovegood44]

I would seriously sell my leg just to listen to this on my ipod.

[blueapparition7]

type "nd9ysf" into google, you'll find the song

[Lovegood44]

Which version was first? This one, or the other one that starts off like: The king's crossing was the main attraction, Dominoes falling in a chain reaction..

[blueapparition7]

the other version came first, not this version, he only performed this version once (2000-05-09)

[Transmissionwould]

Yeah its not Elliot Smith, its Elliott Smith.

[RyanDunchProductions]

This is a very powerful version of the song. I wish there was a true studio recording of it.

Ultimately, I just assume the lyrics were too personal for him to actually release. The final lyrics were actually very powerful and beautiful as well, no denying that. Just a lost treasure

[666musicman]

What was the song he played before this, that he said he actually enjoyed playing for the first time in a long time?

[ImaCactusHugMe]

@Lovegood44 If you search "youtube to mp3" in google theres a ton of website that let you download the audio.

[sdmproductionss]

"...float down to the symptom and investigate

i proved/beat myself required in this event"?

Oh how i wish a studio recording with these vocals would miraculously surface!

[Niamhdm7871]

I never knew how long he stayed in Texas. But, it just gave me some state pride. Hearing this beautiful, being say, "Alright Ya'll!"

[Vamphaery]

@Vamphaery (Continued)

"You don't have to live in a lifeless state"

I also don't think he's saying "I did myself a requirement." When I slow it down and listen carefully at various speeds, it sounds more like "To prove myself required ______" but I can't make out what it is. It sounds like "new" something, or "move" something, but it isn't quite clear enough to be certain.

Anyway, just some thoughts. Like I said, I could be TOTALLY wrong.

[Vamphaery]

I hear some of the lyrics a bit differently, although I could be totally wrong (much of it is so distorted, anyone's guess is as good as mine.)

I hear:

"The problems I have with this old contraption"

"You live inside it, but you can't describe it"

"for the times that your problem is a poison dart"

"a proud friend's gonna see you shatter"

"a tired and ancient ruler might build, the labor of slaves who're hardly skilled"

"I know there must be something wrong with this as your story"

[Transmissionwould]

@northkato Yes, yes I know. I was talking about the name he went by.

[northkato]

@Transmissionwould his name is actually Steven Smith

[TrevorKingKwong]

@RyanDunchProductions

"too personal for him to actually release." Probably a good assumption, though we'll never know for sure. I think the original was more detached. Still great, but nowhere near as intimate as this one.