Capacity, by Big Thief (2024)

1.

matthew please do not regretwith your silk in my handand your heart in my sweatas you’re lighting the end of my last cigarettei will warm youwarm you
these things that lonely ones dobaby that's what i’m here for i’ll take care and make all yourwishes come true, if you want todo you want to?
don’t take me for a foolthere’s a woman inside of methere’s one inside of you too
there is a meeting in my thighswhere in thunder and lightning, men are baptizedIn their anger and fighting, their deceit and liesi’ve got lips like sugarlips like sugar
holding my wrists to the bedhe was thrusting and moaning, and pressing his head to my templehis head was a temple i saidyou’ve got lips like sugarlips like sugar
don’t take me for a foolthere’s a woman inside of methere’s one inside of you tooand she don’t always do pretty things

2.

she was a shark smile in a yellow vanshe came around and i stole her glance in my youth, a vampireevelyn shown quiet as roses sting
it came over me at a bad time, but who wouldn’t ride on a moonlight line?i had her in my eye, 85 down the road of a dead end gleam
she said woobaby take mei said woobaby take me too
it came over her at a bad time, riding through Winona down the dotted lineshe held us, gunning out 90 miles down the road of a dead end dreamshe looked over with her part smile, caught up in the twinkle it could take awhileand the money pile on the dashboard, fluttering
as she said woobaby take mei said woobaby take me too
evelyn’s kiss was oxygen,i leaned over to take it in as we went howling through the edge of south des moinesit came over me at a bad time, she burned over the double line and she impaled as i reached my hand for the guard rail, the guard rail, the guard rail
she said woobaby, take mei said woobaby take me too

3.

flight is a beautiful wordflowered with consonancethat’s what i'll followedforever
i am a beautiful birdfluttered and floatingswollen and hollowedfor heaven
do what you want with melost in your captivitylearning capacityfor make believing everythingis really hanging on
slipping away from the partytotally vacanteveryone gone from their bodies
you were outside kissing anothershe was a friend of minei was surprised to discover
i wrapped my arms around hershe was a beautiful figurethere are no enemieswe’re make believing everythingis really hanging on
there is a castle that standshigh in the canyonthe blue knights are crying together
a Child is holding my handshe is directing, the red crystal pine witha feather
do what you want with melost in your captivitylearning capacityfor make believing everythingis really hanging onreally hanging onreally hanging on

4.

He followed me home againand his eyes were wateringhis eyes were watering like a child
i made believe for himthat my blood was dripping,my blood was dripping into his mouth
screamingscreaming
he cut off my oxygenand my eyes were wateringas he tore into my skinlike a lion
i knew it was poisonas he filled me to the brimmy blood was drippinglike a lamb
screamingscreamingscreaming
leave your bedroom light oni live to watch you undressand you know that i’m thereas you soak in my stare with your right arm
come to mecome to mecomecometo me


5.

he brought her in to get out to get outhe kissed her skin to get off to get off
you can wake up now mommafrom your protective comawhen you wake up you wake up
you won’t recognize your houseyou won’t recognize your housewill you recognize theiris of the body?you won’t recognize your houseyou won’t recognize your housewill you recognize theiris of the body?you won’t recognize your houseyou won’t recognize your housewill you recognize theiris of the body?

6.

Mercury, creeping on the seahow she wails, flails her arms and weepsaccumulation of debris
lips apart flapping as a larkfor in the dark there is release
every familiarity scarce as the great white shark
O to build walls with golden gillsspike in hand high above the sandto kill the sanctuaryevery mile that is owned only stands still by the grace of the stone
look daughter and owllisten to her howli howled when you were born through meand you’re alive with a breath you can’t see all by the grace of this dream

7.

you have a mythological beautyyou have the eye of someone i have seenoutside of ordinary situationseven outside of dreams
you lie in bed at night and watch the lines of headlights through your screenthere is a child inside you who is tryingto raise the child in me
if you wanna leaveyou just have to sayyou’re all caught up insidebut you know the way
you cut the flesh of your left thumbusing your boyfriend's knifeseventeen you took his comeand you gave birth to your first life
you gave andrew a family whoyou thought could love and take better carei have an older brother i don't knowhe could be anywhere
if you wanna leaveyou just have to sayyou’re all caught up insidebut you know the wayyou’re all caught up insidebut you know the way
rented a house in niswah, minnesota,shrapnel, and oil cans, rhubarb in the yardi built a ladder out of metal piecesfather was working hard
standing beneath the oak tree by the front dooryou were inside baking breadsister came out and put her arms around meblood gushing from my headyou held me in the backseat with a dishragsoaking up blood with your eyeI was just 5 and you were 27 praying don't let my baby die
if you wanna leaveyou just have to sayyou’re all caught up insidebut you know the wayyou’re all caught up insidebut you know the way
so much moreto live your lifeto walk the floorto say goodnightto leave your light ondo you leave you light on?
you’re all caught up insidebut you know the way

8.

