[Verse 1]
She got a sixer from the store down the street
Stayed up watching basketball replays
There's a reason that she can't go to sleep
And it's got nothing to do with LeBron James
Has to do with a chemical reaction
Stimulated synapses, the snapping and the crackling
The doctor gave her something to focus her attention
She's got a six month supply in the cupboard in the kitchen
[Chorus]
Upstairs she hears footsteps
And she has an idea
[Verse 2]
He's home late from some dinner and some drinks
Another Friday with thе suits in the steakhouse
Assеt management's as thrilling as you'd think
But they pay him pretty well
Now he's renting out the penthouse
Hasn't met the neighbors, he's new to the building
So he's a little bit surprised when he notices the knocking
When he opens up the door, it's the girl that lives beneath him
She said, "I know it's pretty late and I hope that you weren't sleeping."
[Refrain]
She says she thought she heard footsteps
And she had an idea
[Verse 3]
He'd seen her at the mailbox, made a little small talk
Now she's here in his entrance
Shaking up the bottle like she's playing the maracas
Says she's high and she's restless
He puts something on the stereo
It sounds like it's Sinatra
She thinks that seems a bit square
But there's things you overlook when you're gettin' with the guy upstairs
[Interlude]
She opens up the bottle and starts pouring out the pills
Crush it on the counter being careful not to spill
He starts mixing drinks, measuring the gin
Getting down the glassware, muddling the mint
They talk about their work and where they went to school
How the city's kind of changed, how it used to be so cool
It's hard to make friends when your job is so demanding
They start dancing
[Verse 4]
Sunrise into sundown
Sending out for takeout
Sharing inside jokes now
Finally tries to kiss her and she says that it's not like that
Now he wished he wouldn't have done that
'Cause everything is awkward
The conversation slows
She cleans off the countertop
And says that she should probably go
[Interlude]
She'd seen him at the mailbox flipping through the mail drop
She wasn't sure how to start it
Spent the lost weekend trying to find a small connection
At least she got to see his apartment
A Nagel poster in the silver frame
She thought that seemed kind of lame
She wakes up late for work with the sniffles and the spiraling shame
[Verse 5]
Later in the fall when she sees him in the hallway
She makes a point to be friendly
He's standing with some baby that he's calling his fiancée
Her name is either Kelly or Katie
She's glad they found each other
The wedding's next September
She's planning her own party tonight
Crushing up pills at home, watching basketball highlights
[Chorus]
She thinks she hears footsteps
But now they're not really there
Sixers was written by Craig Finn.
Sixers was produced by Josh Kaufman.
The Hold Steady released Sixers on Fri Feb 10 2023.