No Way Down Lyrics
And a pillar of salt
I was born with blood on my hands
And have all the signs of a bleeding heart
Living high on a giant hog
On a mountain so steep
Keep your head in a hollow log
As the ruling fog are about to creep
What have we done?
How'd we get so far from the sun?
Lost, lost in an oscillating phase
Where a tiny few catch all of the rays
Out beyond the western squalls
In an alien land
They work for nothing at all
They don't know the mall or the layaway plan
Dig yourself a beautiful grave
Everything you could want
Maybe those invisible slaves
Are too far away for a ghost to haunt
What will we charge?
Letting go of a claim so large
Oh, all of our working days are done
But a tiny few are having all of the fun
Is there no way down
From this peak to solid ground
Without having our gold teeth
Pulled from our mouths?
Make me a drink strong enough
To wash away the dishwater world they said was lemonade
Walk with me after the show
Maybe we can find a way through the minefield in the snow
What will they charge?
Letting go of a claim so large
Oh, all of our working days are done
But a tiny few are having all of the fun
Apologies to the sick and the young
Get used to the dust in your lungs
About
Track 6 from The Shins' 2012 album Port of Morrow, “No Way Down” marks the first time songwriter and vocalist James Mercer has focused directly on themes of political greed and consumerism. In an interview with MAGNET Magazine, Mercer explained the genesis of the song as follows:
“I read an article—I forget where, exactly—but it was just basically about how in the United States we used to manufacture a lot of stuff, like a lot of the microphones that I buy on eBay because they’re good, high-quality microphones, but they’re old. Nobody makes them anymore because we don’t make anything, basically. So it was about that issue, and it was about the argument that they were making. It was that big-money interests that lobbied to have free trade with Asia. So we were able to buy goods made in countries that had no respect for civil rights, and the relationships with the unions [in this country] could finally be skirted around and we could end that. So now we’re in the situation today where you cannot make a living, basically. We used to make every fucking thing we used, and we lost all that. Fucked the country, saved their asses, fucked the whole economy.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.Simple Song
- 5.September
- 6.No Way Down
- 7.For A Fool
- 8.Fall of ’82
- 10.Port of Morrow