Lyrics The Prior Procedure - The Hold Steady

The Prior Procedure

All that frightened magic when the fawn strays from the forest
And the terror and the havoc when it wanders into traffic
The tragic conclusion of instincts and old habits
Up against the never-ending construction
Now there’s a luxury apartment on the top floor of some high-rise building
And people go there every weekend to witness the abandoned ascension
With the scraps on the shelf
He said it’s not so heroic
Yeah, he just wants to help
While w were fleeing the forst
She stopped and made a few calls
Got a spot at this penthouse
With the windowpane walls
Where some guy in fringed leather and a seafaring sweater
Is trying to peck at some peacock with significant feathers
And it looks like she’s old enough to know a little better
But these people seem really open-minded
There were some dudes on the roof deck that were sitting with sweet view of the
sunset
They said you got to meet the guy that gets the tab for this
Anything you want he can cover it
When we showed him our hand stamps
He blew smoke on our nails
Pointed out the projection
A PowerPoint presentation
Of the chum and the shark
He said it’s just a reminder
Love will tear us apart
He started scratching at the itch that’s been giving him fits since the prior
procedure