Have I ever left you waylaid?
Have I ever come and stayed?
Why would I now?
There were times I loathed your name
There were times I laid on plain
There were times I brought on shame
Why would I now?
But I will never be your familiar soul
and I will never see your interior whole
But have I ever stood back and watched you fall?
Ditched your call? Cut you, bend around?
Why would I now?
Have I ever steered you wrong?
Have I ever strung you along?
Have I ever kept you long?
Why would I now?
There were times I broke through the walls
There were times I broke through it all
There were times it felt so hard,
Why would I now?
But I will never be your familiar soul
and I will never see your interior whole
But have I ever stood back and watched you fall?
Ditched your call? Cut you, bend around?
Why would I now?
Though the years they may upbraid you
How it all nearly unmade you laying down
Why would now?
Remember when it all went dark
Remember when it first ran apart
Remember how I held my marks
So wouldn't I now?
But I will never be your familiar soul
and I will never see your interior whole
But have I ever stood back and watched you fall?
Ditched your call? Cut you, bend around?
Why would I now?
The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2000. The band consists of Colin Meloy (lead vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion, backing vocals), Nate Query (bass), and John Moen (drums).
The band has released eight studio albums, to date, with their lyrics often focusing on historical incidents and folklore. Audience participation is a part of their live performances, typically during encores. The band stages whimsical reenactments of sea battles and other centuries-old events, typically of regional interest, or acts out songs with members of the crowd.
In 2011, the track "Down by the Water" from their album, The King Is Dead, was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 54th Grammy Awards.
