Nikorette
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band Lyrics

I'm just trying to stay a human being
I am simply trying to remain a person, with all the emotions, thoughts and sensations that come along.

Sitting in the sun eating ice cream
I'm sitting under the sun, eating my ice cream, enjoying life in a simple way.

Texting my friend about a bad, bad dream
I'm texting my friend about a nightmare I had that still affects me deeply.

Just had to tell someone who knows me
I needed to share that bad dream with someone who knows me, so they could understand how I feel.

But I don't got time for this cuckoo clock
I don't have time for unnecessary distractions and things that waste my time.

And I don't wanna go to your Mason lodge
I have no interest in attending your secretive Masonic gatherings and rituals.

There's nothing more sad than a lynching mob
A group of presumably rational individuals who believe in God, participating in a lynching is a tragedy of the worst sort.

Full of rational men who believe in God
The aforementioned lynching mob consisted of people who are seemingly rational, yet hold deeply flawed beliefs.

But nothing makes sense when the wave rolls through
Sometimes life does not make sense, especially during times of great change.

Nothing makes sense when the wave come through
The unpredictable nature of change means that sometimes everything seems like chaos, even when it's not.

So it could've been me or it could've been you
In times of upheaval, it's impossible to guess how one's life will turn out - it could have just as easily been me, or you, or anyone.

Whatever's in me is whatever's in you
We are all connected, and share similar thoughts, feelings and experiences.

My neighbor dreams big 'cause his house is small
My neighbor may live in a small house, but he has grand aspirations and ideas.

Says all he needs now is some capital
He believes that with sufficient funding and support, his dreams could become a reality.

It's a pirate world, it's a free-for-all
The world can be a lawless, anarchic place, where it's every man for himself.

Just take your bright ideas and they make them dull
Even the best ideas can become less exciting and less innovative when monetized and brought to the wider world.

Now everyone I see I think I've known before
Sometimes when we look at strangers, we get the feeling that we have known them all along, even if we have never seen them before.

From the opera house to the grocery store
This feeling can occur anywhere, from the grandest venue to the most mundane place imaginable.

My love for them I cannot ignore
Despite not actually knowing these people, I feel affection for them and cannot simply ignore their existence.

Like a human voice in a quiet morgue
This feeling can sometimes be as striking as hearing a human voice in a severely silent place, like a morgue.

But I don't wanna wear no dead man's suit
I don't want to lead a life that someone else has crafted; I want to be unique and authentic.

I don't wanna wait until the moon gets blue
I don't want to put off living until the impossible or unlikely happens.

It's all just a fix, just one little hit
Sometimes everything we want or feel can be boiled down to a simple, temporary solution or release.

You'll hold it in
Despite the fleeting nature of this fix, we hold onto it for as long as we can.

Sitting on a plane chewing Nicorette
I'm sitting on a plane, attempting to quit smoking by chewing nicotine gum.

Paradise lost, haven't found it yet
Despite trying to quit smoking, I feel like I haven't yet found the paradise of a life free from addiction.

Will you talk me down if I get upset?
If I get upset or feel like giving in to my addiction, will you be there to help me through it?

Be the cool washcloth to my fevered head
If I do falter, I need someone to be there to soothe me and help me through the pain of withdrawal.

Because I don't wanna dream if it won't come true
I don't want to invest time and energy into dreams that I know are unlikely or impossible to come true.

If there's something in me then I guess it's in you
We all share some commonalities in our thoughts, emotions and experiences.

If there's somewhere in me then I know it's in you
There are certain places deep inside myself where I know you would also be familiar.

Little baby stone
This line is open to interpretation, but could be a reference to something small and insignificant, and yet still important.

Whatever happens to me it's going to happen to you
We are all connected, and our lives and experiences will affect one another in some way.