Cover art for 16 Years by Sage Francis

16 Years

Produced by

May. 11, 20101 viewer

16 Years Lyrics

The sun flies through the sky, leaves darkness in its wake
And now I hear the hellhounds barking at the gate
To be honest, sometimes I don't want you to relate
This ain't up for discussion, it's not a topic for debate
Entrepeneurs, they want to bottle up the hate
And slap a label on the glass so hard that it'll break
If you break it, you buy it, and we sold it by the case
It's OK if you just try it, you can hold it to your face

How close can you get without touching it?
How far removed can you get from the public?
Can you keep a secret? If not, can you tie a slipknot?
Can you stand high up on this brick block?
Listen to the clock tick-tock and switch gears
It's been one, two, three, four, five, six years

Are they all dancing now? Are you joining the party?
Are just celebrating life just by destroying your body?
It's a part of your psyche I want to sight-see
I don't need you as a tour guide and I don't want you to like me
I was voted least likely--that's it, just least likely
So pardon me if I seem feisty
Bite my tongue like a bullet, take a pull from the peace pipe
Push past the low expectations of me each night
I leave light in my wake and I moonwalk across the floor
Until I hear the sex kittens all purring at the door
There's something outside that we all want
But inside, there's an ex who marks a soft spot
Till it rots and decays and then no one else cares
It's been seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve years
Now I sell pennies to the well-wishers, I fish through the coinslots
I fall through a girl's bait, participate in boycotts
I demonstrate a demon's trade with a face void of thoughts
If that don't launch a thousand ships, then that's a Helen of Troy's loss

There's nothing in this horse: it's hollow, it's empty, its entry will not be forced
Like an eyesocket stripped clean of tears
It's been thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen years

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Have the inside scoop on this song?
Sign up and drop some knowledge

Q&A

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

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Release Date
May 11, 2010
Songs That Interpolate 16 Years
Tags
Comments