Once in a Lifetime
Blind Corn Liquor Pickers Lyrics
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And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
You may ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?"
And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?"
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house"
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Water dissolving and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water
Remove the water from the bottom of the ocean
Water dissolving and water removing
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
You may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?"
You may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?"
You may ask yourself, "Am I right, am I wrong?"
You may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?"
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, look where my hand was
Time isn't holding up, time isn't after us
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, hey let's all twist our thumbs
Here comes the twister
Letting the days go by
Letting the days go by
Once in a lifetime
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
The song "Once in a Lifetime" by the Blind Corn Liquor Pickers is a reflective tune about the precariousness of life and how we can find ourselves at unexpected places in life. The lyrics describe various scenarios where someone may find themselves, from living in a "shotgun shack" to owning a "large automobile" and a "beautiful house, with a beautiful wife." In each situation, the person realizes how they got there and questions their choices or circumstances. The repeating line "Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down" implies a sense of helplessness in these situations, as if they are being carried along by the current of life without much control or direction. The song encourages listeners to reflect on how they got to where they are and to take ownership of their choices to make meaningful changes in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
You might end up living in a small and shabby house
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
You could suddenly be in a completely different place
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
You might unexpectedly find yourself driving a fancy car
You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
You might end up living in a luxurious house with a stunning spouse
You may ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"
You might question how you ended up in your current situation
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Just like water carries things away, I passively watch time go by
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Time keeps moving forward, even though I may not actively participate
Into the blue again, after the money's gone
When I lose all my wealth, I return back to the emptiness of the world
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
These moments only happen once in a lifetime and time constantly moves forward
And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?"
You might question how to navigate and operate this experience
And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?"
You might forget where you parked your fancy car
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house"
You might feel like you no longer belong in your luxurious home
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"
You might no longer relate to or recognize your stunning spouse
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Things remain the same and stagnant
Water dissolving and water removing
Water can dissolve and remove things over time
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Even the deepest part of the ocean has water
Under the water, carry the water
Water can continue to be carried even while underwater
Remove the water from the bottom of the ocean
Water can be removed from the deepest part of the ocean
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Returning back to emptiness and silence
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Even beneath the surface, water still flows
You may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?"
You might suddenly question what happened to your luxurious home
You may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?"
You might suddenly wonder where the path ahead is leading you
You may ask yourself, "Am I right, am I wrong?"
You might question if your choices and decisions were correct or not
You may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?"
You might regret the choices you've made and the path you're on
Same as it ever was, look where my hand was
Everything seems the same, but upon closer examination, things have changed
Time isn't holding up, time isn't after us
Time is constantly moving and can't be caught
Hey let's all twist our thumbs, here comes the twister
We're all just waiting for something inevitable to happen
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO, CHRISTOPHER FRANTZ, DAVID BYRNE, JERRY HARRISON, TINA WEYMOUTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind