Grenade
The Brent Fischer Orchestra Elvis Costello The Roots Lyrics

She's pulling out the pin
She is removing the pin that's holding her hair back

That lets her hair fall down
The pin is what keeps her hair up, removing it makes her hair fall down

She's pulling out the pin
She's doing it again, removing the pin from her hair

She shakes her head
She shakes her head and her hair tumbles around her

And it goes tumbling
Her hair falls down in cascades around her face and shoulders

Her smile was out of place
Her smile didn't fit the situation

So she swept it off her face
She wiped her smile away from her face

Let me find the words and say them
Let me find the right words to express myself

Like some softly whispered 'Amen'
Like a mumbled 'amen' said in agreement

But she starts to pull away
She's starting to distance herself

And the lights begin to dim
The lights are fading and things are becoming unclear

Is she thinking of me?
Is she thinking about us, our relationship?

Or is she thinking of him?
Or is she thinking about someone else?

She's pulling out the pin…
She's removing the pin again, it's become a habit

She's slipping off the hook
She's freeing herself from her restraints

Unbuttoning her dress
She's undoing the buttons on her dress

She's slipping off the hook
She's freeing herself even more

There's just enough to make some man a mess
She's showing just enough to tease and tempt a man

She tears away the veil
She rips off her veil

With her fingernails
Using her own nails as a tool

She came out high and kicking
She came out with energy and confidence

While the band played 'Hey, Good Looking'
The band was playing upbeat, cheerful music

Do you hear something ticking?
Is there a sense of impending danger or disaster?

Did somebody tell her she could really be redeemed?
Did someone give her false hope that she could be saved?

And could she actually be as desperate as she seems?
Is she really as hopeless as she appears to be?

She's tearing at the seams
She's breaking down, coming apart at the seams

She's going to extremes
She's taking things too far

Nobody told her it was a sin
No one warned her that her actions were morally wrong

So she's pulling out the pin
So she continues to remove the pin, her symbol of liberation

She's taping up her hands just like a boxer will
She's preparing for a fight, getting ready to defend herself

And they started laughing
People around her are mocking and ridiculing her

But if looks could kill
She's giving them a deadly look

She'd take them down right now
She could easily bring them down if she wanted to

She's covering her mouth
She's trying to suppress her emotions

With some unholy vow
Making a promise that goes against religious doctrine

There's nothing more to say
There's nothing left to be said

This is her wedding day
This is supposed to be the happiest day of her life

Full of shattered glass and mayhem
The occasion is now full of chaos and destruction

Not some softly whispered 'Amen'
This isn't a moment of peaceful acceptance

While the shock announcement dawns
Everyone is coming to the realization of something unexpected

And the smoke begins to thin
Things are calming down and becoming clearer

Where the world without ends
They've reached a place beyond the constraints of reality

And the next one begins
The next phase or chapter of their lives is about to start

She's pulling out the pin
She continues to remove the pin, a symbol of her defiance and rebellion

She's pulling out the pin
She's removing the pin again, her way of asserting her independence

She's pulling out the pin
Once more, she removes the pin, the act of shedding her inhibitions and embracing her desires