(in the mirror are closer than they appear)
old volcanoes meltinglove is overwhelmingletting your insides out
blind altercationopen invitationbreaking your guard down
no ordinary measurement
you turn your own light onyou turn your own light on inside of mecloser the farther you’ve gonestronger the harder you fall in front of me
walking through your gardenpulling up the garlicgetting our hands dirty
kissing on the vampireskissing on the werewolveswe have no enemies
no ordinary measurement
you turn your own light onyou turn your own light on inside of mecloser the farther you’ve gonestronger the harder you fall in front of me

9.

just like that she isi meanwe are, we are gone for goodfor closing my eyetoo soonmissed the roomold magpieit just passed me through
oh when it gets you downwhen you get that notionany way you walk aroundanywhere that you are goingif you ever wanna come backyou know my arms are always open
just like how it used to behaleykicking around burying letters we wrotewondering what yours might have said to memine wentthere are the geeseover the trailwe have the open road
oh when it gets you downwhen you get that notionany way you walk aroundanywhere that you are goingif you ever wanna come backyou know my arms are always open
just like that he’s holding my handredirect, rearrange, bringing the moon to landoh when it gets you downwhen you get that notionif you ever wanna come backyou know my arms are always open

10.

burn up with the waterfloods around the plainsthe planets in a rosewho knows what they containand my brain is like an orchestraplaying on insanewill you love me like you loved mein the january rain
mom and dad and violinssomber country silencethe needle stopped the kickingthe clothes pins on the floorand my heart is playing hide and seekwait and count to fourwill you love me like you loved meand i’ll never ask for more
what did you tell me mary when you were there so sweet and veryfull of field and stars you carried all of timeoh and heavens when you looked at me your eyes were like machinery your handswere making artifacts in the corner of my mindmonastery monochrome boom balloon machine and ohdiamond rings and gutter bones marching up the mountain with ouraching planning high and smiling cheap drink dark and violent full of butterflies the violenttenderness the sweet asylum the clay you find is fortified we felt unfocused fade the linethe sugar rush the constant hush the pushing of the water gushthe marching band when april ran may june bugs fly and pushyour old gin jacob with the tired wirey brandy lookhere we go round mary in your famous story book
we overcome the sirenswe look both left and righti can feel the numbnessaccompany my plightand i know that someday soon i’ll see youThough now you’re out of sightand you’ll kiss me like you used toin the january night
what did you tell me mary when you were there so sweet and veryfull of field and stars you carried all of timeoh and heavens when you looked at me your eyes were like machinery your hands were making artifacts in the corner of my mindmonastery monochrome boom balloon machine and ohdiamond rings and gutter bones marching up the mountain with ouraching planning high and smiling cheap drink dark and violent full of butterflies the violenttenderness the sweet asylum the clay you find is fortified we felt unfocused fade the linethe sugar rush the constant hush the pushing of the water gushthe marching band when april ran may june bugs fly and pushyour old gin jacob with the tired wirey brandy lookhere we go round mary in your famous story book

11.

so much coming inI do not know where to begini just follow the lead you're pullingand i get lost in your trail
so much more to tellyou just ask me if i’m doing welli do not know, what the helli just swallow hard
in your eyes(black diamonds)i could die(black diamonds)in your eyes(black diamonds)i could diei wake up in a cold sweat on the ceilingterrified of what your love’s revealing
so much you can seeshould i let you make a woman of meshould i let you take the mystery from mesee the inside of my room at night
sometimes you will findthings i did not know how to leave behindi’ve been grappling with my own mindstuck inside a jail
in your eyes(black diamonds)i could die(black diamonds)in your eyes(black diamonds)i could diei wake up in a cold sweat on the ceilingterrified of what your love’s revealing
the cold of winter warms my bloodand he’s hot like a bed of steelfinds his peace of mind in the rivers and the whippoorwilli could follow close behind and then slowly disappearbut i could never leave himi could never leave himi could never leave himi could never leave him
in your eyes(black diamonds)i could die(black diamonds)in your eyes(black diamonds)i could diei wake up in a cold sweat on the ceiling
so much more to docome on let me make a man out of youi can gather you and you tell the truthyou can cry inside my arms like a babyyou can cry inside my arms like a childyou can cryyou can crycrycry