[Verse 1]
Shepard's where we want him, he's staying off of Cedar
He's shacked up with some princess with a fish tank and a fever
Her daddy is a doctor, he sends some decent checks
He said he's sorry that he didn’t have more time
[Verse 2]
Sometimes when they sail off, she forgets to feed the fish
And they float up to the top to drift in the abyss
She removes the ones not moving with a sacred slotted spoon
Drops them in the ashtray and she sighs and pretty soon she says
[Chorus 1]
"We should probably make a wish now"
And they wish for new inventions
To make this life more easy
'Cause lately it's been hard
[Verse 3]
Curtis moved with purpose, but he wouldn’t say what it was
He does something with the hubcaps and the Independent trucks
Skates some empty warehouse and waits around for lunch
When they get in touch, he starts to really hustle
[Verse 4]
It's a tricky little business, it's hard to thread that needle
To build a clear consensus with independent people
He's always had the feeling that he'd never see the ocean
He'd be more apt to negotiate if the window wasn't closing
[Chorus 2]
And he dreams of sweeping vistas
And machines that clean the streets
And he wishes it was easy
And he's sorry that he didn't have more time
[Verse 5]
Shepard's where we left him, Princess got recalled
To Phoenix by her father, who's in talks to cut her off
Shepard wants to go somewhere with a little better weather
But he didn't have time to pull it all together
[Verse 6]
Curtis is all business as he sits and cleans the pistol
A decade spent in limbo, waiting on the whistle
All the years they built up prisons from decisions that we made
He's coming up on Riverside like he's off to the crusades
[Chorus 3]
When Curtis kicks the door in
Then Shepard’s on his knees
And Curtis says "I'm sorry
That we didn’t have more time
What went down in '89
And again in '93
You did things in the city
The city's still not happy
Remember in the garden
In 1997?"
And Curtis pulls the trigger
Now Shepard can't remember
Curtis & Shepard was written by Craig Finn.
Curtis & Shepard was produced by Josh Kaufman.
Craig Finn released Curtis & Shepard on Fri May 20 2022.