Lyrics for singles by Talking Heads

Psycho Killer
Take Me to the River
Life During Wartime
Once in a Lifetime
Burning Down The House
Girlfriend is Better



Psycho Killer

I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax
I can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire
Don't touch me; I'm a real live wire

Psycho Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?
fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far
Better run run run run run away
Psycho Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?
fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far
Better run run run run run away

I passed out hours ago
I'm sadder than you'll ever know
I closed my eyes on this sunny day
Say something once, why say it again?

[chorus]

You start a conversation you can't even finish it
You're talkin' a lot, but you're not sayin' anything
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?

[chorus]

Ce que j'ai fais, ce soir la
Ce qu'elle a dit, ce soir la
Realisant mon espoir
Je me lance, vers la gloire ... OK
We are vain and we are blind
I hate people when they're not polite

[chorus]

oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh




Take Me to the River

I don't know why I love her like I do
All the changes you put me through
Take my money, my cigarettes
I haven't seen the worst of it yet
I wanna know that you'll tell me
I love to stay
Take me to the river, drop me in the water
Take me to the river, dip me in the water
Washing me down, washing me down

I don't know why you treat me so bad
Think of all the things we could have had
Love is an ocean that I can't forget
My sweet sixteen I would never regret

I wanna know that you'll tell me
I love to stay
Take me to the river, drop me in the water
Push me in the river, dip me in the water
Washing me down, washing me

Hug me, squeeze me, love me, tease me
Till I can't, till I can't, till I can't take no more of it
Take me to the water, drop me in the river
Push me in the water, drop me in the river
Washing me down, washing me down

I don't know why I love you like I do
All the troubles you put me through
Sixteen candles there on my wall
And here am I the biggest fool of them all

I wanna know that you'll tell me
I love to stay
Take me to the river and drop me in the water
Dip me in the river, drop me in the water
Washing me down, washing me down




Life During Wartime

Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons
Packed up and ready to go
Heard of some gravesites, out by the highway
A place where nobody knows
The sound of gunfire, off in the distance
I'm getting used to it now
Lived in a brownstore, lived in the ghetto
I've lived all over this town

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
This ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey
I ain't got time for that now

Transmit the message, to the receiver
Hope for an answer some day
I got three passports, a couple of visas
You don't even know my real name
High on a hillside, the trucks are loading
Everything's ready to roll
I sleep in the daytime, and I work in the nighttime
I might not ever get home

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around
This ain't no mudd club, or C.B.G.B.
I ain't got time for that now

Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, P.A.?
You oughta know not to stand by the window
Somebody might see you up there
I got some groceries, some peant butter
To last a couple of days
But I ain't got no speakers, ain't got no heaphones
Ain't got no records to play

Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time
Can't write a letter, can't send a postcard
I can't write nothing at all
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around
I'd like to kiss you, I'd love you hold you
I ain't got no time for that now

Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock
we blended in with the crowd
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines
I know that that ain't allowed
We dress like students, we dress like housewives
Or in a suit and a tie
I've changed my hairstyle so many times now
I don't know what I look like

You make me shiver, I feel so tender
we make a pretty good team
Don't get exhausted, I'll do some driving
you ought to get some sleep

Get you instructions, follow directions
then you should change your address
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day
whatever you think is best

Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
the burning keeps me alive

Try to stay healthy, physical fitness
don't want to catch no disease
Try to be careful, don't take no chances
you better watch what you say




Once in a Lifetime

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself-Well...How did I get here?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground

And you may ask yourself "How do I work this?"
And you may ask yourself "Where is that large automobile?"
And you may tell yourself "This is not my beautiful house!"
And you may tell yourself "This is not my beautiful wife!"

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground

Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...

Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground

And you may ask yourself "What is that beautiful house?"
And you may ask yourself "Where does that highway go?"
And you may ask yourself "Am I right?...Am I wrong?"
And you may tell yourself "MY GOD!...WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground

Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...




Burning Down The House

Watch out  you might get what you're after
Cool babies  strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house

Hold tight  wait till the party's over
Hold tight  We're in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house

Here's your ticket pack your bag: time for jumpin' overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far, Maybe you know where you are
Fightin' fire with fire

All wet  hey you might need a raincoat
Shakedown  dreams walking in broad daylight
Three hun-dred six-ty five de-grees
Burning down the house

It was once upon a place sometimes I listen to myself
Gonna come in first place
People on their way to work  baby what did you except
Gonna burst into flame

My house  S'out of the ordinary
That's might  Don't want to hurt nobody
Some things sure can sweep me off my feet
Burning down the house

No visible means of support and you have not seen nuthin' yet
Everything's stuck together
I don't know what you expect starring into the TV set
Fighting fire with fire




Girlfriend is Better

I . . . Who took the money?
Who took the money away?
I . . . It's always showtime
Here at the edge of the stage
I, I, I, wake up and wonder
What was the place, what was the name?
We wanna wait, but here we go again...

I . . . takes over slowly
But doesn't last very long
I . . . no need to worry
Evr'ything's under control
O - U - T  But no hard feelings
What do you know?  Take you away
We're being taken for a ride again

I got a girlfriend that's better than that
She has the smoke in her eyes
She's moving up, going right through my house
She's ginna give me surprise
Better than this, know that It's right
I think you can if you like
I git a girlfriend with bows in her hair
And nothing is better than that

Down, down in the basement
We hear the sound of machines
I, I, I'm driving in circles
Come to my senses sometimes
Why, why, why, why start it over?
Nothing was lost, everthing's free
I don't care how impossible it seems

Somebody calls you but you cannot hear
Get closer to be far away
Only one look and that's all that we need
Maybe that's all that it takes
All that it takes, all that it takes
All that it takes, all that it takes
I got a girlfriend that's betther than that
And she goes wherever she likes. (there she goes...)

I got a girlfriend that's better than that
Now everyone's getting involved
She's moving up going right through my heart
We might not ever get caught
Going right through     (try to stay cool)  going through, staying cool
I got a girlfriend that's better than that
And nothing is better than you

I got a girlfriend thats better that this
And you don't remember at all
As we get older and stop making sense
You won't find her waiting long
Stop making sense, stop making sense...stop making sense, making sense
I got a girlfriend that's better than that
And nothing is better that this ( is it? )