DEARLY DEPARTED
Esmé Patterson/Shakey Graves Lyrics

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Well
Introduces the topic at hand

You and I both know that the house is haunted
Acknowledges that the house is haunted, and both the singer and the listener are aware of this fact

And you and I both know that the ghost is me
Admits that the singer is the ghost that haunts the house

You used to catch me in your bed-sheets just a-rattling your chains
Remembers the past when the artist haunted the listener and would make noise by rattling chains in their bed

Well back then baby, it didn’t seem so strange
Reflects on the time when the strange occurrences seemed normal in the relationship

You used to bite, I used to moan
Recalls a past sexual relationship where the artist and the listener would engage in BDSM activities

But now I’m mumbling and you choke
Notes that their relationship is no longer the same as before and that they are struggling to connect

Well I ain’t so scary on my own
Attempts to prove that the artist is not as scary without the listener

Tell me honey, what’s a dagger without a cloak?
Uses a metaphor to illustrate that the listener is the missing element that completes the singer's scariness

Well I don't know
Uncertain about the listener's inquiry before

‘Cause
Expressions the reason for the following statements

In the midnight hour, you came alive
Recalls the time when the listener was the most active during the darkest hours

I was looking for my crystal ball
Wanted to see the future of their relationship

I busy trying to charm that snake
Focused on something else and disregarded the listener's presence

When the sun came up we had no place to hide
Highlighting the moment when their actions were exposed with no means to excuse or hide them

And you had to tell your friends that my things where fake
Speaker implies that listener has gossiped behind their back, making them look bad

I just had to
Justified the artist's actions that led to the exposure of their false character

But even when one is dead and gone
Acknowledges that even if the artist is no longer in the picture

It still take two to make a house a home
A house needs two people to be a complete home

Well I’m as lonesome as the catacombs
Admits the feeling of loneliness similar to that in catacombs

I hear you call my name but no one's there
Despite the feeling of loneliness, the singer hears the listener's voice as if they are still present

Except a new one in the air
There is a new feeling in the air between the singer and new possibilities

You used to walk around screaming, all slamming all ‘dem doors
Remembers the listener's reaction to the haunting when they would slam doors

Well I’m all grown up now and I don’t scare easy no more
Acknowledges the change in the artist's life where they are no longer easily frightened by the listener's actions

But you and I both know
Reiteration that both parties understand the ghosts of the haunted house

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Yeah you and I both know
Repetition that both parties understand the situation

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Yeah you and I both know
Repeating that both parties are aware of the haunted house and its ghost

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