King Rat
Modest Mouse Lyrics

We spun like birds on fire right down towards the residence and I
We were moving incredibly fast towards someone's place as if we were out of control

I took all that I desired, even crooks have to pay the rent.
I took what I wanted because it was necessary to survive, even if it was not ethical.

We swam like rats on fire right, right down the reservoir
We were moving quickly and desperately through the water as rats would do in a similar situation.

We took all that we could carry but we tried to carry more.
We were greedy and took as much as we could, but also attempted to obtain more than we were capable of handling.

And you know you know you know it all went wrong.
Everything fell apart and didn't go as planned even though it was expected.

And you know you know you know it was all wrong.
The outcome was completely disastrous and there were negative consequences to everything that happened.

Deep water, deep water Senseless denial I went down like a rag doll as you would, child
The singer experienced a senseless denial and ended up feeling defeated and helpless, as if they were a rag doll.

Well King rat has me on his list again I can never be on the fence again
The artist is in trouble with someone who is in a position of power and cannot avoid taking a side.

I found out it's all loud Open like an organ and it Talk, talk, talk, talk again
The artist discovered that everything is very noisy and chaotic and everyone keeps talking, making it difficult to focus.

He promised me that when I cheated him But I could open my eye well
Someone made the artist a promise when they were wronged, but the artist was still able to see and understand what was really going on.

Deep water, deep water This senseless denial I got fed like a fish, full of open smiles
The singer was given a false sense of security and ended up being taken advantage of, like a fish being fed before it is caught.

Blue water, deep water Oh senseless denial I got fed like a fish on the cardboard smiles
The artist was fooled by fake smiles and given a sense of comfort, but it was all an illusion.

What do you have to say for yourself?
The singer is asking someone to justify their actions.