[Verse 1] The mailman’s got a limp and a swollen eye He’s dropping off letters from the deep blue sea I’m chewing on a dry bone, watching the meat-wagon roll by With a pocket full of plastic gravity You got your shoes on the wrong feet again, baby But you’re marching to the graveyard right on time We bought a ticket for the big slide down And we’re spending our very last dime [Chorus] [Harmony: High, piercing parallel fifths] It takes a thousand years To die in one minute! [Harmony: Low, guttural octave doubling] We’re spinning in the gears With nothing left in it! So put your red dress on, let’s go slide down the drain Laughing all the way through the hurricane [Verse 2] The television’s selling us a brand new bone To bury in the yard behind the swimming pool I’m talking to a dial tone, king of a cardboard throne Just another highly educated fool You say the tap water tastes like copper and lead Well, pull the plug, darling, let’s get well-fed We got the fever but we lost the sweat And we haven't even started to pay the rent yet [Chorus] [Harmony: High, piercing parallel fifths] It takes a thousand years To die in one minute! [Harmony: Low, guttural octave doubling] We’re spinning in the gears With nothing left in it! So put your red dress on, let’s go slide down the drain Laughing all the way through the hurricane [Bridge] [Harmony: Eerie, lagging counter-melody] The sun is just a yellow eye that blinks and goes wet We haven’t paid the ransom on our sanity yet But the brass band is blowing, they're digging the trench With a smile on their faces and a socket wrench Yeah, they're digging it deep and they're digging it wide For the prettiest couple on the passenger side [Chorus] [Harmony: High, piercing parallel fifths] It takes a thousand years To die in one minute! [Harmony: Low, guttural octave doubling] We’re spinning in the gears With nothing left in it! So put your red dress on, let’s go slide down the drain Laughing all the way through the hurricane
