The Ledge Lyrics

[Verse 1]
All eyes look up to me
High above the filthy streets
Heed no bullhorn when it calls
Watch me fly and die, watch me fall

[Chorus]
I'm the boy they can't ignore
For the first time in my life, I'm sure
All the love sent up high to pledge
Won't reach the ledge

[Verse 2]
Wind blows cold from the west
I smell coffee, I smell doughnuts for the press
A girl that I knew once years ago
Is tryin' to be reached on the phone

[Chorus]
I'm the boy she can't ignore
For the first time in my life, I'm sure
All the love sent up high to pledge
I'm the boy she can't ignore
For the first time in my life, I'm sure
All the love sent up high to pledge
[Guitar Solo]

[Bridge]
Priest kneels silent, all is still
Policeman reaches from the sill
Watch him try to try his best
There'll be no medal pinned to his chest, yeah

[Chorus]
I'm the boy they couldn't ignore
For the first time in my life, I'm sure
I'm the boy they couldn't ignore
For the first time in my life, I'm sure
I'm the boy for the last time in my life
All the love that they pledge
For the last time will not reach the ledge

[Outro]
Ledge...

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About

Genius Annotation

The ledge is a song describing a suicide from the first person perspective. The song itself raised some controversy and the music video was banned from mtv due to the lyrical content.

The guitar arpeggio running throughout the song repurposes that of Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. Premeditated? Unconscious? Coincidence? Who cares… This song is yet another example of Paul Westerberg’s sheer unbridled brute force brilliance. Neither rock ‘n’ roll nor suicide gets any better than this…

Q&A

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Credits
Produced By
Written By
Recorded At
Ardent Studios, Studio B, Memphis, USA
Release Date
June 17, 1987
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