The Bed
St. Vincent Lyrics
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To scare the monsters out
With our dear daddy's Smith and Wesson
We've gotta teach them all a lesson
Don't move
Don't scream
Or we will have to shoot
Stop, right where you stand
We need a chalk outline if you can
Put your hands where we can see them please
We're holding up the lids of our eyes
And showing just the whites
"Mary, no one has such small hands
No, not the wind, not even that."
Don't move
Don't scream
Or we will have to shoot
Stop, right where you stand
We need a chalk outline if you can
Put your hands where we can see them please
Stop, right where you stand
We need a chalk outline if you can
Put your hands where we can see them
Please
The lyrics to St. Vincent's song "The Bed" depict a dark and eerie scenario in which the singer and their sibling(s) are sleeping underneath the bed in order to confront and scare away any monsters that may come. They are armed with their father's Smith and Wesson and are determined to teach the monsters a lesson if necessary. The second half of the song paints a scene where the singer and their sibling(s) are in the midst of this confrontation, holding up the lids of their eyes to show just the whites and demanding the monsters to stop and comply with their orders or else they will be shot. The chilling repetition of the request for a chalk outline adds a sense of foreboding to the overall tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
We're sleeping underneath the bed
We're hiding under the bed to avoid the monsters.
To scare the monsters out
We hope that by hiding under the bed, the monsters will get scared and leave us alone.
With our dear daddy's Smith and Wesson
We have our father's gun with us to defend ourselves.
We've gotta teach them all a lesson
Our plan is to make sure the monsters never come back again.
Don't move
We need to be very still.
Don't scream
We must stay quiet to avoid drawing attention to ourselves.
Or we will have to shoot
If the monsters find us, we'll be forced to use the gun to protect ourselves.
Stop, right where you stand
We're talking to the monsters here, instructing them to stay away from us.
We need a chalk outline if you can
If the monsters don't listen and we have to use the gun, we'll need to mark where they were standing.
Put your hands where we can see them please
We want to make sure the monsters aren't holding anything dangerous.
We're holding up the lids of our eyes
We're trying to stay awake and alert, despite being tired and scared.
And showing just the whites
We're so scared that the only thing visible in our eyes are the whites.
"Mary, no one has such small hands
One of us is talking to Mary, who is likely a fellow child hiding with us.
No, not the wind, not even that."
The singer is trying to reassure Mary that there's no reason to be scared of any sounds they hear within the room.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANNE ERIN CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind