The music is marked by multi-part vocal harmonies and intricate picking lines, but they are most well known for their satirical lyrics and will lampoon anyone or anything. Subjects range from the big political targets like Gingrich and Reagan to unknown cactus pluggers and from obscure locales like the Chester Nimitz Oriental garden in Fredericksburg, Texas to entire genres as in The Grunge Song.
Founded when songwriting pals Hank Card and Conrad Deisler met up with Tom Pittman at the University of Texas in Austin, the group was soon joined by bassist Boo Resnick of Detroit. Card most often leads the vocals, but Diesler, Pittman, and Resnick carry their share of the load, particularly on songs they each penned. Card and Diesler play guitar while Pittman splits his time between pedal steel guitar, banjo, and dobro. The role of fiddle player has had some turnover in the past decade, and is now occupied by German hip-hop afficianado Korey Simeone who will also pick up a Mandolin on occasion.
The Other Shore
Austin Lounge Lizards Lyrics
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And know we will not see the sun tomorrow
We may think with deep regret of all the things we leave behind
But oh, my friends, do not give in to sorrow
/ DG D DG D / DG A DG D / :
On the other shore, on the other shore
Our single socks will all be to their rightful pairs restored
We'll meet all our possessions on the other shore
/ DG D DG D / DG D - A / DG D - G / G D DA D /
As we near those golden sidewalks floating on the clouds above
Assuming heaven is our destination
We may glance behind for one last look at everything we love
But truly there's no call for reservations
On the other shore, on the other shore
We'll have piles and piles of jeans we can't fit into anymore
We'll wear all those crazy cowboy shirts we got from Fred Labour
We'll meet all our possessions on the other shore
We'll find books we bought in college and sold for half-price unread
And sacks and sacks of earring backs lost under someone's bed
And baseball cards and army men and model planes galore
And every tiny plastic high-heel Barbie ever wore
/ GC G GC D / DG D DG A / :
On the other shore, on the other shore
We'll have giant storage units free of charge for evermore
Where our tax receipts will all be saved in bags upon the floor
We'll meet all our possessions
On the other shore, on the other shore
We'll find National Geographics from 1974
Our children's art will cover God's refrigerator door
We'll meet all our possessions on the other shore
The Austin Lounge Lizards's song The Other Shore is a poignant and philosophical track that explores the idea of death and the afterlife. The lyrics reflect on the fact that as we approach the end of our lives, we may regret all the things we leave behind - but the song encourages us not to give in to sorrow. Instead, the second half of the song paints a whimsical picture of what might be waiting for us on the other side.
The chorus, "On the other shore, on the other shore, we will reunite with all the things we ever owned before," is repeated throughout the song, serving as a reminder that death doesn't have to be entirely bleak. The lyrics suggest that we'll be reunited with all the little possessions we've lost over the years - from single socks to sacks of earring backs - and that we'll have "giant storage units free of charge for evermore" to keep them all in.
The song's message is ultimately one of hope, suggesting that even in death, we'll be reunited with the possessions and memories that we've cherished throughout our lives. It's a comfort to anyone who's ever lost someone or struggled with the idea of their own mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
As we reach the twilight hours of our fleeting earthly time
As we approach the final hours of our lives on earth
And know we will not see the sun tomorrow
And accept that we will not live to see another day
We may think with deep regret of all the things we leave behind
We may feel remorseful about the things we must part with
But oh, my friends, do not give in to sorrow
But we must not succumb to sadness
On the other shore, on the other shore
In the afterlife, in a different realm
We will reunite with all the things we ever owned before
We will be reunited with all of our lost possessions
Our single socks will all be to their rightful pairs restored
Even our mismatched socks will find their matching pairs
We'll meet all our possessions on the other shore
We will be united with all of our belongings
As we near those golden sidewalks floating on the clouds above
As we approach what we deem as heaven
Assuming heaven is our destination
If we believe that we will go to heaven
We may glance behind for one last look at everything we love
We may take one last look at everything we cherish
But truly there's no call for reservations
But there is no need to have any doubts
We'll have piles and piles of jeans we can't fit into anymore
We will have many jeans that no long fit us
We'll wear all those crazy cowboy shirts we got from Fred Labour
We will get to wear all of our eccentric clothes
We'll find books we bought in college and sold for half-price unread
We will reclaim the books we bought but never finished in college
And sacks and sacks of earring backs lost under someone's bed
We will find all of the missing earring backs that were lost under our beds
And baseball cards and army men and model planes galore
We will discover all of the toys and hobbies we once enjoyed
And every tiny plastic high-heel Barbie ever wore
Even the smallest Barbie shoes we lost will be found
We'll have giant storage units free of charge for evermore
We will have access to unlimited storage space
Where our tax receipts will all be saved in bags upon the floor
We will have all of our tax receipts saved and organized
We'll find National Geographics from 1974
We will discover old National Geographic magazines from the past
Our children's art will cover God's refrigerator door
Our children's artwork will be proudly displayed
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CONRAD DEISLER, HANK CARD, KRISTEN NELSON CARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind