Gila Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Man, you got a lot of jokes to tell
So you throw your baby's pennies down the well
You give a little more than you like

You pick apart the past, you're not going back
Don't you waste your time

[Chorus]
No, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

[Post-Chorus]
(Ah, ah) Gila-a
(Ah, ah) Gila-a-a-a-a
(Ah, ah) Gila-a-a-a


[Verse 2]
Sure, you've got a handle on the past
It's why you keep your little lovers in your lap
You give a little more than you like

Pick apart the past, you're not going gonna last
So don't you waste your time

[Chorus]
No, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
[Post-Chorus]
(Ah, ah) Gila-a
(Ah, ah) Gila-a-a-a-a
(Ah, ah) Gila-a-a-a


[Bridge]
Hoping for the last ship to arrive
I am blessed with a kingdom, half mine


[Outro]
(Ah, ah) Gila-a
(Ah, ah) Gila-a-a-a-a
(Ah, ah) Gila-a
(Ah, ah) Gila-a-a-a-a
(Ah, ah) Gila-a-a-a-a
(Ah, ah) Gila-a-a-a-a

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About

Genius Annotation

“Gila” is a song about a Gatsby-eque lover who foolishly thinks that they can recreate the past. As a result this ends up damaging their future, and the future of their children.

Victoria compares “Gila” to “Heart of Chambers” because they both have “dark sass” and “witchy mysticism.”

It was somewhere in Mississippi that we put the pieces of ‘Gila’ together. All of these songs were written in different places, because we kept having to move.

The meaning of the word Gila is not exactly clear. It could be a reference to the poisonous Gila monster, or it could be that gila means “crazy” in Malay and Indonesian.

This song was sampled on The Weeknd’s “Loft Music”.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Beach House say about "Gila"?
Genius Answer

‘Gila’ took the most time because we were trying to find the right… like the chorus is something that I wrote in a hotel and it emerged a couple of months later so it was like bits and pieces that grew together. It took a while to make sense. But when it did, it was fine. It was good. It was just an example of trying to make something happen too quickly, giving it the time, you know.

– Victoria Legrand, Village Voice

Credits
Produced By
Distributor
Background Vocals
Lead Vocals
Recording Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Mixing Engineer
Recorded At
Lord Baltimore Recording
Release Date
December 11, 2007
Songs That Sample Gila
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