Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
Manchester Orchestra
“The Alien” is “a narrative about a small slice of time in a man’s life as he faces a lofty decision with a dire consequence. It is ultimately about family and the effects, big and small, that family has on everybody.”
The protagonist self-medicates and travels with the intent to kill themselves. T...
[Verse 1]
The lights were low enough, you guessed
You swapped your conscience with your father's medication
Limped from Rome to Lawrenceville
And on the way, wrote out a self-made declaration
And when you got to Pleasant Hill
You forced the traffic to erase your family demons
And made a pact with you and God:
"If you don't move I swear to you I'm gonna make ya"
[Chorus]
Do you need me?
Do you need me?
Do you need me?
Do you need me?
[Verse 2]
When the first officer arrived
It happened to be the high school bully of your brother
When you finally recognized
You felt some guilt that you had even let him touch you
Can you hear me? What's your name?
You could not speak, just laid amazed at all the damage
As the high school's letting out
All the kids're saying the same thing that they used to
[Chorus]
It's an alien
It's an alien
It's an alien
It's an alien
[Interlude]
[Verse 3]
The lights were low enough you guessed
Hospital food, there's never enough medication
The doctor asked about your ears
You said your mom said you were made from a revelation
But revelation never scares
Your fear came from your drunken dad and a pair of scissors
Were you just finally letting go?
Or did you mean to take out all those people with you?
[Chorus]
"Didn't mean to
Didn't mean to
Didn't mean to
Didn't mean to"
Oh, I didn't mean to
(Take the time to terrify the throne)
Oh, I didn't mean to
(You'll never let it go)
No, I didn't mean to
(Take the time to terrify the throne)
Oh, I didn't mean to
(They'll never let you go)
[Outro]
Time is here to take your last amendments and believe them on your own
Time is here to take you by the hand and leave you there alone
(You won't ever know)
Time has come to take the last commandment and to carve it in your stone
(You won't ever know)
Time has come to take you by the hand and leave you here alone
The Alien was written by Andy Hull.
The Alien was produced by Catherine Marks.
Manchester Orchestra released The Alien on Thu Jun 22 2017.
From the NPR article announcing the release of the single:
“The Alien” is “a narrative about a small slice of time in a man’s life as he faces a lofty decision with a dire consequence. It is ultimately about family and the effects, big and small, that family has on everybody.
I wrote this song in...
The person in the song drives to a place and intentionally causes a traffic accident in order to attempt suicide.