Ben wrote this song about the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020, in which governments urged their citizens to practice social distancing and not leave their homes. He first performed the song on a “Live From Home” concert, from which he himself was practicing social distancing.
[Verse 1]
The sidewalks are empty, the bars and cafes too
The streetlights only changing
'Cause they ain't got nothing better to do
You say it's like Christmas when nobody's around
When our city was still a secret
Before those carpetbaggers came to town
[Chorus]
And the airports and train stations are full of desperate people
Trying to convince the gate agents
That not all emergencies are equal
But no one is going anywhere soon
[Verse 2]
Inside the Safeway, it's like the Eastern Bloc
'Cause people have a way of getting crazy
When they think they'll be dead in a month
But you like the silence of the wind through the trees
And I like walking beside you
Through these days of no guarantees
And National Guard is on their way
To protect us from our neighbors
And everyone who's tried to swim for it
Has drowned out past the breakers
[Outro]
And the airports and train stations are full of desperate people
But no one is going anywhere soon
No one is going anywhere soon
Life in Quarantine was written by Benjamin Gibbard.
Benjamin Gibbard released Life in Quarantine on Thu Mar 26 2020.