Lyrics House of Eternal Return - Amanda Palmer, Jason Webley

House of Eternal Return

Millions of us standing atop
Millions of snow-covered mountains
Planting our flags, thrusting them in
Waving our arms to be counted
But who is the woman alone in the kitchen
Frozen in front of an easel
She looks like a portrait of somebody’s grandmother
Still frame image retrieval
Standing there still, house on a hill
After so many transmissions
Telephone wires tangle the roof
The origin story is missing
The origin story is missing
She hasn’t gone out in twenty-five years
Caged under plaster and ivy
Her eyes fix on something out on the horizon
A mountain of leaves gathered drying
To burn to burn, to burn
Look at this view, look all around
Tied to the deck that our dad made
There’s no room to move and we’re so proud
Yes, they made 'em like that in the old days
They made 'em like that in the old days
Retracing patterns with new coats of paint
Fenced in by albums and journals
And they’re pulling her back, they keep drawing her in
Into the house of eternal
Return, return, return
House of eternal return
House of eternal return
House of eternal return
House of eternal return, return, return
Retracing patterns, the path to the door
She thinks of the hands of her father
Laying down floor joists, framing up walls
One board after the other
One board after the other
There’s nowhere to rest in this cumbersome cavity
Crushed under mortalness, sadness and gravity
Peeling off layers of skin, cracked and blistering
Scattering seeds, making scratches on history
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, only the prophet knows
Why we were planned obsolescent with vertigo
Ridden like animals, flailing our tentacles
Searching for shelter in derelict ventricles
She crosses the threshold, runs up the stairs
Races through bedrooms and hallways
She stops at the canvas, a faithful depiction
The house she’s been entering always
The house she’s been entering always
Circling round, heavenward bound
This flesh isn’t right, the fit is too tight
This can’t be our permanent housing
This can’t be our permanent housing
This can’t be our permanent housing
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return (house of eternal return)
House of eternal return
House of eternal return
Return, return, return, return
Return, return, return