Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
“Tell Tale Signs” is a song about depression related to Amy, the girl who appears in a trilogy of songs (the others being “Reasons Not To Be An Idiot” and “I Am Disappeared”). Frank compares the scarring from self-harm as a teenager to tattoos and the emotional scarring left on him by Amy.
[Instrumental Intro]
[Verse 1]
God damn it, Amy!
We're not kids any more
You can't just keep waltzing out of my life
Leaving clothes on my bedroom floor
Like nothing really matters
Like pain doesn't hurt
You should mean more to me by now
Than just heartbreak and a short skirt
[Chorus 1]
You kind of remind me of scars on my arms
That I made, when I was a kid
With a disassembled disposable razor
I stole from my dad
When I thought that suffering was something
Profound that weighed down on wise heads
Not just something to be avoided
Something normal people dread
[Verse 2]
Well God damn it, Amy!
Well of course I've changed!
With all the things that I've done and the places I've been
I'd be a machine if I'd stayed the same
You're still back where we started
You haven't changed at all
Yeah you're still trying to live like a kid
Like you could always have it all
[Chorus 2]
You know you kind of remind me of scars on my arms
That I hid as best I could
That I covered with ink, but in the right kind of light
They still bleed through
Showing that there are some things that I just cannot change
No matter what I do
The tell tale signs of being used
Of being trapped inside of you
[Bridge]
You're a beautiful butterfly
Burned with a branding iron
Onto my outside, into my insides
Is a simple sign
To show off your ownership
Burned into my naked skin
Onto my outside, into my insides
[Verse 3]
It's not even love anymore!
It's just a claim upon my soul
It stains my skin, yeah, and it's on my breath
And I'm ashamed to get undressed
In front of strangers, in case they see
The tell tale signs that you have left all over me
God damn it, Amy!
[Chorus 3]
You'll always remind me of scars on my arms
That I know will never fade
And it's not like it's something I think about each
And every day
I just occasionally catch myself scratching at them
As if they'd ever go away
But these tell tale signs are here to stay
And in the end, you know, that's OK
Because you will always be a part
Of my patched up, patchwork, taped up tape deck heart
Tell Tale Signs was written by Frank Turner.
Tell Tale Signs was produced by Rich Costey.
Frank Turner released Tell Tale Signs on Mon Apr 22 2013.