Vices & Virtues | Panic! at the Disco Lyrics, Song Meanings, Videos, Full Albums & Bios

The Ballad of Mona Lisa
by Panic! At the Disco

She paints her fingers with a close precision
He starts to notice empty bottles of gin
And takes a moment to assess the sin
She's paid for

A lonely speaker in a conversation
Her words are swimming through his ears again
There's nothing wrong with just a taste of what you've paid for

Say what you mean
Tell me I'm right
And let the sun rain down on me
Give me a sign
I want to believe

Whoa oh oh oh oh, Mona Lisa
You're guaranteed to run this town
Whoa oh oh oh oh, Mona Lisa
I'd pay to see you frown

He senses something, call it desperation
Another dollar, another day
And if she had the proper words to say
She would tell him
But she'd have nothing left to sell him

Say what you mean
Tell me I'm right
And let the sun rain down on me
Give me a sign
I want to believe

Whoa oh oh oh oh, Mona Lisa
You're guaranteed to run this town
Whoa oh oh oh oh, Mona Lisa
I'd pay to see you frown

Mona Lisa, yeah
Pleased to please you
Mona Lisa

Say what you mean
Tell me I'm right
And let the sun rain down on me
Give me a sign
I want to believe

Whoa oh oh oh oh, Mona Lisa
You're guaranteed to run this town
Whoa oh oh oh oh, Mona Lisa
I'd pay to see you frown

Say what you mean
Tell me I'm right
And let the sun rain down on me
Give me a sign
I want to believe

There's nothing wrong with just a taste of what you've paid for

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRENDON URIE, BUTCH WALKER, JOHN FELDMANN, SPENCER SMITH

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Vices & Virtues is the third studio album by American rock band Panic! at the Disco, released on March 22, 2011 on Fueled by Ramen. Produced by John Feldmann and Butch Walker, the album was recorded as a duo by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith, following the departure of lead guitarist, backing vocalist and primary lyricist Ryan Ross and bassist/backing vocalist Jon Walker in July 2009. The album's artwork Read Full BioVices & Virtues is the third studio album by American rock band Panic! at the Disco, released on March 22, 2011 on Fueled by Ramen. Produced by John Feldmann and Butch Walker, the album was recorded as a duo by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith, following the departure of lead guitarist, backing vocalist and primary lyricist Ryan Ross and bassist/backing vocalist Jon Walker in July 2009. The album's artwork was conceptualized by touring bassist Dallon Weekes who was inducted as a full-time member of the band near the end of recording.

While Walker and Ross' exit left a hole in the Panic! songwriting regime, the experience became the catalyst for Urie finding his own voice and the confidence to take over as the band's principal songsmith. The lyrics touch on themes of manipulation and confusion. Vices & Virtues took over two years to create, and the increased time in the studio brought forth new musical experimentation.

Upon release, the album received generally mixed to positive reviews. Critics praised the album's wide variety of musical stylings, while citing compositional simplicity and Urie's verbose lyricism as detractors. Preceded by lead single, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", the album debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 selling 56,000 copies within its first week.