Okkervil River - The Latest Toughs

From Black Sheep Boy

I'm pretty sure there's actual lines to fill in printed in the lyric book.

Lyrics:
All the latest toughs,
You've got to shrug off,
Or shut them off.
With ten-thousand-time-told truths,
Youve still got to ask for proof,
Ask for proof,

'Cause if youre dying to be led,
Theyll lead you up the hill in chains,
To their popular refrains,
And then your slaughters been arranged,
My little lamb,
And its much too late to talk the knife out of their hands.

Well, I woke up on a foggy morning.
(Hiding from the sun, he was hiding from the sun.)
But it came out and it shot its rays down.
(It was burning everyone, it was burning everyone.)
But they were dying, anyway,
To turn to ash,
To feel their feelings flash and finally fade away,
In a fabulous and fiery display.

And I don't know what notes you want to hear played,
Can't think what lines you'd like me to sing or say,
Not sure what subjects you want mentioned,
So just pause and add your own intentions,
Just pause and add your own,
Let's pause and add our own,
Let's pause and add our own intentions,
Write here.

We were hiding from the sun,

All the latest toughs,
Well, we have seen that stuff,
And we have seen enough
Blood in dying coughs,
Which means that we have lost.
We have lost,
And if youre crying to be tossed
Theyll toss you down the oubliette with all the old things that you let yourself forget,
Because youd like to love a star,
Whod throw you down below the ground he thinks you are.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Okkervil
• River
• The
• Latest
• Toughs
• Black
• Sheep
• Boy
• Oubliette

[clagratrix]

Love this song too. Plus, oubliette?

Awesome.

[Willzibob]

"An oubliette (from the French oubliettes - plural noun, literally "forgotten places") was a form of dungeon which was accessible only from a hatch in a high ceiling."

Pretty obscure lyric but <3

[TheAbsolutionHowl]

@Willzibob In multiple interviews Will's stated that while writing this he had an overwhelming desire to be semi-pretensious in lyric and cited that word choice as a specific example. Personally, I love it - and this remains one of my all-time favorite albums.

[blittlewill]

Love this one. To me, the song it's about emancipation.

[moooooooses]

boooooom... pretty awesome...

[Rowain]

Love this song so much.

And if you're dying to be lead, they'll lead you up the hill in chains to their popular refrains while your slaughter's been arranged while you laugh. It's too late to talk the knife out of their hands.

And the use of oubliette yes, makes me think of the awesome 80s movie The Labyrinth. Perhaps that line was intended as a homage?

[mrmjdinosaur]

My friend Claudia sent me this song and now i love it!

[clagratrix]

Don't forget the spikes.

Horrible!

Awesome :)

[KittyMeat3]

Less than three

[Uprisingdownfall]

Love this song.